The Vietnam War was fought from November 1, 1955 to April 30, 1975 between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The U.S. supported South Vietnam because it was democratic. In addition, the U.S. wanted to prevent the spread of communism. The involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War has been a very controversial topic over the years. Some Americans believed that it was our duty to defend against the spread of communism while other Americans believed that it was an unnecessary war and it was not out job to get involved and it was a costly blunder. The anti-war movement had an enormous effect on the United States because it brought about changes in the government, the war strategy was re-evaluated and eventually forced the troops to withdraw.
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A counter cultural group the Yippies took imaginative action, raided offices of draft boards, and Civil Rights leader, Martin Luther King, also spoke against the war. Other non-violent action such as blockades of roads and streets became common. The Tet offensive conducted by North Vietnam on January 30, 1968 shocked the American public. It can be said that the Tet offensive was a turning point in the war because it influenced the American public who realized that the entire war was senseless and there was no strategy to end the war. The Tet offensive occurred around the same time that the government considered General Westmoreland’s request for 206,000 additional troops. The government was concerned that this would lead to increased draft resistance and unrest in the cities. As a result, Secretary of Defense Clark Clifford rejected Westmoreland’s request and urged to seek peace instead. In Washington there was a panic among the politicians and many Congressmen turned on the President. The Tet offensive was a disaster for the Johnson Presidency and led to the end of his Presidency. Mr. McNamara resigned as Secretary of State of Defense and Mr. Clark Clifford replaced Mr. McNamara. In March of 1968 Mr. Johnson decided to halt the bombings hoping that this would lead to negotiations with North Vietnam (Woods). Soon after President Nixon became President in January, 1969 he began the policy of Vietnamization. The policy was to train and arm the forces of South Vietnam to fight the North Vietnamese so that the U.S. troops could withdraw from the region (Rohn). At the same time, Nixon considered Operation Duck Hook which was the bombing of many economic and military areas in and around North Vietnam specially the cities of Hanoi and Haiphong. The national moratorium antiwar
A counter cultural group the Yippies took imaginative action, raided offices of draft boards, and Civil Rights leader, Martin Luther King, also spoke against the war. Other non-violent action such as blockades of roads and streets became common. The Tet offensive conducted by North Vietnam on January 30, 1968 shocked the American public. It can be said that the Tet offensive was a turning point in the war because it influenced the American public who realized that the entire war was senseless and there was no strategy to end the war. The Tet offensive occurred around the same time that the government considered General Westmoreland’s request for 206,000 additional troops. The government was concerned that this would lead to increased draft resistance and unrest in the cities. As a result, Secretary of Defense Clark Clifford rejected Westmoreland’s request and urged to seek peace instead. In Washington there was a panic among the politicians and many Congressmen turned on the President. The Tet offensive was a disaster for the Johnson Presidency and led to the end of his Presidency. Mr. McNamara resigned as Secretary of State of Defense and Mr. Clark Clifford replaced Mr. McNamara. In March of 1968 Mr. Johnson decided to halt the bombings hoping that this would lead to negotiations with North Vietnam (Woods). Soon after President Nixon became President in January, 1969 he began the policy of Vietnamization. The policy was to train and arm the forces of South Vietnam to fight the North Vietnamese so that the U.S. troops could withdraw from the region (Rohn). At the same time, Nixon considered Operation Duck Hook which was the bombing of many economic and military areas in and around North Vietnam specially the cities of Hanoi and Haiphong. The national moratorium antiwar