How Did Edwin Starr's Music Affected The Vietnam War?

North Vietnam was overrun by communist forces led by Ho Chi Minh in 1954, sparking the beginning of the Vietnam War. The goal of North Vietnam, which had overthrown the French colonial government of Vietnam in 1954, was to unite the entire nation under a single communist government based on the Soviet Union. On the other hand, the government of South Vietnam struggled to maintain Vietnam more closely associated with the West. While there had been some U.S. military advisers during the 1950s, they had become more widespread starting in 1961, and in 1965, active combat units were introduced. Over half a million American military personnel were stationed in Vietnam by 1969. In the meantime, North Vietnam received massive arms, supplies, and advisors

From his point of view, the Vietnam War meant the “destruction of innocent lives” causing havoc among the communities in the United States. Edwin Starr wanted to spread awareness through his music to let listeners know about the Vietnam War's realities. Music allowed many different artists to show their opinions about the war, which ultimately impacted the Vietnam War. The increase in taxes in the United States during the Vietnam War was caused by the Revenue Act of 1964. The Revenue Act of 1964 was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. This act significantly raised income taxes to generate revenue to fund the war. The “individual income tax cut alone amounted to about $10 billion at 1964 levels” (Pechnam). During 1964, their taxes totaled around ten billion dollars, currently, it would be around a hundred billion dollars, ten times the amount. The federal government also increased other taxes, such as gasoline, cigarettes, and alcohol to cover the cost of the war. In addition, “Johnson [held] meetings with Congressional

In addition, the deployment of thousands of troops needed allocation for training, salaries, and other benefits for military personnel. Supporting veterans, providing healthcare, and many more added to the financial burden due to the Vietnam War. Additionally, the U.S. military needed soldiers during the Vietnam War. The majority of the citizens of the United States volunteered, but some did this because they believed that the military gave them more opportunities than they could not find elsewhere. Some citizens got drafted because they also believed that it was crucial to stop communism from spreading throughout Southeast Asia (Living the Vietnam War). In the article, "Mobilization for the Vietnam War: A Political and Military Catastrophe,” which talks about how the military needed soldiers to fight in the war, it states that “there was an unquestioned readiness to believe that mobilization of the Guard and Reserve would provide citizen-soldiers for the Vietnam War” (Stuckey and Pistorius). Congress needed soldiers to fight in the Vietnam War to prevent the spread of communism in other countries,