DBQ - Vietnam War
As the Cold War began at the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in WWII, one of the devastating wars during the Cold War was the Vietnam War. The war challenged America to redefine its political and social beliefs through Tet offensive, protestors, and many more as many believed that the war was too violent and unnecessary and showed a political weakness.
The Vietnam War was a war between the North and South Vietnam, with their own allies; North for communism and South for anticommunism. The U.S. of course helped the South economically and militarily and the Soviet Union and China helped the North. Passed in 1965, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gave permission for the U.S. to send as many troops as they want. But by 1968, the conflict did not end nor get any better and the American people became divided over the policy. Due to this, Nixon was elected president and his plan, Vietnamization, was to train the South Vietnamese army so that American forces can gradually withdraw. His opinion stated that he does not disapprove reunification of North and South Vietnam, but he only wants the decision that reflects the free choice of the Vietnam people.
Meanwhile in the U.S., some people who were opposed to the war broke out. Such as Kent State University, where four students were killed, and at Jackson State where two students were killed. Americans were now dying indirectly because of the Vietnam War. Some people also protested outside the White House on Nov. 30, 1965. Due to this, like on the Port Huron Statement, public opinion is that they should seek establishment of democracy but in a nonviolence way. Also Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a nonviolent protestor, stated that the war was unnecessary and were just a waste of lives as brothers and husbands went to war and died for no reason.
In 1968, to end the war, the North Vietnamese and Vietcong attacked every major city in South Vietnam, an event known as the Tet Offensive. This was a political defeat for the U.S. government because it showed that they were stronger than the U.S. and the U.S. believed they were much weaker. On Jan. 23, 1973, an agreement was announced that ended the war and the withdrawal of all U.S. troops. Two years later, South Vietnam was captured by North Vietnam and fell in the hands of communism.
The Cold War-Containment Policies
One of the longest wars in history, the Cold War, went from the end of WWII through the late 90's between the U.S and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was for communism, while the U.S was for capitalism. So the U.S created containment policies in many places as possible, like Europe and Asia, to stop them from moving towards communism. The policies were success in Europe and South Korea, but unfortunately, China, the largest population in the world, fell in the hands of communism, and so did Vietnam.
In Europe, there were the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and the formation of NATO. The Truman Doctrine was the request of $400 million to Greece and Turkey to prevent communist rebels from overthrowing their governments. Neither country became communist. The Marshall Plan helped restore the economies of important U.S trade partners and prevent the spread of communism. The NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, was formed by 15 nations to attack Soviet Union. In response to this, the Soviet Union tested and announced that they had nuclear weapon.
In Asia, the Chinese Civil War, the Vietnam War, and the Korean War were major conflicts, which the U.S intervened to prevent the spread of communism. China had two sides, communist and anti-communist. The Truman administration sent $2 billion in economic and military assistance to anti-communist military, but was defeated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)due to the growing popularity. In the Vietnam War, Nixon planned Vietnamization, where the U.S train and equip South Vietnamese army to fight against North Vietnamese, where it was warmly supported by China and the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, the U.S government was defeated in the Tet Offensive, where the North Vietamese attacked major cities in South Vietnam. The war ended when an agreement was announced in 1973, the withdrawal of all U.S troops. Two years later, South Vietnam unified with North Vietnam where it became a communist.
North Korea was for communist, while the South was for anti-communist. Wanting to unite, the Korean War began when North Korea invaded South Korea. U.S immediately sent troops to assist South Korea and drove back North Koreans across the 38th parallel. China threatened to enter the war if MacArthur's(U.S) troops continued their invasion of North Korea. Believing that Chinese would do nothing, he crossed the 38th parallel where Chinese troops poured across the border. He was fired later due to criticizing Truman in public for not attacking China. But thanks to him, the U.S successfully contained communism in South Korea.
In conclusion, the containment policies were alike in that they both were economically and militarily supporting the countries. The difference was the outcome, the unpredicted defeat of China and Vietnam under communism. This could have been all avoided if they both left each other alone, costing many lives.
DBQ-racism
Ever since the transportation of slaves from Africa to the U.S., or even before that, there has been the act of racism between the Whites and the Blacks. It is thought to be ended in the 1960s, but it is still going on in many parts of the world. It was prevalent in the U.S. especially from WWI to the 1960s, the time when the Blacks really fought for their civil rights. They had lower wages, organized the bus boycott led by Martin Luther King Jr., the Greensboro Sit-In in 1960, the crisis of segregation in schools,
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, and many more.
