A movement in American history Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A movement in American history - Term Paper Example Therefore, drawing on a variety of sources the paper will discuss the Anti-Vietnam War movement of the l960s. On January 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy became the 35th head of state of the United States of America. During that time, there were continuous revolutionary attempts to topple the American backed South Vietnamese government by the communist National Liberation Front (NLF). By December 31, 1960, there were already more 900 military personnel in Vietnam (Bowman 20). President Kennedy’s administration provided more help to South Vietnam, including American military advisers and soldiers. During that same year, the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was formed and it became a crucial force during the Anti-Vietnam War campaign in the 1960s. By 1962, the combat troops had doubled. American involvement increased further when the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gave President Kennedy more power to increase military presence in Vietnam. In 1965, regular combat soldiers were deployed. Proponents of the Vietnam War argued that by turning the Vietnamese nation into a communist state it would imply that the anti-communists would be losing the Cold War. In other words, the involvement of America in the war was a way of preventing the communist takeover of South Vietnam. While South Vietnam was supported by the U.S and other anti-communist allies, North Vietnam was supported by China and the Soviet Union, as well as other communist allies. The NFL, a communist front in the South, fought in favor of the North Vietnam. Supporters of the war asserted that communism was a threat to free governments and America was protecting its national interests (Bowman 34-37). The protests against the Vietnamese War were very few at the beginning. However, as the Vietnamese War continued to gain intensity; public disenchantment also escalated. The Americans were growing tired of the increasing war casualties together with