1. 19.2: Vietnam Divides the Nation

2. A. An Antiwar Movement Emerges 1.Support for containment: 1965 a. 66% in favor b. 24% opposed 2.Educational hearings – informing the Senate on military strategy.

3. 3. General Westmoreland: “enemy’s hopes are bankrupt” a.Wanted large # of troops b.by 1967 >500,000 c.Living room war: Media and credibility gap effect Americans d.George Kennan – American diplomat: Vietnam not strategically important to US

4. 4. “Teach-ins” a.Students and teachers skipped class b.Gather to discuss the wrongs of the war i. Civil war ii. Supporting a dictatorship

5. 5. Vietnam Soldiers & the Draft a.Draft implemented; most in combat units b.avg. age 19; 21-26 WWII c.Disproportionately AA, Latino, and poor d.MLK criticizes high # of AA (13%, 10%, 20%) e.“White man’s war” f.Returning soldiers protest

6. 5. Vietnam Soldiers & the Draft g. Burn draft cards h. Leave country i. Serve jail time j. 26 th Amendment – voting rights for 18 y/o.

7. 6. Doves vs. Hawks a. Opposed war & wanted troops to withdraw from Vietnam b. Should continue & increase force in Vietnam

8. B. 1968: The Pivotal Year The worst year of the 1960s!

9. The Tet Offensive

10. 1. The Tet Offensive a.Vietnam’s New Years b.Week-long peace agreement c.Funerals being held during this time = easy attack d.Deaths due to attacks: i. Vietcong - 32,000 ii. US - 3,000 e.Victory? For who? How? f.Americans realize war is a unwinnable Walter Cronkite

13. 2. Public Opinion on War a.Before Tet Offensive i. 28% Doves ii. 56% Hawks b.After Tet Offensive i. 40%Doves ii. 40%Hawks c.60 % war mishandled d.50% mistake to go in

15. 3. A Season of Violence (1968) a.March: Johnson announces he will not seek a second term b.April: MLK assassinated; AA communities responded with riots; 46 dead c. June: Robert Kennedy assassinated d. August: Democratic National Convention; Chicago; Mayor Daley

16. Mayor Richard J. Daley

21. Presidential Election 1968 Hubert Humphrey (D) Richard M. Nixon (R)