Social Justice Project: The Vietnam War (Essay Example)

When the Vietnam War started, it was no secret that many in America were not keen on the idea of sending their relatives to war, a war that was not popular with the public, a war that people in America which had no rights recognized by the same government who claimed to spread freedom across the world had forced them into a conflict that they were not part of and did not ask to take part in, it is why many in the States took to the streets to show their discontent on the conflict, and they were not wrong on their judgment either, this war was terrible for the soldiers in combat and the families of those who had to fight in it, as it is now known the US had put in order a draft on the citizenry so it was no surprise that those who were sent to fight had no choice or face penalty for refusing to cooperate, as of now recently it has come to light that the US government had orchestrated the cause of the conflict to deny a nation the right of self determination in order to halt Communist expansion in Asia.

This document will bring to light once again the events that transpired in the 50s to the 70s, this document will be organized into four sections it will be the impact on American History, as well how the events of the Vietnam War became a Social Justice event, and more to a personal level how I would’ve partaken in this collection of events and what I would’ve changed, and the conclusion of these events important to American History.

The Vietnam war had a severe impact on US History since it had a role in shaping America into the modern nation we now live in, the US involvement in Vietnam subsequently led to many in America showing their discontent, as the United States was sending troops abroad to fight for “freedom” and “equality” across the globe, the US was fighting the same battle at home as many Black Americans fought for freedom and equality, in a time where Black Americans were still in segregation.

The war had an impact on the belief in American invincibility as the myth was broken as the war raged on, as it is now known that America ended up withdrawing from the war, the war not only had an impact on the psyche of the American people but its effects were felt on its economy as the massive spending in the war led to widespread inflation, worsened as a worldwide oil crisis caused oil prices skyrocketed.

As the war raged on, the US government implemented a draft, this was controversial as Americans didn’t have the freedom of choice whether they wanted to be dragged to fight a war that at the time many didn’t even want to fight on, the breaking point was that African Americans were more likely to be drafted than their White counterparts, even though Black Americans were forced to fight in the war the situation at home was still the same as the US still practiced segregation across the nation, this culminated as more Americans took to the streets to protest the US involvement in the war and the continued segregation of Minorities in this country, as the war took a dramatic turn and the pressure from the public pushed the US government to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

In 1982 a Vietnam war veterans memorial was unveiled in Washington DC inscribed with the names of those who died in action and those missing.

The reason this was a very important Social Justice event in American History, is that the war expose the very terrible atrocities the US took part in during the Vietnam war, and the controversies the government took part in when it came to the segregation of Black Americans who were forced to fight a war that most of them didn’t want to fight, to spread “freedom” and “equality” when they didn’t have it back home.

During the Vietnam war, it was known that the US military partook in many bombing raids across Vietnam, the bombing raids had the effect of causing civilian casualties, the atrocities against the people of Vietnam didn't stop there, it is also known that the US used agent orange to attack the Viet Cong but it had the effect as said before mostly affect Vietnamese civilians, a horrifying revelation came to light in which US Soldiers were ordered to mercilessly slaughter more than 400 Unarmed Civilians in the village of My Lai in March 1968, after the My Lai Massacre further anti-war demonstrations took place back home.

Subsequently, the continuous segregation of Black Americas despite their recognizable contribution to the war effort in Vietnam, only made the situation more difficult for the government to turn a blind eye back home as another front opened up at their doorstep many fellow Americans took to the streets to fight their own battles for freedom and equality in a segregated America where an African American could be drafted to war without a choice, but couldn't vote and avoid being segregated, an America which did not recognize their rights.

On a personal level, if I had the opportunity to be part of this event, I would have stood up against the war, and against segregation, in my opinion, something I would have changed from this event is the US government's effectiveness at serving it’s people because instead of serving Americans it only served it’s own political and ideological agenda across the world, this event in specific shows how little the heads of the US government cared for the opinions of the common folk, other than that I wouldn’t have changed anything since this part of US history serves as a lesson, a lesson everyone should learn and talk about, the sacrifice of those who participated in the anti-war demonstrations, and of those who fought for equality and freedom at the home front is something I wouldn’t change.

In conclusion, the Vietnam War was not only a terrible event for the United States and Vietnam, but it was an important Social Justice Event in American History that should be taught and remembered in schools, it’s an event if believe it or not shaped America right down to its core, the sacrifice of those soldiers in Vietnam for a lost cause is something it's still felt to this day, the atrocities perpetrated in Vietnam and the subsequent defeat of the US war effort in that nation gives us another perspective on how we see the Nation, are we really spreading freedom and equality? Or is it something we need to work on first at home before fighting wars that in reality prevent nations from righteous self-determination, America was not only fighting abroad but it was also fighting at home for the same reasons as stated before to spread Freedom and Equality.