War In Vietnam example essay topic

Johnny Walker Professor Lloyd TA Jaime 14 July 2005 Summary of Vietnam WarN go Vinh Long In this reading, Long discusses the history of Vietnamese resistance to colonial and oppressive forces. Long states that American historians and statesman claim that other factors contributed to the disastrous conclusion of the Vietnam war, but that the real truth is that the American's were not prepared to meet such a formidable foe. The Vietnamese had been resisting the Chinese for over 1,000 years and had held on; when the French arrived the same policy of resistance was practiced. Ultimately, due to the oppressive nature of the French and WWII, the French were ousted and a new communist government under Ho Chi Minh was established. Having just been under an oppressive force, and being very knowledgeable about how to deal with oppression, the American's were caught by surprise. Ho Chi Minh In the first set of readings, Ho Chi Minh calls upon Western powers to honor the principles of freedom they so 'righteously' proclaim.

Speaking specifically to the French, Ho Chi Minh proclaims that the right of the Vietnamese people to be sovereign is inherent in the ideology of French ideology and he calls on them to follow through. In the second selection of reading, Ho Chi Minh recounts his eventual conversion to Marxist / Leninist ideals. He tells of his participation and final acceptance of communist ideals. In the final selection of reading Ho Chi Minh calls upon all the people of Vietnam to join in the fight for full independence. In this letter Minh appeals to heroes of the past who have resisted oppression and relates these heroes to the present struggle. Johnson In this selection of reading President Johnson is defending his Vietnam policy.

This address by Johnson lays out many arguments for why the war in Vietnam is necessary; they are as follows: (a) the self-determination of nations; (b) aggressive forces; (c) communism as a menace to the world; (d) idea that everything operates like dominoes; (e) avoiding another Munich; (f) responsibility of the American people; (g) a "new deal" for third-world countries; (h) a better tomorrow for the world Scheer In this article Scheer explains why the US got involved in Vietnam. Three primary reasons were the imminent collapse of the French government, the success of the Viet Minh, and the instability of the puppet Diem regime. Duncan In this narrative, Duncan explains through various stories why he believes the war in Vietnam simply propaganda; he concludes his narrative by saying that it took him 10 years in the military to figure out that the government was feeding him lies. He commends those protestors back at home who are against the war; he admits that they are truly being patriotic by being against a war that is so idiotic. O'Brien In this narrative O'Brien relates how he was drafted and the subsequent events that led to his almost draft-dodging in Canada. Very explicit, O'Brien outlines how he was on the verge of "freedom" in Canada, but chose to go to war after six days in a cabin with an old guy.

O'Brien concludes by saying he was a coward for not draft-dodging; if he were a stronger man he would have fled into Canada.