Vietnam War DBQ

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Throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s, Americans became uneasy not only about the troubled position of the United States in world affairs, but also about the disorder happening at home by foreign entanglements. Either because of the war experience that many faced or because of the lessons Americans later drew from the experience, which drastically altered society during the 1960’s and 1970’s. The belief in the right to influence the internal affairs of other countries led to total disaster in Southeast Asia. This disaster would forever be known as the longest war in the nation's history which had lasted twenty years. Vietnam became another action in the containment of communism for the United States. Overlooking the native roots of the revolution …show more content…
According to statistics, Vietnam veterans had supported the war 46:45 on a ratio, while Vietnam era veterans had supported the war on a 35:49 ration. Non veterans had supported the war 19:67 (Doc.F). Another example of unsupportive attitude shown towards the war was in The Washington Post National Weekly Edition, April 29-May 6, 1990. The post had asked a national sample of adults whether the United States should have been involved in the Vietnam War, and that if the United States should have sent troops into Vietnam. Fifty four percent had said that the United States should have not sent troops, while the remaining thirty six had said that the United States was right to enter the war and should have “gone all out to win.”(Doc …show more content…
Ernest Evans in Wars Without Splendor, 1987 had stated “ The reason for the loss of public support for the Vietnam War was that the United States never had a very convincing case for the intervention in the first place; And that public opinion turned against the war because the costs of the war were in plain sight while the benefits to be gained by continuing the war were quite elusive,” (Doc.L) Many did not see how the war was effective in any way, except for enduring many lives. While many discussed how the war affected America many had forgotten how the far had affected Vietnam. Charles Owen Rice, The Catholic Bulletin, January 13, 1982, had reminded many of how Vietnam was suffering drastically from the war. “Our waging the war, not our losing it,disgraced us in men’s eyes..We cratered vast stretches of Vietnam with our bombs.We destroyed villages without number… We poisoned the wells, the forests and the farm with Agent Orange. We bulldozed millions of acres of forest and jungle. All in we killed over two million of them, mostly civilians, We napalmed women and children. Many of our soldiers disintegrated and did terrible things which haunt them today.” (Doc. D) Charles Owen was stating that the war was truly unjustified and put many to death and suffering.