War is never pretty, and war can also take a serious toll on the health and well being of both a country as a whole and the people who live in that country as individuals. Despite this, though, wars still happen all the time, so it is important to understand why this is the case and why people still feel that wars are inevitable. What is so significant about a war that makes the suffering and death that takes place during that war worth it? This can be asked of any war, but here it is asked specifically of the Vietnam War. The hypothesis examined here is that the Vietnam War was started because the United States was concerned about stopping the spread of communism.
             Most of the evidence that can be found and studied today seems to support this anti-communism theory, but there are also other opinions and beliefs on the issue. Some of these come from scholars, and some come from laypeople, but the most common and often-discussed ones are certainly worthy of consideration. It is important, therefore, to look at the different major theories that can be found on the Vietnam War to see whether the hypothesis above is valid. This is done through an analysis of three different sources and what those sources have to say about the causes of the Vietnam War.
             Unlike most wars that have either been fought in the United States or have had United States involvement, the Vietnam War did not have a specific starting point. At least, this is true as it relates to when the U.S. entered the war. Instead, the U.S. came into the war in steps and stages between 1950 and 1956 (Chambers, 1999). It began by helping out the French, who were trying to hang on to Indochina. This little bit of aid increased and as the White House changed hands and President Kennedy had to make decisions, our country became more and more involved in helping out (Chambers, 1999). At first, it was just aid. After that, the next President of our nation sent troops over to Vietna...