The_Vietnam_War

The Vietnam War was unlike anything that the United States had ever been involved in before. Many were unsure what exactly this war was all about. Since the draft was reinstated, many men were trying to find a way to escape being forced into war. The soldiers were treated like enemies rather than as the brave heroes they surely were. The Vietnam War happened during the “hippie era” of the United States, and in turn there were hundreds of protests on college campuses all across the country. Once the war ended, it was not truly over. The social and political outcomes that followed were not something anyone could have been prepared for. The catalyst to one of the most notorious protests was after President Nixon had recently “…expanded the war beyond Vietnam into Cambodia…” (Davidson, 2005). Students at Kent State University decided to protest this decision on May 4, 1970. About 300 student protestors gathered, and after burning the pages of a the Constitution form a text book, were returning back to campus to “…burn down an old army ROTC building.” (Davidson, 2005). Word of this got back to Governor James Rhodes who in turn ordered the National Guard to the campus. The National Guard had ordered the crowd of protestors to leave immediately, and while a few did, most did not. In fact, some of the protestors began throwing rocks and stood their ground. “The guardsmen suddenly fired into the crowd, many of whom were students passing back and forth from classes.” (Davidson, 2005). Three students were killed and nine more were wounded. Unfortunately this was not an isolated event. On May 14, 1970, two students were killed and dozens of others were injured after police opened fire on unarmed protesters inside of a dormitory at Jackson State in Mississippi. The protests were influential in that they cast doubt in many leaders minds. So much doubt, in fact, that many of these leaders advised President Johnson to try to reach some sort of resolution in Vietnam rather than risk the lives of any more soldiers. However, President Johnson “…did not want to be remembered as the first American leader who lost a war…” and sided with the supporters of the war, then known as the hawks. This decision caused Defense Secretary Robert McNamara to resign, in what could be viewed as his own protest. There were many political repercussions because of the war. Most Americans no longer trusted the government to make the right decision for them and questioned future motives. “The military, especially, was discredited for years.” (Sitikoff, 1999). The veterans of the Vietnam War were treated like second-class citizens. Soldiers did not announce that they proudly served in a war, but were instead made to feel like it was something to hide. “More Vietnam veterans committed suicide after the war than had died in it.” (Sitikoff, 1999). Many ended up homeless and received no benefits due to the less than honorable discharge they received. In 1973, Congress enacted the War Powers Resolution, “…ostensibly forbidding the president from sending U.S. troops into combat for more than ninety days without congressional consent.” (Sitikoff, 1999). There were also many social outcomes that could not have been foreseen. Due to the protests during the war, many people who would have normally had no voice now had one. Many different ethnicities began to speak out and wanted to create their own identities rather than be integrated into American culture. Many more Latino’s and Asian’s began move to the United States. Latino’s began attending colleges in record numbers. Asian’s were welcomed easier than those of other cultures and backgrounds due to the skills the possessed and contribution to American society. Gay men and woman also began protesting soon after the Vietnam War. “In 1972, Black Panther leader Huey Newton observed that homosexuals ‘might be the most oppressed people’ in American society.” (Davidson, 2005). Homosexuality was considered a sin and a choice, not something that someone was born with. Therefore many people expected them to make the choice to be straight. In 1974 “...gays achieved a major symbolic victory when the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders.” (Davidson, 2005). This was a huge accomplishment because it was the beginning of homosexuality being accepted as something that was not wrong. Feminism exploded after the war. Women were protesting against tradition. Instead of getting married at young ages and having lots of children, they were instead finding jobs. Most women attended college and found jobs in fields they loved. Also, women gained control of their bodies. Even though abortions were performed illegally for many years, the passing of Roe v. Wade in 1973 made abortions legally a woman’s choice. Women were taking control of their lives instead of letting men make decisions for them or following what society expects. No one can deny that the Vietnam War is an awful part of United States history. However, it also opened many doors that may have stayed shut for a very long time. Many minorities found their voice during and after this war. Protesters proved that the government is not always correct. Women proved they deserve equal rights, as did minority groups. The Vietnam War changed our country forever. It made citizens far more skeptical of the government, but it also got them more involved in politics. The war was definitely an awful time, but it opened so many eyes to what was really going on.