President Johnson and the Vietnam War - Essay Example

President Johnson and the Vietnam War President Johnson succeeded John F. Kennedy after his assassination. He was the t hen vice president and hence became the president according to the constitution. In his plans and vision for USA, he wanted to engage in domestic matters to improve the lives of majority of the Americans. However he also had a responsibility over the war in Vietnam because it is an issue that had been started way before by other presidents like Nixon and he had to complete it (Tucker 553).

Initially, he balanced the domestic issue and the war but this according to political analysts was only because majority of Americans were against the war and he required to be elected hence did what the majority of the citizens wanted. As soon as he was elected, he started receiving pressure to send in more American troops to Vietnam because the South Vietnamese (who America was supporting) were losing the war. He gave in and started sending in more and more troops and hence lost his focus on domestic issues and concentrated on the war.

This situation was not approached correctly because President Johnson knew that the American citizens who had elected him were against the war and were concerned about their domestic welfare. Even with this knowledge in mind, he still went ahead and sent in more troops. He therefore lost favor of majority of the American citizens and hence was not even re-elected. He also made most American troops in the Vietnam die as a result of the war and because he wanted to win it.Works CitedTucker, Spencer.

The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History. New York: ABC-CLIO, 2011.