How Did The Vietnam War Affect The Civil Rights Movement

Throughout the history of the United States, there has been no shortage of wars. However, no war has had as big of an impact as the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War sparked some of largest anti war movements in United States history, and considering the size of the protests it is no surprise that the anti War movement began to link up with other movements at the time, specifically the Civil Rights movement. In the 1960s and 1970s, the United States saw a stark connection between the anti Vietnam War protests and the ongoing Civil Rights Movement. Many of the protestors supported both campaigns since the War negatively impacted the Civil Rights Movement.

Beginning in 1954, the Vietnam War took place over five presidencies, starting during the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower and ending, over 20 years later, at the beginning of Gerald Ford’s presidency. It was a conflict that pitted communist North Vietnam and its allies in the South, who were known as the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its primary ally, the United States of America. At the beginning of the Vietnam War, the United States had already been engaged in the Cold War, fighting the Soviet Union, for seven years. Despite this, the United States still assisted South Vietnam. The United States cited the domino theory, a strategy of containment that was the belief that if communism spread to one country in Southeast Asia, other Southeast Asian countries would follow in their footsteps, as the primary published factor of United States involvement in the Vietnam War. At first, the United States fought in the War

This link up between the two influential movements not only changed the United States involvement in the war, but also helped to raise awareness for the treatment of African Americans in the United States