Contradictory Sources
Lyndon B. Johnson-"Speech on Vietnam", 1965
http://web.utk.edu/~mfitzge1/docs/374/SOV1965.pdf
John Kerry-"Vietnam Veterans Against the War Statement by John Kerry to the Senate Committee of Foreign Relations", April 23rd, 1971
http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/sixties/HTML_docs/Resources/Primary/Manifestos/VVAW_Kerry_Senate.html
The Vietnam War was in many ways controversial from American soldiers treating Vietnamese horrendously to fighting it without a clear purpose. Also, because of the mixed messages being sent by the president versus what was actually going on in Vietnam, Americans began to distrust the Executive Branch. In Lyndon B. Johnson's "Speech on Vietnam" given in 1965, Johnson states his position on the war in Vietnam when he states, "To dishonor that pledge, to abandon this small and brave nation to its enemy, and to the terror that must follow, would be an unforgivable wrong. We are also there to strengthen world order." Johnson is for the war and also feels it would be an injustice to just call it quits on the war in the middle of it. The American public for the most part disagreed with him and held mass protests trying to end the war and also ended up electing Nixon mainly because Nixon talked about stopping the war. John Kerry who fought in the Vietnam War stated in a speech before Congress a different view from Johnson when he said, "In our opinion and from our experience, there is nothing in South Vietnam which could happen that realistically threatens the United States of America. And to attempt to justify the loss of one American life in Vietnam, Cambodia or Laos by linking such loss to the preservation of freedom, which those misfits supposedly abuse, is to us the height of criminal hypocrisy, and it is that kind of hypocrisy which we feel has torn this country apart." Kerry is talking about how badly the American soldiers have been treating the Koreans and also that there is no threat to the United States posed by the Koreans so there is no reason to be in the war. These two sources show that this time period was a time of distrust in the federal government mainly because of incidents like this where the president is saying one thing while a Vietnam War veteran is saying the complete opposite. In Kerry's speech, it is also apparent that this period especially during and after the war witnessed times of intense scrutiny of soldiers who were coming back from Vietnam based on what the public was hearing about what they were doing to innocent people. In terms of the theme of politics and power, the distrust in the Executive Branch that arose from this war on significantly affected how the president had to present current events to the public. As Lyndon B. Johnson found out, the American public will not tolerate the president speaking of a situation falsely. LBJ got caught in a bad situation as fear of communism was very real in America and containment had been used to stop it in the past but the Vietnam War was something different and the American identity was only crumbling from the war. The power of the Executive Branch was slightly reduced after LBJ because it is hard to get things done when the American public doesn't even trust you. These differences in opinion of the war between the president and people like John Kerry exist mainly because of the power of the television during this time and also because the president wants to win wars not withdraw which made Johnson want to stay in it and be supportive of it. The television in almost all of American households allowed the public to see the abuse of military power through unbiased reporters like Walter Cronkite who would show what was going on first hand. While John Kerry did show a completely different tone on the war then LBJ especially with how the soldiers were treating the civilians, Johnson would most likely already know about these events taking place but would want to keep them secret so as to not take the blame. Johnson also attempting to promote "world order" through the use of the Vietnam War is much like using the United States military as the policemen of the world. Not only did Kerry disagree with this, but much of the American public did not agree with this practice. This disagreement goes all the way back to early imperialistic efforts by America as many Americans do not want us interfering in other countries just to promote our beliefs no matter how bad the other country is. To LBJ, he just saw this as an opportunity to spread capitalism. Overall, Lyndon B. Johnson agreed with the Vietnam War while John Kerry did not and this disagreement between not only Kerry and the president but also the American public and the president severely damaged the trust in the executive branch and questioned military power in wars.
