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Modern History-Vietnam War Op-Ed Articles: Home

This LibGuide aims to support students with their research in developing an op-ed piece regarding the Vietnam War. Students should use what they investigated in class, as well as research found here to develop their argument.

"If I left [the war in Vietnam] and let the communists take over South Vietnam, then I would be seen as a coward and my nation would be seen as an appeaser, and we would both find it impossible to accomplish anything for anybody anywhere on the entire globe."
- President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1964

"Everything depends on the Americans. If they want to make war for 20 years then we shall make war for 20 years. If they want to make peace, we shall make peace and invite them to tea afterwards."
- North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh, December 1966


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Vietnam War: Op-Ed Assignment

As we are concluding our Vietnam War Unit and as experts on the topic, you will write and revise a historically informed 500-word, op-ed intended for publication in a newspaper, magazine, or digital publication. An op-ed is an opinion piece written from the author’s perspective on a specific topic. These opinion pieces do not always reflect the views of where it is published, but is given a special feature for its audience to read.

Your op-ed will use material covered in the course as well as outside research to best support your opinion. We will spend two days in the new Knowledge Center working alongside the librarians to conduct research to best support the writing process. The writing process will require you to provide peer feedback to one of your classmates.

The focus of this project is strengthening your argumentative skills. This op-ed will challenge you to pick one side or the other, find sources to support that argument, and fully develop this through your writing.

You will be evaluated on the feedback you provide your peers as well as your final draft of the op-ed.

The topic of this op-ed is on the justification for United States involvement in Vietnam. The direction you would like to take this is completely up to you. Do you think the United States was justified in becoming involved in Vietnam or not?

Reference Resources: Vietnam War

Building knowledge about a topic requires both looking at the details and also taking a step back to see the big picture. The links below will help you gain a general understanding of the Vietnam War. Click on the text to visit each site:

Timeline of Vietnam War

General Overview of Vietnam War

Fast Facts on the Vietnam War

Developing an Overview of the Vietnam War

Images of the Vietnam War

Vietnam War and the National Archives

Sample Vietnam War Op-Eds

Here are some examples of published Op-Ed pieces on the Vietnam War:

What Was the Vietnam War About?

Was the Vietnam War Necessary?

The Vietnam War in Hindsight

Citing Your Sources

 

Creating a Works Cited Page

 

In order to give credit to the resources that you used for your research you will need to create a works cited page as the last page of your paper.

Considerations:

  • Type “Works Cited” at the top of the page. Make sure it is centered.
  • Your list of books should be organized alphabetically by the author’s last name. If there is no author listed for the article, alphabetize by the title—ignore A, An, or The.

The following are sample citations. You will want to follow this model for your paper. Note that our library databases will generate citations for you. You can cut & paste these citations to your works cited page.

Sample Online database with author:

Hershkowitz, Allen. "Recycled Materials Produce Less Pollution." Pollution, edited by James Haley, Greenhaven Press, 2003. Current Controversies. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010058252/OVIC?u=cice26272&sid=OVIC&xid=18ca08ef. Accessed 26 Sept. 2019.

Sample Online database without author:

"Bilingual Education." Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society, ABC-CLIO, 2017, issues.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1656181. Accessed 26 Sept. 2017.

Website with author:

Adams, Jennifer. “About Dr. King.” About Dr. King: The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, www.thekingcenter.org/DrMLKingJr/. Accessed 28 Feb. 2017.

Website without an author:

“Martin Luther King Jr.” Nobelprize.org, Nobel Media 2014,www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html. Accessed 28 Feb. 2017.

 

Want more information on how to correctly format your works cited page, please visit here. 

From the US Army: Stay Alert, Stay Alive

Vietnam War Veterans: Sharing their Stories

Main Source of Information

Visit ProQuest E-Library to Gain a comprehensive Understanding of the Vietnam War. Areas addressed include: causes, battles and campaigns, social response, and aftermath. Click the picture below--see a librarian for password information if the link does not work for you. 

Recommended Books in the Knowledge Center on the Vietnam War