Domestic Effects of the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a controversial war that caused much anger and resentment in the United States. The war began in 1959 as a result of the United States attempting to stop communism from spreading throughout Vietnam and to the rest of the world (Vietnam War). Communism had taken effect in parts of Vietnam, and the United States feared that allowing Vietnam to become a communist nation would create a Domino Effect, resulting in every nation becoming communist. So in order to stop communism, President Johnson sent in troops to North Vietnam in March of 1965 (Vietnam War). But what Johnson failed to anticipate was the antiwar and peace movements that this would create back home in the US. Johnson's failure to inform US citizens about their commitment in Vietnam led to the growth of the “largest and most effective antiwar movement in American history.” (The Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement). Peace rallies, speeches, marches, teach-ins, creation of civil rights organizations, and rebellion all took place in the US as a result of the growing violence in Vietnam, as well as the US government’s lack of communication to the public about the realities of the war. Although the Civil Rights Movement began long before the Vietnam War in 1948 when Truman signed Executive Order 9981 (Civil Rights Timeline), the Vietnam War caused the movement to grow immensely, and it spread across the nation.
The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s was made up of and effected many different people groups including women, African Americans, and American youth. These social groups played roles in the movement that would forever change United States history. They all shared a common vision of ending the war in Vietnam and establishing peace between nations. Beginning in 1966, through mass demonstrations, petitions, teach-ins, electoral politics, and civil disobedience, millions of Americans challenged the government in hopes of establishing peace. The peace movement was mostly influenced by