The Vietnam War
Essay by scubadee25 • November 7, 2012 • Essay • 1,301 Words (6 Pages) • 1,484 Views
Around the world, students did protest against the War in Vietnam. At a national convention
of the democrat party, held in Chicago, a fight between the police and anti war protesters went
out of hand and almost half of the City been burned down.
These protest became a returning sight and looting and mass hysteria did happen more
frequently. The most demonstration would happen on College campuses.
The draft, first time since 1942, was re-instituted only for purpose to send these soldiers to
fight the war in Vietnam. The U.S. Government drafted around 40 000 young people a month, to
send the most of them to Vietnam. This meant that the generation of Baby Boomers was eligible
to fight a fight, who been questioned in the U.S.A by a lot of people.
Exemptions been available for College students, so this meant draftees been mostly coming
from the working class, saying this the middle and upper class would enter College but to show
some support they would organize protest for their fellow Americans and for students who
graduate and might be still send to Vietnam. So the main goal was to stop the War for good!
Not to forget the strained relations to Canada where a lot young men flew too, to escape the
draft.
Over two million Americans fought in Vietnam and over 58 000 left there life's doing so.
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Another reason for protest was the financial burden the war did put onto the country and the
economy did suffer. According to Sibley (2008)" A youth bulge is when 30 to 40 percent
of a nation's male population is between the ages of 15 and 29." If there is a youth bulge
occurs, finding a job is much harder than the other way around. "The odds of social
violence are much increased." (Sibley, 2008, p.1) This would also explain why the generation
of Baby Boomers did more protest than you might see it these days in the U.S. however in other
countries like Egypt this was one of the reasons why young people did go onto the streets and
protested for a new government.
The Vietnam War was a political disaster and a military loss for the U.S. Military.
President Johnson would continue to finance the war without any results and worse no means to cover the cost.
He also initiated a big amount of domestic program, who been known as Great Society, but also
made a finance misstep there as well. Not raising the tax to cover these programs, resulted
in inflation and a big deficit in the government funds.
The people of the United States been quite fed up with leadership and there dishonest moves.
The actions of President Nixon and President Ford let to big changes in governmental actions.
On of the major once, was the War Power Act. Meaning the president would have to notify
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