Did the Civil Rights Movement or the Vietnam War Have a More Significant Impact on U.S. History? - Essay Sample

Introduction

The Vietnam war is one of the recognized battles that entered in the books of the United States, not only for the humiliating defeat the nation faced in a foreign land, but also the effect the war brought in the American soil. The United States indulged in the war, with a common aim of trying to stop the extended communism takeover that was being extended to Southern Vietnam. The end of Dien Bien Phu battle in 1954 which ended in the victory of northern Viet Minh forces opened a new chapter for ushering in their communism takeover to the south. As an independent nation, the US Marines set their feet on the foreign battle on March 8, 1965, as the first wave with a total number of 3,500 troops (Eidenmuller). However, what seemed to be a mere war, thousands of miles away from home, the war affected the nation both economically as well as political, dictating the overall political affairs in the country.

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Since 1954 all the elected presidents of the US came to power with one theme and mission far beyond their reach. The had an ambition of exercising the nation's power by liberating oppressed Southern Vietnam from its oppressors. Through this, the US would be seen as a more superpower nation beyond its diplomatic boundaries. However, in as much as the US participated actively in the war, so did great political agenda piled up day in day out. As the nation prepared to send the first wave of soldiers in 1965, so did the politics took its course, with many arguing why the government was spending and risking a lot of public funds to fuel a mission that would not profit the US.

In the spring of 1965 president, Johnson secretly ordered the first massive bombing of northern Vietnam and the surrounding nations that provided information and other resources to fuel the war. As (Kerry) observes, Johnson used this tack tick to humiliate northern Vietnam. However, the air strike attack affected the innocent civilians, which resulted in a significant confrontation back in the US.

The Democrats, highly emphasized on bringing liberty in the foreign nation, to save the Southern Vietnams from the angry beast, who threatened to wipe them out. However, despite the claims made by the US in supporting this, it was quite ironic to handle the external affairs, while the domestic issues were beyond correction. The black and other minorities in the nation suffered from the oppression of the whites, which called for reconciliation and correction of the behavior to help the state integrate the blacks as the first-class citizens of the country. Through this, blacks could participate in the nation's affairs, such as voting to choose the best leader they wished for. Never the less, the blacks were integrated for military affairs.

King Luther through his observation regarding the equity of the war between the black and the white boys, revolutionaries the Americans perception regarding the effort of working together to achieve a common goal. As (Luther) expands through his observation, it is clear to see the irony depicted in the war, where the blacks are on the same fighting front for liberty, yet they cannot be given the chance of education to the blacks back at home.

Work Cited

Martin Luther King, Jr., "Beyond Vietnam": Speech at Riverside Church Meeting, New York, N.Y., April 4, 1967. In Clayborne Carson et al., eds., Eyes on the Prize: A Reader and Guide (New York: Penguin, 1987), 201-04.

John Kerry, "Testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee," April 22, 1971, Congressional, Record, Vol. 117:57.

Michael E. Eidenmuller, "Great Speeches for better Speaking" (McGraw-Hill, 2008)