An American War - 976 Words

American involvement in Vietnam was largely in response to Cold War polices and Strategies. Kennedy took a much more laid back approach to Vietnam than Eisenhower did. He only wanted to support the South and not give them direct military aid by getting involved. Kennedy believed that the nations themselves should bear the burden of fighting the war and America would merely give them supplies and political support. However, the administration’s attempt to help the South largely failed because neither the South Vietnamese nor the Americans knew how to deal with guerrilla warfare. Another issue was that Diem’s support quickly declining to the point where it was just about his own family. He never trusted any popular government official in†¦show more content†¦The fighting lasted for two days and nights, with both sides reporting heavy casualties. Ultimately in the end the US won and Robert McNamara now had his strategy to win the war, numbers (We Were Soldiers, fi lm). McNamara’s strategy for the War was to have as many inflict as many causality on the North Vietnamese, which he thought would in the end lead to Ho Chi Minh surrendering because the North Vietnamese would no longer be able to fight. The body count system was the only way he knew to measure success since the ultimate US goal was to keep communist influence out of South Vietnam, and there was no clear way to measure that. With the victory of the Ia Drang Valley McNamara and President Johnson decided to increase the number of troops in Vietnam and by the end of 1965 US troops exceed 200,000 (Fog of War). The US tactics for the war, such as its manpower policy had a great impact on the American soldiers. One of the manpower policy tactics was to rotate soldiers out after a twelve month tour of duty, which made it hard to establish unit cohesion. Another issue with the manpower policy established by the US was that the war was fought by young soldiers, with the average age be twenty. With such a young age many soldiers had limitedShow MoreRelatedAmerican War And The American Civil War1551 Words   |  7 Pageswhich then caused the Southern states of America to decide to leave the American Union and create their own Southern Confederacy. This tore our nation apart. The American Civil War had begun and the very people that were once neighbors had each other’s blood on their hands. Many American lives had been lost. The American lives lost in the Civil War even exceeded the number of American lives lost during World War I and World War II. We were divided. The North wanted to reun ite with the southern statesRead MoreThe War Of The American War1209 Words   |  5 Pagesto be a capable and resilient leader of the American military forces during the war. While he lost more battles than he won, George Washington employed a winning strategy that included signal victories at the Battle of Trenton in 1776 and Yorktown in 1781 . Washington’s greatest wartime legacy was his decision to surrender his commission to Congress, affirming the principle of civilian control of the military in the new United States.The revolutionary war was a result of the conflicts between theRead MoreThe War Of The American War1121 Words   |  5 Pagesdeepest regret that the Executive found the duty of employing the war-power, in defense of the government, forced upon him.† (Harris 2007) South Carolina firing on Fort Sumter was the opening salvo of the Civil War. Both the North and South believed in their causes, and both sides thought the war would be over after a few mont hs. Both sides were wrong. Bloody battles such as, Antietam, Bull Run, and Shiloh made it clear that this war would drag on for a long time. The Union of the north was particularlyRead MoreThe War Of The American Civil War1376 Words   |  6 PagesThe American Civil War was arguably the most important war in the history of the country. The War of Independence may have allowed American to become its’ own country, but the Civil War resulted in something even more important than that, the end of slavery in the southern states. All of the issues that caused the Civil war were based around slavery, such as states’ rights that involved how slavery would be handled in each state, and trying to preserve the Union since the south seceded from the northRead MoreThe War Of The American Civil War1439 Words   |  6 PagesWhen the American Civil War began in the spring of 1861, those flocking to enlistment stations in states both north and south chiefly defined their cause as one of preservation. From Maine to Minnesota, young men joined up to preserve the Union. From Virginia to Texas, their future foes on the battlefield enlisted to preserve a social order, a social order at its core built on the institution of slavery and racial superiority . Secession had not been framed by prominent Southerners like Robert ToombsRead MoreThe War Of The American Civil War1324 Words   |  6 PagesThere were many events that led to the cause of one of America’s most devastating war, the American Civil War. The American Civil War was an unfortunate war that cost more than the lives of six hundred thousand people. Events such as the Missouri Compromise, Kansas Nebraska Act, Dred Scott Decision, and the Election of Abraham Lincoln resulted in the four yearlong battles between the Northern and Southern states due to social and economic differences on the idea of slavery. In the 19th century,Read MoreThe War Of The American Civil War1618 Words   |  7 Pages A Civil War is a battle between the same citizens in a country. The American Civil War was fought from 1861 to 1865 to determine the independence for the Confederacy or the survival of the Union. By the time Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1861, in the mist of 34 states, the constant disagreement caused seven Southern slave states to their independence from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America. The Confederacy, generally known as the South, grew to include elevenRead MoreThe Civil War And The American War1318 Words   |  6 PagesThe question of what caused the Civil War is debatable because there are several events that may have influenced the war such as the Western Expansion, Manifest Destiny and the Mexican-American War. The war also stems from slavery, the North and South basically fought over whether or not slavery should be permitted. Another point tha t may have influenced the Civil War is the economic and social structure of the country, which also falls under slavery because the South main source of income was slaveryRead MoreThe War Of The American Civil War960 Words   |  4 Pagesslavery even if it meant war caused peace in this nation. Slavery was the vital cause of the American Civil War. The north and the south both had their differences on how to run the country. People in the North believed in unity and that slavery should not exist because â€Å"all men are created equally.† On the other hand, the South believed in continuing slavery. People tried to talk it out and come to a middle ground after both sides compromising, however that didn’t work and caused war. Ideological differencesRead MoreThe War With Mexican American War1328 Words   |  6 PagesThe war with Mexico is long remembered as an episode, and by no means is it an unimportant one. With the events that led up to its happening, from the Manif est Destiny to the disputes on territory, it has severely marked the United States. American historians regard the Mexican-American war as â€Å"the foulest blot on our national honor†. (sfmuseum.org) Unethical actions were taken gain Mexican territory. Polk and his hunger for land drove him to find some devious way to fight a war with Mexico. His