The Legacy of the Vietnam War According to President Richard Nixon, “no event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now” (“Post-Vietnam”). Vietnam was one of the most controversial wars in American history. Many American’s struggled to understand the purpose of our fight in Vietnam. Rather than praising our efforts to prevent the spread of communism, many American’s felt the war was not ours to fight. The Vietnam War greatly impacted the United States and its legacy still lives on today. Although Nixon believes the Vietnam War is misremembered now, its impact on the United States is undeniable. After the Vietnam War, the United States government made immediate changes.
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The public became very suspicious of the government and authority as the war continued on. Some even believed that the government inflated enemy casualties to conceal the fact that American soldiers were fighting in a military deadlock (“The War’s Consequences”). Although this is not confirmed, Americans continue to be conflicted over the meaning of this war. The Vietnam War caused much division among Americans, especially in dealing with political parties. The Democratic Party, especially, was divided (“The Vietnam War”). President Lyndon B. Johnson was played a major role in the Vietnam War. He was President from 1963 to 1969, so he was a very important figure in the Vietnam War. This Democratic leader made many changes that alienated many of his supporters. Many blue color democrats later became Republicans or Independents because they were often called to war by the draft and they often disagreed with Johnson’s actions in Vietnam (“The War’s Consequences”). The Democratic Party was tremendously weakened. The party became dominated by anti-war groups, became weak in its foreign policy, and it became confused about America’s role in the world. Although the war did not affect the United State’s powerful status in the world, it had many more lasting effects. More than 3 million Americans served in Vietnam. 830,000 of them suffered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and over 58,000 died (“The
The public became very suspicious of the government and authority as the war continued on. Some even believed that the government inflated enemy casualties to conceal the fact that American soldiers were fighting in a military deadlock (“The War’s Consequences”). Although this is not confirmed, Americans continue to be conflicted over the meaning of this war. The Vietnam War caused much division among Americans, especially in dealing with political parties. The Democratic Party, especially, was divided (“The Vietnam War”). President Lyndon B. Johnson was played a major role in the Vietnam War. He was President from 1963 to 1969, so he was a very important figure in the Vietnam War. This Democratic leader made many changes that alienated many of his supporters. Many blue color democrats later became Republicans or Independents because they were often called to war by the draft and they often disagreed with Johnson’s actions in Vietnam (“The War’s Consequences”). The Democratic Party was tremendously weakened. The party became dominated by anti-war groups, became weak in its foreign policy, and it became confused about America’s role in the world. Although the war did not affect the United State’s powerful status in the world, it had many more lasting effects. More than 3 million Americans served in Vietnam. 830,000 of them suffered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and over 58,000 died (“The