Kamalpreet Mathon 5/14/17HIS 162 Essay #3How the Vietnam War Transformed the 60’s GenerationThe conflict in Vietnam started in the 1950’s and it escalated in the 1960’s to the point where the US got involved and started paying 100’s of millions of dollars to help pay for the war. The conflict started when Communism started to make its way into Vietnam. The United States first tried to help South Vietnam by funding them and sending advisors to train their military but in 1964 the US was allegedly attacked at the gulf of Tonkin and soon after congress authorized the president to "take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression. (PP 4/28) The Vietnam War had a major impact on the US history and without it the 1960’s would’ve just been another reform decade. The Vietnam War was the first war in which there was major opposition in the US. There were protests all over the countries and people of all ages opposed it. This was one of the first times that collegestudents took action by protesting at college campuses all over the country. The Vietnam War transformed the 60’s generation because it was one of the first times a generation came together and raised their voice against something they all believed in. The Vietnam War had little criticism before 1965 but Operation Rolling Thunder in 1965 started a mass movement against the war. Operation Rolling Thunder (ORT) was an extensive bombing campaign against North Vietnam and it was the longest bombing campaign ever conducted by U.S. Air Force. In April 1965 the Students of Democratic Society (SDS) had a rally in Washington D.C against the war and ORT. 20,000 students participated in the rally. (PP 4/28) The people who opposed the war were categorized intwo groups, the moral group and the practical group. The moral group wanted immediate withdrawal from the war because of the high cost of the war. Millions of tax dollars were spent in the Vietnam War and 100’s of thousands of soldiers were either killed or injured during the war. Many peaceful protests followed and the 60’s generation came together against something that many of them believed in. By 1967 there were over 500,000 American troops in Vietnam. As the warprogressed the American people got more frustrated with the war. Many Americans feltlike we didn’t have to get involved with the war and it was costing us lives and taxdollars. By the late 1960’s and early 1970’s there were major protests and riots across thecountry and at times things got violent. In May of 1970 there was a peaceful protest atKent state and the troops fired at students and killed 4 people. After this 1.5 millionstudents across the country boycotted classes. Over the next few years there had beenmore and more protests going on and the 60’s generation was coming together against thewar like never before. The veterans that came back from the Vietnam War started tooppose it and protest against the war. In 1971 the Pentagon papers were released to theNew York Times and this was a major set back to the government. The Pentagon papersrevealed that American officials had ignored international American officials had ignoredinternational agreements, manipulated the Saigon government, and deliberatelymisinformed the United States Congress and the public. (PP 4/28) All of these eventseventually led to the United States ending the war. In 1973 there was a ceasefire andAmerican troops began to come back home. With out the Vietnam War the 1960’s might have just been another reform decade and because of it, it changed the 60’s generation. The Vietnam War came to be known asthe unpopular war because majority of Americans opposed the war. There were many reasons why people were against the war for an example it was costing the American people millions of tax dollars and many lives. The Vietnam War was one of the first timesthat the American people have come together against something that they believe in. Millions of people across the country protested against the war with marches and rallies. Finally in 1973 the war came to an end and the people protesting got what they wanted. Citation- PP 4/28