You must then read your classmates’ responses. After you have read their responses, you must respond to TWO of your classmates by the last day of the academic week at 11:59 pm ET. These are called your PEER RESPONSES. Each Peer Response is worth 10 points and should be 100 words in length, which is equal to about 0.4 page of double-spaced writing in Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman 12 point font in a Word document.
Response 1
Paul Huang posted Feb 4, 2024 9:57 PM
What were the factors that led to greater U.S. political and military involvement in Vietnam once Johnson became president? What were the US strategic objectives in Vietnam? Did these objectives evolve as the war continued? And finally, you decide, did the United States need to involve itself in Vietnam?
The factors that led to greater U.S. political and military involvement in Vietnam when Johnson became president were rooted in Cold War dynamics and the fear of the spread of communism. As the Cold War intensified, the United States adopted a containment policy to prevent the spread of communism, which influenced its involvement in Vietnam. Following the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in 1964, President Johnson escalated U.S. military presence in Vietnam, motivated by a desire to prevent the fall of South Vietnam to communism.
The U.S. strategic objectives in Vietnam were initially centered on containing communism and supporting the government of South Vietnam. The Domino Theory, which posited that the fall of one Southeast Asian nation to communism would lead to a chain reaction, was a guiding principle. The U.S. aimed to prevent the domino effect by supporting anti-communist regimes, such as that of South Vietnam. However, as the war continued, objectives evolved to include broader goals like preserving U.S. credibility and demonstrating resolve in the face of global communism.
Whether the United States needed to involve itself in Vietnam is a subjective assessment. While the desire to contain communism was a legitimate concern during the Cold War, the execution of U.S. involvement faced significant challenges and resulted in a protracted and costly conflict. Hindsight shows that the war did not achieve its initial objectives, leading to critical reflections on the necessity and effectiveness of U.S. intervention in Vietnam.
Reference:
“The American Experience in Vietnam.” Korea & vetnam. Accessed February 4, 2024.
https://www.sageamericanhistory.net/coldwar/korea_vietnam/index.html.
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Response 2
Russell Stevenson posted Feb 7, 2024 12:04 AM
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1. Read the document titled, The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. Friedan seeks to know why “American women were so discontented?” So, why were American women unhappy? What were the primary points of Betty Friedan’s writings? In what ways was she questioning “traditional” roles of women in American Society?
Women were unhappy because after world war II, women were expected to find a new role as just a housewife and mother as servemen returning from war went back to work “Betty Friedan.” Even though this may have caused some discontent, the silverlining was that most households could have one working person and afford to purchase homes, cars and other ammenities. Friedman points to women having to endure many disadvantages such as hiring practices favoring men, inadequate pay, and women who lost a job if they became pregnant “Betty Friedan.” While these disadvantages did occur, Friedman was able to take these grievances to a more mainstream and seek support to change things for the better. Friedman questioned the traditional roles of women because there was a place for women outside of traditional roles.
2. What were the factors that led to greater U.S. political and military involvement in Vietnam once Johnson became president? What were the US strategic objectives in Vietnam? Did these objectives evolve as the war continued? And finally, you decide, did the United States need to involve itself in Vietnam?
America’s involvement with Vietnam actually began following WWII as part of doctrine to combat the growing threats of communism. The involvement went even further when the French asked for assistance under Eisenhower to fight communist forces. Kennedy would send financial and military aid to South Vietnam and over 12,000 military advisors “Korea The Forgotten War.” With this type of involvement and the military industrial complex nipping at any chance to create further build up, it is no wonder Johnson’s Administration further involved America in Vietnam’s troubles. Johnson would use the Gulf of Tonkin incident to propel America to commit combat ground forces to Vietnam “Korea The Forgotten War.” Even though there was no damage to either warship, Johnson was able to convince Congress that more needed to be done to protect America’s military interest. My personal beliefs are that Johnson made out tremendously due to his investments in military weapons and manufacturing companies and with further involvement in Vietnam, more could be produced and he benefited financially Heaton , “MOST CORRUPT: Lyndon Baines Johnson – LBJ – Forgotten History.” What I find more interesting is how far google and other search engines go in hiding this interesting fact. The United States did not need to be involved further than having military advisors and military aid in Vietnam. Johnson led the US into the conflict because he lied about the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which never happened.
References:
Heaton , Colin . “MOST CORRUPT: Lyndon Baines Johnson – LBJ – Forgotten History.” YouTube. Accessed February 6, 2024.
UMGC. “Betty Friedan.” Accessed February 6, 2024.
https://leocontent.umgc.edu/content/dam/course-content/tus/hist/hist-365/document/BettyFriedan.pdf.
UMGC. “Korea The Forgotten War.” Accessed February 6, 2024.
https://leocontent.umgc.edu/content/dam/course-content/tus/hist/hist-365/document/KoreaTheForgottenWar.pdf.
