SC - Vietnam War Lesson

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a struggle for control of Vietnam. While the conflict originally began during the French colonial rule in the region, the United States became involved in the 1950s by providing economic and limited military aid. Then, in the early 1960s, U.S. involvement began to increase; it lasted until the early 1970s. The democratic government of South Vietnam, supported by the United States, battled communist North Vietnam and a military organization called the Viet Cong. U.S. policymakers believed that if Vietnam came to be ruled by a communist government, communism would spread throughout Southeast Asia and perhaps beyond. In 1968, the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese army started the eight-month-long Tet Offensive. It was the Viet Cong's largest and most damaging campaign of the entire war.

Ultimately, the Tet Offensive failed to achieve its goal of driving the Americans out of Vietnam but it did lead many people in the United States to question how and why Johnson had told them America was winning the war. This led some Americans who had been quiet up until then to raise their voices in protest against the war. Many college campuses were home to groups formed to protest American involvement in Vietnam. The goals of these groups differed, but most favored ending the draft and removing all American troops from Vietnam.

Anti-Vietnam War Movement

Americans against the war in Vietnam became more vocal in their opposition. Many antiwar groups started on college campuses to urge the government to end selective service (the draft) and to bring home all American troops from Vietnam. They used many of the same tactics as groups fighting for civil rights, including sit-ins, marches, and demonstrations. Later, some protesters became more radical, burning their draft cards, going to prison rather than going to Vietnam, and even fleeing to Canada.

1968

The year 1968 was one of social and political turmoil in the United States. Review this list of key events that shocked America and made 1968 a defining moment of the modern era:

 

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