Question

How did the My Lai incident shape public opinion of the war in Vietnam?

Answer 1

Answer:

Explanation:

I'm going to ask you a question. It is not a very nice one. How would you feel if you found out that your next door neighbor's son was a mass murderer?

I don't know how public opinion divided even though I was in the Unites States when it happened. Some people believed it was the tragic result of war it self.

Some were shocked: they thought of the American Soldier as a noble creature incapable of such brutality, such thoughtless and immoral murder.  The truth likely lies between these two points of view. Certainly President Nixon did not think William Calley's actions warranted the death penalty and that is a very telling observation. If ever there was a political animal that could assess public opinion and act on it, that person would be Richard Nixon. I think the die was set long before My Lai.