20.3

Most divided war since the Civil War… That says A LOT Most Americans initially supported Johnson but by 1966 there was a strong opposition voice

1965 Vietnam draftees: young men drafted into military service Selective Service Act of million men drafted to go to Vietnam All men had to register for draft at 18 years old

Critics of the draft: Local draft boards had large influence on who was drafted Deferment if you were in college = those that couldn’t afford college were most often drafted Most came from working class or poor backgrounds Disproportionally high # of African Americans fighting + dying in Vietnam 20% of total combat deaths only 10% of American pop.

MLK: Speech in NYC, 1967 The war was drawing $ away from the social services w/in the U.S. formed to help fight poverty + discrimination Stop-the-Draft Week in October, 1967 Burning of draft cards and mass protests Selective Service System, 1969 Lottery system created to randomly select draftees

College campuses represented the most extreme criticisms of the war in Vietnam Students and some professors openly protested Pacifist beliefs War’s effect on the economy Desire to avoid military service

From : 2 million  8 million students in higher education College students became a class of their own Not at home but not in working world yet, free from adult responsibilities Encouraged by professors to think critically Most anti-war students came from middle to upper-middle class families Working class less likely to oppose the war

University of Michigan and Cal Berkeley became the hubs of anti-war protests Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) Founded at UM in 1960 Originally formed to protest against poverty + discrimination 1964 – SDS developed an anti-war element of its beliefs “Teach-ins” and “We Won’t Go” petitions

At Cal Berkeley in 1964: Administrators decided that students could not use school facilities to organize off-campus political activities/protests Formed the Free Speech Mvm’t (FSM) in protest Students refused to leave a school building and the police were called in to arrest them ∴ most students cut classes + marched in support of the arrested students = School admin reversed their decision

Vietnam War = 1 st “Living Room War” Americans watched the progress (or lack thereof) of the war on TV Made news of the war unavoidable No march to victory like WWII, not land but ppl More anti-war groups form Vietnam Veterans Against the War Catholic Peace Fellowship Another Mother for Peace Credibility Gap emerged: Discrepancy b/w what the Johnson Administration said on the news and what journalists reported.

November 1967  LBJ brought Gen. Westmoreland home to address the nation’s concerns about the war. Stated that the Vietcong were weakening BUT they weren’t…

January 1, 1968 the North Vietnamese Army attack Khe Sanh in SV. Then expanded this attack to all U.S. + SV (ARVN) positions in SV This became known as the Tet Offensive.

Tet Offensive: Coordinated assault on 36 provincial capitals + 5 major cities in SV, as well as the U.S. in Saigon Communists planned to take all major cities until the ppl rose up in their support American + SV forces pushed the Vietcong + NV troops back w/o this occurring BUT this proved that they were not at all weak like Johnson had stated

Westmoreland asked for more troops after the Tet Offensive… ∴ LBJ asked Sec. of Defense Clark Clifford to take an objective look at the war in Vietnam. He determined that increasing troops = Raising taxes even more Increasing the draft Calling up reserves Increased casualties Increased dissent at home Might not lead to victory ∴ Clifford recommended to LBJ that he should shift his policy from required victory to a negotiated peace!

Many Americans began to dramatically protest against the war Senator Eugene McCarthy (D) ran an anti-war campaign in the Democratic Party Did very well in the NH primary = ppl support that campaign Senator Robert Kennedy (D) also announced his candidacy for president

President Johnson knew the war was undermining his presidency March 31, 1968 he announced that the U.S. would limit bombing in Vietnam + seek a peace agreement He also announced he would NOT run for reelection = Another turning point in the war No longer on a path to victory

1968 – Many Americans believed the election was grounds for fundamental changes in politics and society… But violence shattered these high hopes almost immediately

April 4, 1968 – Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated Most influential civil rights leader, spoke openly about his anti-war beliefs as well June 5, 1968 – Robert Kennedy assassinated At a rally celebrating his win in the CA primary Basis of his campaign was compassion and idealism Shot in the head by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian immigrant Might have opposed U.S. support of Israel

Democratic National Convention in Chicago, August 1968: Delegates + antiwar protestors flocking into the city = police + National Guard deployed to prevent violence Strong debates from w/in the convention Hubert Humphrey (LBJ’s VP) vs. anti-war candidate Eugene McCarthy

Violence erupted outside the convention and police beat many of the protestors Gained national attention and shocked Americans Illustrated the deep divisions about the war in Vietnam

RNC in Miami, FL Republicans nominated Richard Nixon as their presidential candidate He promised to deliver “peace with honor” w/ honorable peace terms Promised to listen to the large “silent majority” of “the young, the unblack, and the unpoor.” Started the Republican “southern strategy” George Wallace ran as an anti-civil rights 3 rd party candidate to appeal to the southern vote (“white backlash”)

Nixon’s “Southern Strategy” + Wallace’s appeal to the southern Democrat drawing votes away from Humphrey = Nixon Win End of the Democratic “Solid South”