Synthesis
During the Cold War, the power struggle between countries over nuclear weapons, primarily the United States and the USSR, was full of tense moments and a fear of instant destruction of a country if one country did decide to shoot off a nuclear missile. The Cuban Missile Crisis was a very intense 13 days where the USSR had nuclear missiles in Cuba, close enough to easily hit the United States. This tension during the Cold War and also the Cuban Missile Crisis can easily be compared to the nuclear threat of North Korea today. North Korea is slowly rising in nuclear power as they continue to test ballistic missiles that have the capability to destroy nearby countries. Other countries around North Korea and also the United States are trying their hardest to not allow North Korea to keep building on their nuclear arsenal; but they are being run my a dictator similar to the USSR so of course they aren't going to listen. The power struggle between North Korea and the surrounding countries where they both are trying to build up the best defenses in order to stop each other is just like the Cold War. South Korea and China are particularly on the edge right now because they are the closest countries to North Korea. This is just like the Cuban Missile Crisis but more extended but different in that the Missile Crisis was shorter and the USSR gave up their nuclear missiles in Cuba whereas the North Koreans have no intentions to do so. North Korea being compared to the Cold War is different in that North Korea is hardly capable yet of having a successful ballistic missile launch with a nuclear warhead on it as shown through multiple tests they have conducted where the missile has blown up immediately on the launch pad. The USSR in the Cold War had the nuclear capability to achieve any order given to them. What this similarity between North Korea and surrounding countries and the Cold War tells us about America is that America does not feel safe when unstable dictatorial leaders have or are attempting to have a nuclear arsenal and are open about using that arsenal. It also shows that America wants to be the most powerful country in the world after the World Wars and that countries growing in power need to be slowed down by the US.
Continuity and Change
There were many changes in period 8 when contrasted with previous periods. First during Truman's presidency, a major change was the use of the atomic bomb on Japan and then the eventual making of the hydrogen bomb. This signaled the beginnings of the power struggle of the Cold War as well as increased power of both the United States and the USSR for being able to make these nuclear weapons. This change shows that technology is becoming more and more advanced especially at the conclusion of the World Wars. The next change was the election of Dwight D. Eisenhower as president who won in an easy victory. During Eisenhower's presidency, the civil rights movement was in its prime with people like Martin Luther King Jr. protesting for equality. These protests led to many changes in government especially through the use of the "Warren Court." The major court case that started the Warren Court was Brown v. Board of Education which was a landmark case in which segregation in public schools was ruled unconstitutional; showing a change in Supreme Court power as they are now siding with blacks. The Warren Court was a significant change because it was almost always on the side of blacks in all cases brought to them. This change can mainly be attributed to the protesting of King and others during this time which was very successful at showing how blacks were being treated through the television. The next election was very important because many changes for the theme of politics and power came from it. The election of 1960 was between the Republican and former vice president to Eisenhower Richard Nixon and the Democrat John F. Kennedy. The election itself was a change in that it was the first election that had a televised presidential debate. This change was because of the major invention of the television during this time. Kennedy did get elected and had to deal with many important issues in his too short of a tenure as president. During Kennedy's presidency, the Cold War was escalating and the Soviet Union was slowly getting closer and closer to the United States. A major change was the Cuban Missile Crisis which was 13 intense days where the Soviet Union had nuclear missiles in Cuba, an earshot away from the southern US states. This power struggle was different from the past where a nuclear missile could and was close to being shot off at any moment; but through the leadership of Kennedy, the crisis was averted. Kennedy was not done completely with action in Cuba though as he attempted the embarrassing Bay of Pigs invasion which was an attempt to overthrow the communist dictator of Cuba Fidel Castro. This failed attempt by Kennedy caused a change as the relationship between the US and Cuba almost entirely deteriorated. Kennedy also showed a change through his support of going into space and trying to land on the moon in the space race between the United States and Russia. Kennedy put extra focus on this change as to try and look better then the Soviets as was the case with most Cold War events. This change was mainly due to rapid technological improvement when it came to space equipment and aircraft. One final change in the Kennedy administration was his "call for service" which then led to the establishment of the peace corps. This was an attempt to get more soldiers and show our country is proud of soldiers who enlist. With yet another change with the assassination of Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn into office. Johnson is mainly recognized for his major policy of the Great Society. The Great Society was a major change as it introduced a whole host of new programs. One program was the Public Broadcast System which is a tax payer based news program that is still in use today. Like many of the Great Society programs like Medicaid, many of the programs are still around to this day and are still debated between political parties as to if they are too much government interference or just right. The Great Society also put a focus on the war on poverty which was definitely a shift in policy from past administrations. Because of the mass civil rights movement that had started up in Eisenhower's presidency, a hallmark change occurred through the passing of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 which stopped the use of discrimination in voting. During Johnson's presidency, the Vietnam War also began which caused a change as the American public began to trust the Executive Branch less as statements by Johnson continued to be proven untrue. This change was again all due to the television which could accurately project what was going on in this war even though it was on the other side of the world. Because America was angry about the continued involvement in the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon was elected as he promised to put an end to to the war which didn't happen as fast as many wanted in his presidency. The major event during Nixon's presidency was the Watergate scandal which caused him to have to resign. The Watergate scandal was another change for politics and power because it showed illegal actions being taken in the executive branch and led to the first "impeachment" of a president. After Nixon's resignation, Gerald Ford became president and is hardly remembered for anything. Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, was then elected in the next election and failed to have a successful presidency.
