Impacts of Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War

The Impact of the Vietnam War on American Social, Political, and Cultural History

The Vietnam War had a major impact on American social, political, and cultural history, particularly in tearing apart the social fabric of morality, family, and diplomacy. Soldiers died while fighting in a conflict that advocates believed to be irrational. However, as it influenced most of the events in American culture, civil activism had the greatest influence on American history. As they pursued equity, civil activists and their supporters faced brutality and torture. Culturally, women in the era of the civil rights movement suffered sexual harassment, which amounted to the human rights violation. Traditionally, male officers are not supposed to manhandle female prisoners unlike in the case of Hamer’s report. Disrespect and violation to women is a cultural norm violation. The Vietnam War negatively affects the cultural ways of the native Cambodians or Vietnamese as they are forced to take up a democratic and more political culture rather than their communist way of life. The Vietnam War brings out the problems of Racism in America as testimony by Kerry.

Influence on Politics

The Vietnam War regarding politics puts American in the world politics as a political powerhouse driven by arrogance. The fundamental concept of Vietnam War remains a process by which the USA washes hands to justify the war by sacrificing people’s lives, a fact known to the whole world according to Kerry. Such was the case both to post-war and during the war. John Kerry presents that the Vietnam War is the reason for American Shuttled diplomacy both domestically and globally after the war (Kerry).

However, according to Lyndon B. Johnson, the war in Vietnam is the reason for the international peace and world order. Protecting South Vietnam independence is American pledge to keep a world order, to build and defend lives and human rights. After the war, the political motive of the war, especially in the global political space, is still evident (Lyndon). During the civil activist’s movement as with the case of Hamer, there was political instability, state of lawlessness and human rights violation. Police brutality extends to torture during the war mainly towards the African Americans.

Influence on Society

According to Martin Luther King Jr., both the Civil rights movement and Vietnam War were a pillar of hope for the general American population of a better life without poverty. However, the aftermath is just chaos and madness of fighting a war. Morality lost among the members of the society. Civil rights movement implanted hate and division among Americans. Even the police showed some level of prejudice against others African Americans. In particular, Mrs. Fannie Lou’s employer in her testimony is against her registration that to continue working she requires withdrawing. The fact that the employer opposes Mrs. Fannie Lou becoming a registered first-class citizen and the fact that there are some people considered first-class citizens show deep division during the civil rights movement (Hamer).

The civil right movement era and the Vietnam War’s aftermath sees a people driven by human rights activism. These activist operations include the freedom agenda such as the spokeswoman of the civil rights organization in 1964, Fannie Lou, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, and finally the activities of Mr. King Jr. for equality in society (King). During the Vietnam War as John Kerry states in his testimony, the society way of life changed, especially in the Vietnam or Cambodia. There is a general halt to the social activities such as planting and harvesting of rice. Kerry states that the people in these regions would rather have no Airplanes over their heads. Back in America, people lose their sense of morality to justify the destruction of villages in South Vietnam to save them and social fabric of families broken as soldiers fight and die for no right course according to Kerry’s testimony.

Works Cited

Hamer, L. F. Testimony before the Credentials Committee, Democratic National Convention. Atlantic, 1964. Print.

Kerry, J. “Testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee .” 1971. Print .

King, Jr. “Beyond Vietnam (1967).” 1967. Print.

Lyndon, B. “Why We are in Vietnam.” 1965. Print.