The Vietnam War
One of the most significant and controversial events of the 1960s was the Vietnam War. The Vietnamese were fighting a civil war between the anti-communist South and the communist North. The war actually started in 1955, but the U.S. didn't get involved until 1965 when we started sending in American troops to help the South Vietnamese. The U.S. got involved to stop North Vietnam from taking over South Vietnam and turning them into a communist country. The U.S. was looking to stop the spread of communism. Americans were divided on whether we should be involved in this distant war or not. Eventually, the a drafting system was created that forced men between the ages of 19 and 26 to serve in the Vietnam War. It was one big lottery and if a man's number was chosen, he was required by law to serve. This lottery system was televised and led to much anger and opposition.
The Vietnam War was revolutionary in the 1960s because many Americans, for the first time in our history, opposed our invovement in war. Many people protested and demonstrated against the war. Further, it was the first war to be covered on television. Americans saw the horrors and reality of war. When the Vietnam War ended, 58,000 American soldiers died and there were about 350,000 injured. Also, many of the soldiers returned to America with signficannt mental health problems from the traumas of the war. This controversial war became the benchmark for questioning American invovement in future wars.
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