There were a lot fewer continuities in this period then changes when compared with previous periods for the theme of politics and power. One idea that did carry over from previous periods was the concept of American exceptionalism. This idea was shown in the Kennedy administration through the use of the space race as a power struggle between the Soviet Union and the United States. This trend continues because of the World Wars and America wanting to be the most powerful and now it is the same concept but for the Cold War. Another continuity is the attempt by America to curb the spread of communism which was started in the first World War and is now shown in the Cold War and Vietnam War where America feels like they have to prevent communism from going to countries such as South Korea. This continuity continues because America feels like since they are the most powerful in the world they must try to spread capitalism. One continuity that continues from the Johnson administration forward is the crumbling of trust in the Executive Branch. Johnson began this continuity with his speeches given about the Vietnam War and events such as Watergate in the Nixon administration further eroded the trust. One final continuity is that from the Truman administration on, the Republican electorate is mainly from the south while the Democrats were from the north which is due to Truman's stance on blacks' rights with also Goldwater being a major player in this shift. This continuity continues from the start of period 8 to present day all because the Democrats became the party more on the side of civil rights while the Republicans still tried to appeal to the white voter enraged by these new civil rights.
Image Analysis
This image shows a picture of the front cover of the Daily News after President Lyndon B. Johnson gave his State of The Union talking about his major policy known as the "Great Society." While many would have criticized LBJ at the time for this major expansion of government into the lives of Americans, many also liked the policy just like the Daily News which strikes a positive tone with their headline. The Great Society as mentioned in this front page story is important because it introduced numerous government programs that would help with civil rights, the war on poverty, education, health, and many more aspects of human life. Many of these programs like Medicaid and the Public Broadcasting Systems are still in use today but are also heavily debated subjects between political parties even in present day. This image pertains to the theme of politics and power because the Great Society put more power in the hands of the federal government and also caused intense future debates about the extent to which the government should use its powers. Also, many programs are still in use today even through the shifting between Democrat and Republican lead White Houses which shows that many of the programs were a successful extension of government. This image best encapsulates the time period because many of the presidents elected after Johnson were responses to the Great Society like the election of Nixon where many felt the welfare system of the Great Society was not being used as intended. Just like Franklin D. Roosevelt's major expansion of government power with the New Deal caused extreme debate between parties in the years to follow, the Great Society had the same effect on American politics while also allowing for more power for the federal government.
Works Cited
Johnson, Lyndon B. "Speech on Vietnam(1965)." Web.utk.edu. Web.utk.edu, n.d. Web. 15 May 2017.
Kerry, John. "Vietnam Veterans Against the War Statement by John Kerry to the Senate Committee of Foreign Relations." The Sixties Project. The Sixties Project, n.d. Web. 15 May 2017.
Works Cited
Johnson, Lyndon B. "Speech on Vietnam(1965)." Web.utk.edu. Web.utk.edu, n.d. Web. 15 May 2017.
Kerry, John. "Vietnam Veterans Against the War Statement by John Kerry to the Senate Committee of Foreign Relations." The Sixties Project. The Sixties Project, n.d. Web. 15 May 2017.