...Lyndon B. Johnson came into office as a former vice president to the president, John F. Kennedy, when John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. Following Lyndon B. Johnson's inauguration, this new president created the “Great Society”; characterized as an era of programs aimed at eliminating poverty and racial injustice, something the United States had been struggling with for some time. This Great Society was only “part of his legacy” though, and led to an increased dependency on government assistance. Although Johnson created the Great Society, the Vietnam War was an “elephant” to his presidency, leading me to remember Lyndon B. Johnson as a dishonest and bad president. The Vietnam War was a major part of Lyndon B. Johnson’s...
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...NIXON’S LEGACY The Seventies and Nixon’s Legacy Carlos Michael Padilla HIST145: The American Experience Since 1945 Marvin Frohock March 5, 2008 The Seventies and Nixon’s Legacy “Streaking to the 1970s” was a phrase a group of former high school students made up as they reminisced about the butt dancing, cheek planters, also known as the BBITNs (pronounced BEE-bittens), which meant buffalo buffs in the nude who dashed brazenly, almost daringly across a playing field, the heart of a school campus, and even across a television screen during a major award ceremony. Such was the decade that preceded the conformity and complacency of the 1950s, and the sexual revolution and cultural renaissance that echoed during the 1960s. The decade of the 1970s ushered in the resignation of a president, the ending of a major Southeast Asian conflict, and the birth of two new forms of youth culture identity – streaking and disco. The 1970s began with the Beatles releasing Let It Be, which would be their last album, the Kent State shooting involving the death of the four students, the conviction of Charles Mansion for the murder of actress Sharon Tate, and the conviction of American soldiers for killing entire towns of Vietnamese villagers. This action marked the beginning of the end for America’s support of the American soldier. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War lasted between 1959 and 1975, ending with the fall of Saigon. This war or police...
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...interests of the powerful who led the U.S. to war. Lembcke is a sociologist at Holy Cross College, a Vietnam veteran who was an active member of Vietnam Veterans against the War. His book demolishes the myth that the antiwar movement was anti-soldier and that vets were spat upon.In this book, he argues that the common claim of American soldiers were insulted and spat upon when they returned home from the Vietnam War is a myth and nothing more. It was intended to discredit the anti-war movement and the protesters that were behind it. Lembcke stated that the Nixon administration was behind the propaganda and was using it to discredit the anti-war movement protesters. He theorizes that the reported "spitting on soldiers" scenario was a mythical projection by those who felt "spat upon" and was meant to discredit future anti-war activism. He suggests that the images of pro-war antipathy against anti-war protesters helped contribute to the myth. Lembcke argues that memories of being verbally and physically assaulted by anti-war protesters were largely conjured, arguing that not even one case could be documented. However, some news accounts that mention spitting do exist, although there has been no evidence to support those accounts.( Discover The Networks) It is hard to disprove a myth and hard to prove that something never happened. Lembcke acknowledges that he cannot prove the negative—that no Vietnam veteran was spat on—saying (Lembcke p. 68)...
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...The Legacy of Ho Chi Minh Vietnam is a country which has suffered a lot of turmoil, both political and regional, over the years. After gaining independence from the Chinese in 938 AD, successive Vietnamese dynasties ruled the nation while expanding geographically and politically into Southeast Asia, until the French colonized the nation into of a federation of states called Indochina, which consisted of North, Central and South Vietnam, along with Cambodia in the 19th century. During such turmoil, Ho Chi Minh was born in Hoang Tru village of French Indochina on May 19, 1890. His birth name was Nguyen Sinh Cung, but he was more popular with other names. After completing his primary education, Ho travelled to the city of Hue and attended the Franco – Vietnamese academy. Post-graduation, at the age of 21, Ho obtained a job as a cook aboard a French steam ship, and travelled to France. He later travelled through various parts of Europe, US and other countries. While in France, he was introduced to Communism, and became involved in leftist and anticolonial activism. Influenced by the communism ideas, he started the Association for Annamite Patriots, an organization composed of Vietnamese nationals living in France who opposed the French colonial occupation, and later became part of the French Communist party in 1920. He also started a journal to serve as a platform for anti-colonial activists to express and disseminate their views about the French colonial regime. Later...
