Was joining the Vietnam War an easy decision for the United States? Why or Why not?

Lyndon
Johnson's choice to engage in Vietnam was no doubt a difficult one, and one that he probably
never wanted to make. Many political figures, including his own Vice President, advised him
strictly against it. Even he himself was quoted as saying that he did not think that Vietnam was
"worth fighting for." Nevertheless, he eventually did send troops to South Vietnam. He
was motivated by a number of obstacles which no doubt seemed insurmountable without America's
involvement in the war.

The first was the Johnson no doubt felt a certain
degree of insecurity as JFK's unplanned successor. Johnson was not elected president, the duty
had instead fallen on him in the absence of the nation's chosen leader. He no doubt was
constantly preoccupied with living up to JFK's legacy, and one priority that JFK had made
perfectly clear was a commitment to South Vietnam. JFK had staunchly believed that if South
Vietnam was taken, all of the "containment" policies placed in regard to communism
would have been for naught.

Another reason was the incredibly contentious
integration legislation that Johnson was attempting to pass at the time. Johnson was struggling
to keep support in the south, and he did not think that the southern states would tolerate the
abolition of segregation with the threat of communism's spread looming in Vietnam.


It is often speculated that the powers knew from the start that the Vietnam
War was an absolutely futile endeavor. However, these factors listed were pressing enough to
make them at least try, though it was no doubt one of the most uncomfortable decisions that a
president has ever made.