How Did The Vietnam War Affect America

The Vietnam War and Its Effects on America From 1955 to 1975, a long, hideous war raged on throughout Asia. North Vietnam and their allies, the Viet Cong, faced off against South Vietnam and their U.S. allies over the communist control of North Vietnam (Tran & Fermoyle, 2012). The war ultimately ended with the U.S. withdrawing their forces and South Vietnam surrendering to the communist North. Aside from the loss of millions of lives, the war had costly effects on the face of America. At roughly twenty years long, the Vietnam War was the longest war the U.S. had ever fought. Within those twenty years, many changes occurred throughout America. The country 's defeat in the war became the first time the U.S. lost a war (World History Group, 2016). Also, for the first time in history, people were able to view the Vietnam war on television. Furthermore, the American people, usually united by patriotism during wartime, were divided by their opinions over U.S. involvement. It had been years since warfare had divided the country so intensely. The Vietnam War certainly had long-term affects in the United States of America. The quarrels in Vietnam had been festering before the U.S. ever got involved. Indochina, a region in Asia that consists Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, was under …show more content…
It also showed how expensive the war was inevitably going to be. This became the war 's landmark turning point. American opinions of their involvement in the war suffered a deadly blow. President Johnson could no longer hold up the illusion that the country was making strides toward winning the war. Despite the years of aiding South Vietnam, an American victory at this point was close to impossible. Questions arose about President Johnson 's strategies for the war. Since the start of the war, over 15,000 casualties had been reported, as well as over 109,000 wounded. Twenty-five billion dollars had