The Vietnam 1. Running head: SOCIAL EFFECTS OF THE VIETNAM WAR. The Vietnam War's Effects on American Society. Halley E. Moore. Metro High School- St. Louis. The Vietnam 2. Abstract. The Vietnam War had a profound effect on American society. It changed the way we viewed our government, the media, and our Constitutional rights. together in new and different ways. stretch the rights of free expression, and primarily against the violence of the war itself.