American History II - Unit 7 Ms. Brown Vietnam & the 1970s American History II - Unit 7 Ms. Brown

Review Why was the Vietnam War referred to as a “working class war?” Affluent men could avoid the draft, leaving most of the drafted men from lower socioeconomic classes/working class What was the New Left? Youth opposition movement in the 1960s, called for sweeping changes in American society and withdrawal from Vietnam Most active on college campuses Who were the doves and what were their beliefs? Opposed the War in Vietnam - US shouldn’t be involved in another country’s civil war, the South Vietnamese gov’t was just as bas as as Ho Chi Minh’s North Vietnamese gov’t, US should focus on more pressing international issues (USSR and Cold War), High cost (lives and money) with low gains, the war was morally unjust Who were the hawks and what were their beliefs? Supported the War in Vietnam – US should unleash military power on North Vietnam to stop the spread of communism

7.3 – 1968

January/February – Tet Offensive January 30 = Vietnamese New Year known as Tet, a 2-day truce in fighting was called Peasants crowded the streets of SV in celebration, but many of the peasants were actually Vietcong rebels  Tet Offensive - massive Vietcong attack on over 100 SV cities (including Saigon) and 12 US air bases 7 months of planning using the Ho Chi Minh Trail Took 1 month for US and SV troops regained control of cities

January/February – Tet Offensive Westmoreland declared the Tet Offensive a US victory Right – militarily a victory for the US 32,000 Vietcong casualties > 3,000 US/SV casualties Casualties became the only way to measure progress in a war without actual fronts Wrong – politically a loss for the US Watershed moment (an event or period marking a turning point in a course of action or state of affairs)  US public opinion shaken Clear the Vietcong was not close to defeat Media began to openly criticize the war (90% of nightly news dedicated to the Tet Offensive) LBJ’s popularity and support of the war plummeted

January/February – Tet Offensive South Vietnamese general executed suspected Vietcong soldier IN FRONT of US film crew… showed later on the nightly news  Americans horrified and less supportive of SV troops

February – McNamara Steps Down Minds at the White House were also changing about Vietnam  Robert McNamara resigns, replaced by Clark Clifford Initially, Clifford supported LBJ’s intervention in Vietnam BUT after studying the situation, Clifford concluded that the war was unwinnable. “We have a sinkhole. We put in more – they match it. I see more and more fighting with more and more casualties on the US side and no end in sight to the action.” – Clifford

March – LBJ Announces No 2nd Term Before 1968, an anti-war group within the Democratic party searched for someone to run against LBJ for the Democratic candidate for President. Robert Kennedy (RFK, JFK’s brother) refused due to party loyalty Eugene McCarthy (Minnesota Senator, little known) decided to run against LBJ on an anti-war platform March 12 - Nearly beat LBJ in the New Hampshire primary March 16 - Made LBJ look weak, RFK announced his candidacy for the Democratic POTUS bid March 31 - LBJ announced no 2nd Term

April – MLK Assassinated April 4 – MLK assassinated  violence broke out in major cities

June – RFK Assassinated June 5 – RFK won a major victory in the California Primary, addressed his supporters at a hotel Left the hotel through the kitchen, despite his bodyguards warning him not to  shot by Sirhan Sirhan 3 times, Palestinian angry over RFK’s support of Israel Americans shocked due to 2 assassinations in 2 months

January-June – Growing Protests on College Campuses Jan-Jun – almost 40,000 students on more than 100 campuses took part in over 200 major demonstrations Protested involvement in Vietnam Clashed with university officials over campus and social issues April – Massive demonstration at Columbia University 1 week, students took over several university buildings Police arrested 900 protestors

August – Violence at the Democratic National Convention Eugene McCarthy and Hubert Humphrey (LBJ’s VP) vie for the Democratic POTUS bid McCarthy had little chance of beating Humphrey due to party and LBJ’s support Late August – delegates arrived at the DNC in Chicago while 10,000 protestors traveled to Chicago Some angry about Vietnam, some disliked Humphrey, some wanted violence to break out to discredit the Democratic party Chicago’s mayor determined to keep peace, called for 12,000 police officers and 4,000 National Guardsmen

August – Violence at the Democratic National Convention August 28 – Violence at the DNC delegates voted for Humphrey’s candidacy protestors gathered downtown to march on the DNC Chicago police moved on the crowd, spraying mace and beating them with nightsticks Some protestors fled, others retaliated with rocks and bottles as weapons Violence moved into the surrounding areas Word got to DNC delegates and they started shouting and blaming each other for the riots Disorder inside and outside of the DNC stained the reputation of the Democratic party

Fall 1968 – Presidential Campaign and Election Democrat – Hubert Humphrey Continue fighting in Vietnam until necessary American Independent – George Wallace Backed by Dixiecrats, “white backlash” Advocated for school segregation and states’ rights Republican – Richard Nixon Promised to restore law and order to end riots and frustration Promised, in vague terms, to end the war in Vietnam 37th POTUS - Nixon OTHER 1968 EVENTS