In the letter from Emmet Scott during the WWI, he says that he immediately wants to get away from the south, but can't because the Whites will kill him if he doesn't fight for their country and if they ever hear him say that he wants to leave. They also have no money to move to the north because they don't get paid much. All they want is a place where they'll be needed and accepted, but the Whites keep them back. This is racism because they don't get paid as much as the White workers do, they don't get descent food and clothing, and is forced to fight in the war.
In 1995, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a White person and was arrested. Due to this, Martin Luther King Jr. formed a nonviolent bus boycott in Montgomery which was successful. The following year, the Supreme Court ruled that segregated seating in buses was unconstitutional and passed the Civil Rights Act of 1957, enforcing voting rights to all Blacks.
Also during the 1950s and 1960s, many southern schools were segregated until the
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas decision, ending segregation in all schools. Shown in the graph of school segregation, about three-fourths of the states had less than five percent of the Blacks attending school there. But some refused to follow the new law, and Eisenhower, the President at the time, sent U.S. Army to Little Rock's Central High School to protect the new Black students.
On February 1, 1960, four African American students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College, an all black college, sat down at a segregated lunch counter in the Greensboro Woolworth's store. The lunch counter was open to all, but only served whites. Although they were refused service, they were allowed to stay at the counter, starting sit-ins and economic boycotts. As shown in the picture of Greensboro Sit-In, many people poured drinks on them.
During the WWI through 1960s, it was probably the most segregated time in the U.S. The Blacks were mistreated by getting lower wages, segregated schools, the accusation of Jesse Washington, and many more. But because the Blacks at the time fought their best, the Blacks now have voting rights, no segregation in schools, buses, or restaurants, and are free.
A.P. U.S History Exam Prediction
I think that for the 2007 A.P. U.S DBQ, it's either going to be either on WWI or WWII, the Roaring Twenties, or on Reconstruction because they're one of the most important events in history and it hasn't been on the exam yet. For the essays, I think that A would be on the Patriarchal dependence, B would be on The War of 1812, C would be on the Great Depression, and D would be on the Civil Rights Movements. I think that they'll be on those because those are the ones that I can think of that are one of the important events during each period.
WWII Essay
Like in WWI, the U.S passed the Neutrality Act to stay out of international affairs. The U.S wanted to assist Britain in its war against Germany, but that would mean that the U.S would be violating its own Neutrality Act. There were also individulas and groups who sought to keep the U.S neutral, like the America First Committee. But overtime, series of policies helped to aid Britain and FDR eventually eroded the Neutrality Acts.
The Neutrality Act was passed in 1937, which forbade shipments to the belligerents in the Spanish-American War, and continued in WWII as it broke out in 1939. It also warned Americans that they traveled on ships of warring nations at their own risk and it prevented loans to belligerents. Although it limited FDR from providing assistance to Great Britain, it did not entirely prevent him from doing it.
After the WWII began in 1939, the American isolationist formed the America First Committee, which maintained that isolationism was best for the country. But it was hard to tell that the U.S was neutral by 1940 due to U.S intervention in Latin America, the presence of U.S military in Asia, the strong economic relationship between U.S and European and Asian nations, and the military assistance given to Britain.
Overtime, the Neutrality Act eroded away as the U.S helped Great Britain by "Cash and Carry", Lend-Lease Act, and "Bases for Destroyers". The Cash and Carry allowed belligerents to purchase arms from the U.S if they paid in cash and transported the supplies in their own vessels. At the time, British Royal Navy dominated the seas, so it benefited the British the most. The Lend-Lease Act was passed in 1941 and ended cash and carry. Instead, it provided credit to the British so that they could continue to purchase military supplies. FDR also ordered that U.S warships escort British ships carrying lend-lease items, and to attack all German ships on sight. By this time, the U.S was already involved in the war, whether they knew it or not. The Bases for Destroyers allowed the U.S to construct military bases on Britain's Carribean islands in return for fifty dated U.S Navy destroyers. By now, it's safe to say that the U.S was already on the Britain's side.
