Why did they oppose the Vietnam War?
Peace movement leaders opposed the war on moral and economic grounds. The North Vietnamese, they argued, were fighting a patriotic war to rid themselves of foreign aggressors. Innocent Vietnamese peasants were being killed in the crossfire.
What are some primary sources for the Vietnam War?
Vietnam War Primary Sources
- The Virtual Vietnam Archive.
- Rutgers Oral History Archives – Vietnam War.
- Veteran’s History Project: Vietnam War.
- Antiwar and Radical History Project.
- National Archives Vietnam War records.
- Indochina – Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos: A Documentary History.
What were the opposing sides in the Vietnam War?
Vietnam War, (1954–75), a protracted conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam, known as the Viet Cong, against the government of South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States.
Who mainly opposed the Vietnam War?
Students, government officials, labor unions, church groups and middle class families increasingly opposed the war as it climaxed in 1968, forcing a gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces.
What was the largest protest against the Vietnam War?
April 17, 1965 was the largest anti-war protest to have been held in Washington, D.C. up to that time. The number of marchers (15,000–25,000) was close to the number of U.S. soldiers in Vietnam at the time (less than 25,000).
What groups protested the Vietnam War?
First coordinated nationwide protests against the Vietnam War included demonstrations in New York City (sponsored by War Resisters League, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Committee for Non-Violent Action, the Socialist Party of America, and the Student Peace Union and attended by 1500 people), San Francisco (1000 people) …
How do you identify primary sources?
You can find published primary sources by using the online catalog, or by searching in a digital collection of historical documents, such as the Gerritsen Collection of Women’s History, Chronicling America, and Empire Online. The History Library maintains a list of these collections on its website.
How was Vietnam War different from others?
Unlike the second world war, there was moral ambiguity in Vietnam. America faced an ill-defined enemy that was hard to distinguish from civilians. There were American atrocities and massacres of unarmed civilians. It was hard to portray this war as “good” versus “evil”, as had been the case during the Second World War.
What went wrong in Vietnam?
By 1971, thousands of them were on opium or heroin, and more than three hundred incidents of fragging—officers wounded or killed by their own troops—were reported. Half a million Vietnam veterans would suffer from P.T.S.D., a higher proportion than for the Second World War.
Who is Vietnam allied with?
North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union, China, and other communist allies; South Vietnam was supported by the United States and other anti-communist allies. The war is widely considered to be a Cold War-era proxy war. It lasted almost 20 years, with direct U.S. involvement ending in 1973.
How did public opinion change during the Vietnam War?
As reports from the field became increasingly accessible to citizens, public opinion began to turn against U.S. involvement, though many Americans continued to support it. Others felt betrayed by their government for not being truthful about the war. This led to an increase in public pressure to end the war.
How many opposed the Vietnam War?
Political Consequences of Vietnam War Protests By early February 1968, a Gallup poll showed only 35 percent of the population approved of Johnson’s handling of the war and a full 50 percent disapproved (the rest had no opinion).
What was the political opposition to the Vietnam War?
Vietnam – Opposition to the War. By the summer of 1965, US ground forces in Vietnam prevented Hanoi from exploiting the weakness of the Saigon government and bought time to try to build political stability in South Vietnam. But in 1966, the political if not the military initiative remained in the hands of the North.
Where can I find primary source information about the Vietnam War?
This primary source set is a first step in harnessing some of the Vietnam War sources from various places on the Library of Congress website. This set collects and organizes the sources into three in-class activities for high school students, to teach about three particular elements of the war: •The Geography of Vietnam
What was the public opinion in 1965 regarding the Vietnam War?
Though the vast majority of the American population still supported the administration policy in Vietnam, a small but outspoken liberal minority was making its voice heard by the end of 1965.
How was the Vietnam War viewed by different people?
The Vietnam War was viewed differently by different people. Such authors as Harry G. Summers argue that it was a conventional war which the US failed to recognize as such. Andrew F. Krepinevich, Jr., states the opposite and argues it was the conventional approach to the situation which doomed the attempted solutions.