Every time I study the Vietnam War I am left with the same question: how did LBJ and his administration let it get so far? The video shows the continuous escalation of the war through numbers and protests. At first, protesters were peacefully marching and performing sit-ins to fight back against what was supposed to be an “equalizer” draft. Then in August 1967, 50,000 more troops were ordered to fight in Vietnam. This meant that a half a million soldiers were now going to fight in Vietnam. This escalated protests to larger stages: the senate, pulpits, and other governmental or societal platforms. The video says that in this moment LBJ knew the opposition had shifted- it was no longer just on the streets. Yet that following April 44,000 more troops were called. This number was an escalation to more recent drafts that had been happening. So, in the face of an escalating public push back, LBJ and his administration still decided to continue to fully participate in the Vietnam War. Once Nixon took over protests got even worse and culminated in 1.5 million college students involved in protests and famously 4 college students dying on Kent State’s campus. People from across the nation, from all different background came out in that moment to be a voice of protest. This ignorance of the peoples’ protests is a reoccurring theme throughout history. I just don’t understand how presidencies can turn such a blind eye to the results of their actions.
Vietnam Protest Movement
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I have the same question! It makes no sense to me that LBJ would keep throwing troops into the war when it was readily apparent it was not working.
One thing that I will say has been a pattern illustrated throughout American history is the use of politics to increase global power and status. Despite having an instituted democracy, the U.S. has the tendency to fully disregard the voices of American people who are not white, male and/or wealthy.
I actually believe it made perfect sense for LBJ to continue to throw troops in to fight in Vietnam because he held the end goal of victory and the increased power and influence of the U.S. on a global scale. This may have seemed like the only option because both pride and pressure were in the way. Now, if the U.S. prioritized the safety of American citizens first, then maybe we would not have been so involved in the war.