Meaning: This quote is from a speech delivered by President Lyndon B. Johnson on April 7, 1965. At the time, the United States was heavily involved in the Vietnam War, and this quote reflects Johnson's stance on the conflict and the role of the United States in the region. The quote highlights the sentiment that American troops should not be sent to fight a war that should be the responsibility of the people in the region where the conflict is taking place.

In the context of the Vietnam War, Johnson's statement reflects the concept of "self-determination," which is the idea that the people of a nation should have the right to determine their own political status and freely pursue their own economic, social, and cultural development. By suggesting that Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves what American boys were being sent to do, Johnson was expressing the belief that the Vietnamese people should be responsible for resolving their own conflicts and determining their own future, without the intervention of the United States.

The quote also touches upon the idea of the burden of war and the toll it takes on those involved. By stating that American boys should not be sent thousands of miles away to fight in a conflict that should be handled by those directly affected, Johnson underscored the human cost of war and the ethical considerations surrounding the deployment of troops to foreign lands.

Furthermore, the quote reflects the political climate of the time, as the Vietnam War was a deeply divisive issue in the United States. Johnson's statement can be seen as an attempt to justify or explain the administration's policies regarding the war to the American public, many of whom were growing increasingly disillusioned with the conflict and its escalating costs in terms of both lives and resources.

This quote is often cited in discussions about the Vietnam War and U.S. foreign policy, as it encapsulates the complexities and ethical dilemmas inherent in military intervention and the use of force in international relations. The sentiment expressed by Johnson continues to be relevant in contemporary debates about the role of the United States in global conflicts and the responsibility of nations to address their own internal challenges.

In conclusion, President Lyndon B. Johnson's quote about not sending American boys to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves encapsulates the sentiment of self-determination, the human cost of war, and the complexities of international intervention. It reflects the historical context of the Vietnam War and continues to be a topic of discussion in contemporary discourse on foreign policy and military intervention.