Vietnam War Impact

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Momentous events that exhibit human capability shape the history of every nation. Whether they be based on greed, violence, strength, or compassion, these pivotal time periods have lasting impacts that are felt far beyond the country's own borders. War, justifiable or not, is one of the most defining reflections of human violence. It is a descent into chaos and destruction. Despite the consequences of war, almost every generation since the birth of the United States has been involved in a war, however, the American people have not supported all of these wars. With the outbreak of the Vietnam War in the 1960s, the antiwar movement exploded, exposing a deep division within society. Controversial government policy during the Vietnam war evoked …show more content…
involvement. Prior to the Vietnam War, news was spread through print based media. However, as millions of Americans became educated about the truth of the situation overseas, they slowly began to see through the rhetoric of a "war against communism" as the naked aggression and brutal nature of the conflict emerged. The public was first introduced to Vietnam through their televisions. Television sets had began to be mass produced and became a major part of American culture just prior to the outbreak of Vietnam. More and more American families had access to television, thus nightly news reports became a popular medium for receiving news. Walter Cronkite of CBS and other nightly TV news broadcasters from major networks, such as ABC, CBS, and NBC, brought the latest news to living rooms across the nation in what came to be known as the "living room war" (Hay …show more content…
Stories about those touched by the war contributed to the continual decline in support for Vietnam. A CBS Evening News report showed a "soldier's widow, with a newborn baby in her arms, reading her husband's last letter from Vietnam" ("The First" 4). These emotionally driven stories illustrated the vast impact war had on almost every citizen. At this time, more than half the American people got their news from TV ("The First" 4). As harrowing news reports broadcasted into the majority of American houses, citizens of all ages, races, and genders were exposed to the brutal reality of war, thus allowing for the extensive spread of support for the antiwar movement. NBC News Executive Reuven Frank stated, '"The highest power of television journalism is not in the transmission of information but in the transmission of experience"' ("The First" 4). Although news stories informed the public about the affairs in Vietnam, they were much more than information updates. Americans watched these people's experiences of the war and their raw pain transmitted through the screen evoked empathy and anger. These brief windows into the reality of war undermined the government's goal of gaining support for the war. Rather than being motivated by the reports, citizens realized the horrors of war and united in opposition to U.S. involvement in
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