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Education: Vietnam War @ Home
The Vietnam War was a bloody conflict which lasted nearly 20 years. The United States entered the conflict because of the policy of Containment. Americans believed they needed to contain the spread of Communism in order to prevent the Domino Theory from playing out. This theory held that if one nation fell to Communism then surrounding nations would follow, much like if a person was to knock one domino tile down the others would fall in a chain reaction.
As a result, the policy of Containment pursued a goal of containing or limiting Communism's spread by becoming involved in the affairs of nations at risk of turning "Red." With this in mind, US troops first arrived in Vietnam in 1955, and did not leave until 1973. Throughout those 18 years, American soldiers fought and died in the jungles of Vietnam.
As time went on, many Americans grew frustrated with their nation's involvement in the conflict and began protesting to demand peace. This protest movement grew quickly and, at times, was marred by violence. However, the pressure put on the US government eventually helped to bring the troops home.
Unfortunately, the 18 years, thousands of lives lost, and the millions of dollars spent ultimately proved ineffective at stopping Ho Chi Minh's communist regime from taking over Vietnam in 1975. To this day, the Vietnam War is considered one of America's darkest chapters. Its legacy continues to effect our nation and its veterans of the conflict in particular. As you read, consider how the Vietnam War shaped domestic feelings and movements and how people have come to remember the conflict today.
NYS Social Studies Scope and Sequence Standards: 8.7, 8.9 & 11.9
Columbia University, Hamilton Hall
The year 1968 sticks out in American history as a particularly tumultuous one. In April 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, sparking violent protests and violence in many African American communities. Aside from the racial strife which consumed the year, the Anti-Vietnam protests grew.
In 1968, the Communist North Vietnamese launched the Tet Offensive which surprised American forces, and revealed to many Americans that the North Vietnamese were not as weak as government officials claimed. This led many people, particularly college students to protest.
In April of 1968, shortly after Dr. King's death, students at Columbia University took over the campus and shut down the school for a week. They were protesting the school's connection to the war, through the university's involvement with research and development. The Columbia University protestors were at times met by police force when the police were attempting to clear out the protestors.
In many ways the 1968 Columbia University protests are representative of the larger anti-war movement: it was predominately student-led, faced fierce opposition, and was met, at times, with violence.
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640 Broadway
Located at this address were the offices of the protest group, the May 2nd Movement. This Marxist organization offered free legal counsel and services to individuals seeking to avoid the Vietnam War draft. The Vietnam War was unpopular among many draft-eligible men. Organizations like the May 2nd Movement used medical and other exceptions of the Draft Law to help people avoid conscription.
Additionally, many individuals burnt their Draft Cards as an act of protest. They saw the war as unjust, and the forced enlistment of individuals as unconstitutional. There were several examples of people breaking into government offices to burn Draft Cards in an effort to prevent the Draft from happening. One famous example was the Catonsville Nine, a group of nine Catholics, including two priests, who stole over 350 draft files from the Draft Board Office in Catonsville Maryland, and burned them.
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New York Stock Exchange
While famous as the financial center of the nation and world, the New York Stock Exchange has often been the site of protest. On May 8 1970, hundreds of high school and college students gathered here to protest the recent Kent State shootings and the Vietnam War.
The Kent State shootings refer to an event which occurred just four days prior to this protest. On May 4th the Ohio National Guard opened fire on unarmed anti-war student protestors at Kent State University. Four students were killed and nine injured. While protesting this use of violence, the student protestors at the New York Stock Exchange were accosted and assaulted by counter-protestors. The counter-protestors, largely members of construction unions attacked the students while the police did little to stop them. These events became known as Hard-Hat Riots and further reflect the tension among different groups of Americans during this era.
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Riverside Church
In this church on April 4 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. gave a scathing speech criticizing American involvement in Vietnam. In the midst of the Vietnam War, the United States was dealing with the Civil Rights movement, and slowly moving towards a more democratic society.
While many did not see the connection between the war and the struggles of African Americans and other minorities at home, Dr. King took a more comprehensive view of the situation. Poorer Americans, including many African Americans were fighting disproportionately in the conflict, and the millions of dollars being spent in Vietnam could have been used to fund various programs that aided poor Americans.
In fact, the large sums spent in Vietnam and on LBJ's Great Society social welfare program eventually led to the resurgence of the Conservative movement in the US.
Conservatives believed in less government spending as a result of the economic issues that arose from overspending during the 1960s and 70s. Dr. King was ahead of his time in arguing that foreign policy could actually have a negative impact on income inequality at home.
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Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, located downtown on Water Street is New York City's official memorial to those who fought and died in the Vietnam War. First dedicated in 1985, ten years after the close of the conflict, it lists the names of the 1,741 New Yorkers who lost their lives or were reported missing in action. In the 1980s, American attitudes toward the war began to shift. While many still opposed the war, a growing number of people recognized the need to honor those individuals who sacrificed their lives.
Just a few years prior to the construction of the Water Street memorial, a national memorial was dedicated on land next to the Lincoln Memorial. On this land, less than ten years prior, massive anti-war protests demanded a withdrawal of troops from Vietnam. Public sentiment and attitudes on national issues constantly evolve or change. Why do you think this is?
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Elmhurst Gas Tanks
This image depicts the gas tanks that used to sit on the location of Elmhurst Park. The park, built in 2011 recently opened a Vietnam War Memorial in December of 2019.
Nearly fifty years after the conflict ended, the Borough of Queens finally decided to honor those who fought and died in Vietnam. The Memorial contains a timeline of events from the war and the names of the 371 Queens service members who either died or were reported missing. The memorial will also honor those veterans who succumbed to war-related illnesses after returning home.
Two of these war-related illnesses are PTSD and the long-lasting effects of Agent Orange. Countless veterans from any conflict experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Veteran's experiences in war can trigger depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses. Vietnam War Veterans, specifically, are associated with this disorder. They witnessed particularly horrible events and received relatively little care and attention upon returning home.
Agent Orange was a chemical the US government developed to clear the Vietnamese jungle so that American soldiers could travel more easily. This chemical, unknown to the soldiers handling it, was toxic and caused a whole spectrum of illnesses, including cancer. Many of these veterans were exposed to this chemical without proper knowledge or protection, leading to illness and death. This particular memorial seeks to honor those lives as well.
For more information on the memorial check out the NYC Parks Department's Website
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South Beach Station
This train station is located on Sand Lane in the South Beach section of Staten Island. About two blocks south of this station, at the intersection of Sand Lane and Fr. Capodanno Boulevard, is another memorial related to the Vietnam War
This memorial honors the sacrifices of Vincent Capodanno, a Roman Catholic priest from Staten Island. As a navy chaplain, Fr. Capodanno sacrificed his own life by rushing to aid another company that was under direct fire from the Vietnamese. He provided medical and spiritual aid to the soldiers under fire, and refused to get help for his own wounds. He was eventually shot down by machine gun fire.
Posthumously, or after his death, Fr. Capodanno was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery. Along with this memorial erected in 1976 by local community organizations, the adjacent street, Fr. Capodanno Blvd. was also named in honor of this local hero.
Americans chose to memorialize people and events in various ways. Naming streets after important community members is a common practice. Is there any street near you named after someone?
The Vietnam War pitted Americans against each other and caused great tension. Like most things, time has healed some of those wounds and these memorials serve to both honor those who served and to educate future generations about the conflict.
For more information about the Fr. Capodanno Memorial check out the NYC Parks Department's Website
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