Assassination of JFK

With the death of Kennedy, the US shifted in two very significant ways. His death was a pivotal point in History and the US, as a nation hasn’t been the same since. Kennedy was an honorable man who fought against the Cold War with his encouraging words and policies. He helped prevent the overtaking of many countries by sending troops to fight in the Vietnam War. 

In his years of presidency, he was nicknamed the Cold Warrior for his  loyalty to the Cold War. He fought the War with his policies and his words. He was extremely invested in resisting the Soviet Union. He authorised the Bay of Pigs Invasion. The US had trained Cuban soldiers to fight in the war. They were about to attack the Soviet Union. However, the US backed out at the last minute and most Cubans ended up either dead or captured. Kennedy was assassinated by an Ex-Marine, named Lee Harvey Oswald, who was a communist.  After Kennedy’s Assassination, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn into the Presidency.

The US was afraid that if Vietnam became a comunist country then it would become much easier for countries around it to be taken over by communists. This was called the Domino Theory. The US was afraid of this becoming a counterpart to Hitler’s overtaking of many countries. The US had advisors in Vietnam, training the South to fight off Northern Communists. This was very unconventional because of the dense Jungle, it was a setback because one the the US’s main tactics in war was to have air superiority. However, the Jungle neutralized that. The vietnese were very motivated to protect and defend their homeland. Their leader was Ho Chi Minh, he led the Viet Cong soldiers, who were experts at Guerilla Warfare. The US was not prepared for this type of combat. This was the first televised War, the Commentary became very negative, especially after the Tet Offensive; The enemy had pulled off a huge surprise attack on the US. 

The Government soon began instituting programs to help eliminate Poverty, they called it, The War on Poverty. However, it was very hard to support troops in Vietnam and care for people living in poverty at the same time. The Head Start program was an example of this, it was funding going to schools to ensure that children stayed in school longer. As well as Food Stamp programs, which provided food for people in poverty, and medicare and medicaid, which were both ways to support people with health care insurance. However, all of these Programs came with unintended consequences, it left the Government with a large amount, it also increased taxes, created a dependency on the Government and it doesn’t eliminate poverty. 

The Government’s help often backfires and results in an worsened senario. The War in Vietnam showed the importance of perception. If they thought they were losing that would have had a greater chance of losing. The Media has the power to either give people courage or make them afraid. This brought a broader success to Vietnam.