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...the world. It is with this loyalty in mind that I urge you to consider the immediate suspension of Agent Orange in the Vietnam War. The effects of continuing to administer this chemical concoction would be disastrous, and I plead with you to listen to the warnings of the scientific community. The manufacturing process of Agent Orange often produces highly toxic byproduct 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-dibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), especially at higher reaction temperatures (Frumkin, 246). The biological consequences of TCDD exposure are more than significant. The molecule is highly lipophilic, meaning that it will bind to fats within the body. As these fats are...
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...In the PBS film by Tavis Smiley, “MLK: A Call to Conscience,” Tavis explored Martin Luther King’s stand against the Vietnam War and the influence of his legacy today. Tavis reached out to scholars, associates and personal friends of Dr. King who gave personal accounts of their feelings toward MLK and his movements. These events will also be supported by evidence from two other films, “Eyes on the Prize: Episode 4” which profiled MLK’s last year prior to his assassination, and “The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.” which provided additional details in regard to the FBI’s potential conspiracy against Dr. King. This film was chosen as my main source for analysis due to a personal connection with how I relate to Dr. King and his convictions for what he believes in. Just as Dr. King described Americans becoming complacent to the injustices of justice in his speech, we also tend to become complacent about why we celebrate this brilliant leader’s life. His drive and determination should be modeled by every American citizen, especially by those in successive generations who have been denied their dreams. I also intend to highlight why his ideology could live and thrive in today’s policy. The central message of this documentary builds on when Dr. King gave his speech, “A Call to Conscience” April 4, 1967 at the Riverside Church in New York City. As Vincent Harding, a close friend and author of this speech would explain the one thing that never changed during rewrites...
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...1. After reading the New York Times editorial and the National Review article, is one argument stronger than the other? • In my opinion, the New York Times makes more sense on their rationalization of who should take the consequences of the atrocities committed in Vietnam. As opposed to National Review’s, America as a whole cannot take the blame of the horrible deed during the war in Vietnam. The majority of the Americans, and some political leaders strongly opposed it. However, due to Truman’s doctrine, America would not abandon the war in South Vietnam against communist North Vietnam, under the direction of Ho Chi Minh. The succeeding presidents just carried out Truman’s legacy. To make it worst, America got deepened in the involvement in the war during the Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration. The war escalated, and became an American war against North Vietnam. As for the My Lai massacre, the commanding officer of the operation has the moral responsibility for the killings. As the commander, he directed the platoons to abide orders. The platoons are drafted and trained to carry out and rely on orders from the officials. Thus, they bear lesser liability of the aftermath that the officials have directed them to carry out....
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...Abstract This paper discusses how the Vietnam Conflict impacted American society. The topics explored involve how the U.S. was affected socially, economically, and politically. Impact of Vietnam Conflict on American Society The enormity of the damage caused by the Vietnam Conflict is still felt in American society today. While public attitude toward Vietnam Veterans is changing, and faith in the military has returned, there is still a lot of skepticism toward the U.S. Federal Government. Americans don’t want to send their sons and daughters into another seemingly pointless war. One of the major consequences on U.S. society created by the Vietnam Conflict was the enormous strain on the American economy, due to the estimated $167 billion spent on the war. Inflation and increasing federal debt had a major negative effect on the US economy and seriously lowered living standards from the late 1960’s until the 1990’s. Another consequence on society was the public rejection of the war and the soldiers who fought in it. Vietnam vets were considered vicious killers, immoral human beings, drug addicts; they were treated like the lowest form of human existence ("Cold war in," 2011). The Vietnam conflict was a viewed as a devastating loss and resulted in a loss of pride and self- confidence in the American people. The U.S. experienced a reappraisal of American power and glory. At the beginning of the war the American public supported it, because they believed it was part...
