Many believe that America’s involvement in the Vietnam War was a disaster. The majority of the men and women fighting in the war had little or no idea why they were there in the first place. The staggering number of lives that was lost cannot and will not be overlooked. The importance of this war was decimated, and the actions of political leaders were scrutinized by there own people as well as other countries. One question that comes to mind when thinking about the Vietnam War is our reasoning for entering the war and what our enemies thought about America’s intervention in the war. America’s intervention in Vietnam changed the lives of many people and families in our country today. The Political leaders of our country took, in a sense, moral authority in there involvement in Vietnam. According to Loren Baritz, Author of God’s Country and American Know-how, Moral authority has been imbedded in American culture before America was even a country. I believe the quote by Herman Melville best explained moral authority when he said, “and we Americans are the peculiar, chosen people – the Israel of our time; we bear the ark of the liberties of the world.” After analyzing this statement one can make a direct connection to moral authority and America’s actions at the time of the Vietnam War. Whoever gets in the way of the human races right to live their lives with virtue, liberty, and with God is an enemy. The role of the “worlds police” was assumed by America in the Vietnam War partly due to Americas need and want for everyone to live in peace and happiness, our involvement ended up being an experience on what not to do. Along with moral authority American political leaders felt they had a promise to keep to themselves, America, and the citizens of their country. After WWII concluded America installed what they call the containment theory. The containment theory pled...
