What Should Our Students Know About Vietnam?

Abstract

Two vital issues that students need to understand about the Vietnam War (or any war for that matter) are: what were the United States' goals and objectives in going to war, and why did the nation succeed or fail in achieving its war aims? The first thing that students need to grasp is that American involvement in Vietnam was not an aberration. It was a continuation of a long-standing American policy toward Asia that began in the early nineteenth century. Stu dents will have a difficult time understanding why America sent troops into Vietnam unless they are familiar with that policy. Therefore, a unit on Vietnam should begin with a brief history of the United States' policy toward Asia. When President Jeffer son purchased Louisiana in 1803 he sent Lewis and Clark to the Pacific to help establish the American claim to the Oregon re gion and to check out possible Pa cific ports. With the Transcontinen tal Treaty of 1819, the United States not only gained Florida, but it also received the Spanish claims to Ore gon. The United States achieved its long sought goal of Pacific ports with the acquisition of the Oregon Territory in 1845 and California in 1846. America's early interests in Asia are further depicted by the forceful opening of Japan for West ern trade in 1854 and the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. The Spanish-American War allowed the United States to gain control of Hawaii, Guam, Wake, and the Phil ippines. (We had earlier acquired Midway and islands in the Samoan chain.) The Open Door Notes of 1899 and 1900 and our participation in suppressing the Chinese Boxer Rebellion of 1899 characterize our concern over keeping the door for American influence open in Asia.