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...James Bennett Professor George J. Prokopiak HIS-114-OL010 Written Assignment 5 16 February 2015 Vietnam War and a New World Order with the End of Cold War Written Assignment 5 Question #1: As far as Vietnam is concerned, how did President Johnson "Americanize" the war? What was Nixon's policy of Vietnamization? Was anything achieved at the peace talks? What are the legacies of the Vietnam defeat? President Johnson “Americanized” the Vietnam War by many different avenues of approach taking a more aggressive posture. The president first started by supplying the South Vietnamese army with American military and economic assistance (Roark, 976-981). He significantly increased the American troop presence from 16,000 in 1964 to over 553,000 by 1969 displaying a much larger American presence (Roark, 976-981). America had stepped up bombing throughout Vietnam and neighboring countries (Roark, 976-981). In hopes of getting the backing of the American people and government, he strategically thought out who and where the bombs would be dropped (Roark, p. 980-981). He did not bomb near the northern border of Vietnam (Roark, p. 980-981). President Johnson did not want to provoke China or the Soviet Union into the war (Roark, p. 980-981). He did not want to make the same mistakes as Korea with the Chinese. He also thought about collateral damage. He tried to focus the bombings to low populated areas to minimize civilian casualties (Roark, p. 980-981). The bombing campaign was known...
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...problems; like in Afghanistan and now Syria and the Isis threat, The United States need to protect their own because we need to safeguard our freedom at any cost and Americans are willing to give their lives for this protection. Early this year, the U.S. gave Syria weapons to assist with their fight against ISIS, a militant group that is rumored to be associated with Al Qaeda. This type of advanced weaponry will give the rebels a more even playing field to win the fight in their Civil War. These actions can be related to the Lend-Lease Act of 1941. (Knickmeyer, 2014) The Lend-Lease Act was passed March 1941, it was the principal means for providing U.S. military aid to foreign nations during World War II. The act permitted the United States to support its war interests without getting directly involved. (Foner, 1991) In 2013, there was a Sarin gas attack on the civilians of Syria. Sarin is a deadly gas and at least 355 people died. The U.S. has been keeping a watchful eye on the civil war in Syria but did not assist or get involved until 2014. (Reals, 2013) This can be related to the Isolationism, which is when the U.S. was reluctant to get involved in European alliances after WWII. (Isolationism, n.d.) Osama Bin Laden was killed on May 1, 2011, Adolph Hitler killed himself on May 1st 65 years ago when he knew he was going to be captured. When the people of the U.S. heard that Bin Laden was killed, people were yelling screaming; waving flags and meeting at Ground...
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...Vietnam & Nixon 1968 - 1974 President Nixon - war Henry Kissinger Assistant for National Security, Sec. of State Goal - Better relations with Soviet Union and Red China 1969 Bloodiest fighting of the war Vietnamization - build up of ARVN and turning actual fighting over to them as US ground troops are pulled out. 1969 - 480,000 1970 - 235,000 1971 - 160,000 1972 - 24,000 reduced American casualties make up for loss of ground troops by increasing the air war Anti war protest continued My Lai Massacre - Lt. William Calley ordered killing of over 200 unarmed SV civilians Media discovered in November 1969 Shocked the American public, increased demands to end the war NV insisted the US troops would have to be withdrawn before peace talks could begin 1970 Kissinger began secret talks in Paris with Le Duc Tho of NV Cambodian Invasion Kent State University May 4, 1970 National Guardsmen killed 4 protesters and wounded 9 others during anti war demonstration. Dec. 1970 Tonkin Gulf Resolution repealed by Congress -Prepared to cut funding for the war US soldier in Vietnam Came from poor working class with minimal education ‘Grunt’ Average age 19 Morale low, drug abuse common, mutiny common in platoons 1971 Pentagon Papers - Daniel Ellsberg confirm government dishonesty about the war 1971 ⅔ of Americans want US out of the war Nixon renewed massive bombing of North Vietnam (Johnson had stopped in 1969) Madman Theory NV became more determined...
