Final Exam: Opinionated Essay
Decade: 1960s
Event: Vietnam War Over the last 100 years, no war has been more divisive than the Vietnam War. This war polarized Americans on whether or not to support the purpose. Even the presidents during this era like Nixon and Lyndon B. Johnson were ambivalent on whether or not the purpose of the war was still worth fighting for. Many Americans were outspoken on their feelings of the war either pro war which were called or anti-war which were the doves. Each person had a clear opinion on the Vietnam War, a war that even today still sparks debate on its purpose and whether or not America achieved that purpose. One of the ways the US tried to gain troops was by using the draft process. In this draft, all …show more content…
Organizations like the Students for a Democratic Society and Free Speech Movement spoke out against the war and protested its cause and purpose. One of the biggest anti-war protested happened in October 1967 when 75,000 protesters went to Lincoln Memorial and 30,000 went to march on Pentagon. This event was significant because it showed the growing anti-war movement and how divisive the war became. The youth at the time were gaining influence through demonstrations, protests, etc. The presidents at the time not only had to deal with ways to control the situation at Vietnam, but also help relieve the situation at home where many citizens are upset about the war and are protesting …show more content…
Lyndon Johnson wanted to stand ground during the war and use slow escalation to help gain both sides of the war who were totally for and against the war. After Tet Offensive in 1968, Americans started to lose faith in Johnson’s presidency and many turned on him. On March 31, 1968, Johnson addressed nation saying that US will try to end the war and his intention to step down from Democratic ballot. This was because Johnson sensed Americans had gone sour on his policies and felt the only to fix the situation in the US was to remove his name from candidates. Nixon had a very different agenda. In his campaign, he promised the removal of US troops from Vietnam. The policy he used during the Vietnam War was called Vietnamization which took troops slowly so then soon South Vietnam would fight the Vietkong on their own. Still, Nixon had his qualms about the war. He believe in “peace with honor” and wanted Americans to not look weak during negotiations. He even bombed nearby countries like Cambodia to make Vietkong feel threatened by him. Some of his policies like bombing Cambodia without Congress permission caused Nixon to lose support and his Tonkin Gulf Program was repealed as a
Decade: 1960s
Event: Vietnam War Over the last 100 years, no war has been more divisive than the Vietnam War. This war polarized Americans on whether or not to support the purpose. Even the presidents during this era like Nixon and Lyndon B. Johnson were ambivalent on whether or not the purpose of the war was still worth fighting for. Many Americans were outspoken on their feelings of the war either pro war which were called or anti-war which were the doves. Each person had a clear opinion on the Vietnam War, a war that even today still sparks debate on its purpose and whether or not America achieved that purpose. One of the ways the US tried to gain troops was by using the draft process. In this draft, all …show more content…
Organizations like the Students for a Democratic Society and Free Speech Movement spoke out against the war and protested its cause and purpose. One of the biggest anti-war protested happened in October 1967 when 75,000 protesters went to Lincoln Memorial and 30,000 went to march on Pentagon. This event was significant because it showed the growing anti-war movement and how divisive the war became. The youth at the time were gaining influence through demonstrations, protests, etc. The presidents at the time not only had to deal with ways to control the situation at Vietnam, but also help relieve the situation at home where many citizens are upset about the war and are protesting …show more content…
Lyndon Johnson wanted to stand ground during the war and use slow escalation to help gain both sides of the war who were totally for and against the war. After Tet Offensive in 1968, Americans started to lose faith in Johnson’s presidency and many turned on him. On March 31, 1968, Johnson addressed nation saying that US will try to end the war and his intention to step down from Democratic ballot. This was because Johnson sensed Americans had gone sour on his policies and felt the only to fix the situation in the US was to remove his name from candidates. Nixon had a very different agenda. In his campaign, he promised the removal of US troops from Vietnam. The policy he used during the Vietnam War was called Vietnamization which took troops slowly so then soon South Vietnam would fight the Vietkong on their own. Still, Nixon had his qualms about the war. He believe in “peace with honor” and wanted Americans to not look weak during negotiations. He even bombed nearby countries like Cambodia to make Vietkong feel threatened by him. Some of his policies like bombing Cambodia without Congress permission caused Nixon to lose support and his Tonkin Gulf Program was repealed as a