The War and The Wall Curriculum Set
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The War and The Wall Curriculum Set

Social

University of Wisconsin students stage a protest against the war in Vietnam,1967 (AP Photo/Neal Ulevich)

War will always have impacts on society and culture, and the Vietnam Era was particularly notable in the way the public voiced varying perspectives on war– perspectives which often indicated dissent and a desire to influence change. View the sections below to learn about how the Vietnam era influenced film, music, and more.

Discussion guides are available for the following topics:

Evolution of the Draft
Protests Against War
Film & War
Music & War

Social Curriculum Set 
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The War and The Wall Curriculum Set

Military

Vietnam veterans at the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 1982 (Veterans for Foreign Wars photo)

With each war come new changes to the military, changes that sometimes reflect broader society. The Vietnam War was fought by a young, largely working class force that dealt with issues that were both perennial to service across different eras, as well as issues that posed new challenges that persist into today. Click on the sections below to learn about how the Vietnam War influenced the makeup of the military, medical advances, and more.

Discussion guides are available for the following topics:

Social Makeup of Forces
Medical Advances
Ongoing Toll on Veterans

Military Curriculum Set 
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The War and The Wall Curriculum Set

Media

Walter Cronkite conducts an interview in Hue, Vietnam, 1968 (U.S. Marine Corps photo)

Wars usually take place far from American soil in places that few Americans understand. Americans are thus dependent on others, such as the government, the news media, and the entertainment industry, to help them understand why the nation is at war, the progress of the war, and the outcomes and implications.The majority of Americans gained their understanding of the Vietnam War through the news media, including television news, which carried images of war directly into their homes for the first time in history. Click on the sections below to learn more about how the Vietnam era influenced the way that wars are reported today.

Discussion guides are available for the following topics:

News Stories of Vietnam
War on the Homefront

Media Curriculum Set 
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The War and The Wall Curriculum Set

Politics

President Dwight Eisenhower and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles greet South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem at Washington National Airport, 1957 (National Archives and Records Administration, U.S. Air Force photo)

The policies and decisions on engaging in foreign conflict that are set by our nation’s leaders have far-reaching impacts. A variety of complex motives guide the decision to participate in foreign conflicts. The decisions made by various presidents, from Truman to Nixon, regarding US involvement in Vietnam, produced a variety of circumstances and impacts which continue to influence decisions to go to war today. Click on the sections below to learn about what motivated US involvement in Vietnam, how Vietnam changed the way that wars are initiated, and more.

Discussion guides are available for the following topics:

Evolution of the Draft
Protests Against War
Film & War
Music & War

Politics Curriculum Set 
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