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...The Vietnam War Elizabeth Guerra Chamberlain College of Nursing The Vietnam War had first started as a “police action” for the United States. In 1954, France had lost control of Korea and they signed an agreement with Vietnam called the Geneva Accord. The country was separated into North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The terms of the agreement stated that each side would not have a leader until 1956 when an election would be held to determine if they wanted the country to be unified. The United States was afraid that because North Vietnam was a pre dominantly communist country, that the spread of communism would flow to South Vietnam. In 1955, Unites States helped Ngo Dinh Diem win the presidential election. Early into his term, Ngo Dinh Diem claimed that North Vietnam, which was called the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, was attacking South Vietnam. In 1957, America began to give military aid to help South Vietnam stop the spread of communism. President Eisenhower started the ‘police action” and it continued through until after President Kennedy was assassinated. In August of 1964, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam attacked two American ships that were anchored in the gulf of Tonkin. The gulf of Tonkin was supposed to neutral waters. This gave President Johnson the ammunition he needed to use his Congressional resolution that gave him broad war powers. In 1964, the police actin ended and Johnson started to send troops to South Vietnam. Johnson wanted to fight this war with...
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...of alcohol, even tho he was extremely religious. Nixon was born on a Farmhouse in California and had five brothers. As a child Richard and his family had to deal with financial hardship, a couple years after he was born Nixon and his family moved into the town of Whittier and bought a store that the whole family ran together. You’d think that with everything Nixon went through as a child it would humble him and he would be a great president, but that's not exactly how it went. Now thats not to say Richard Nixon was a horrible president in actuality he helped America in many detrimental ways, for example he successfully ended the vietnamese war and improved relations between both the USSR and the Chinese. Unfortunately all the of these good things are trumped by all the horrible things that he did, but let's start with Vietnam for now. Vietnam was a...
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...Tiange Zou ESL 102 Kate Murphy November 25, 2011 Morality: Right and Wrong People knew the meaning of the word morality in their early age because parents and teachers had tried very hard to teach children to possess the virtue qualities of morality such as caring, compassion, and courage. However, there is a tendency that people act differently when they encounter the morality in real life. For instance, some people are hesitant to help out a wounded person on the street when they assume police would do that. These people absolutely know it is wrong not to help a wounded person according to the caring aspect of morality. Knowing something is not right to do but to do, people contradict themselves by the influence of societies, individualism, and governments. First of all, societies can change people’s ideas and behaviors about morality. In other words, people will choose what others doing in a society instead of obeying the criteria of morality. Therefore, this action will emerge a moral contradiction. For instance, there was a shocking incident happened in Foshan city in the south of China. A two- year- old girl was twice hit by two different cars on a very busy street and 18 pedestrians indifferently passed the girl without doing any effort to help the girl. The girl was finally saved by a garbage collector after lying on the street for a long time (The Guardian). Many Chinese people and social medias...
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...programs to advance them in their profession. He brought hope to America when it came to the Space Program, an opportunity for the human race explore beyond the stars. Kennedy also launched the Peace Core program on March 1st, 1961. This new program gave Americans a chance to look beyond their world and into new territory in hopes of providing others with education and western medicine. The Vietnam War was the longest war in American History, lasting over 20 years. This war is also the only war in history where western military was defeated. When thinking back to this time one might associate anti-war rally’s and protests but many fail to remember that this war was supported by most in its early years. In fact only two members of Congress voted against war in Vietnam. The slide I found most interesting was the POW slide. I find it hard to believe that the Vietnamese treated any POW humanely. I could very well be wrong in my assumption but after researching more about the atrocities that occurred between the government and their own people, why would they treat the enemy any better? In the Cold War role play I decided to live the life of an African American who attends a segregated university. While finishing up my spring semester I come to the realization that I am destined for something greater, a chance to show people that black and white are simply colors and we are all equal. I am fortunate enough to learn the art of nonviolent...
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