The Vietnam War Years

I. Escalation 1963 Kennedy approves a coup to change regimes in S. Vietnam. 1964 Congress passes the Tonkin Gulf Resolution giving the president increased power to use force in the region. 1965 Operation Rolling Thunder began, a massive bombing of North Vietnam.

C) Most Americans supported the war in the beginning D) General Westmoreland continued to request more troops because he did not think the South Vietnamese troops were up to the job.

II. Fighting in the Jungle US troops thought they would easily win the war. However, the jungle terrain and the enemy’s guerilla tactics soon turned the war into a stalemate (tie). US strategy: gradually wear down the Vietcong until they surrender.

III. Winning Over hearts and minds The US needed to win the support of the Southern Vietnamese because the Vietcong were hiding among them. This was difficult to do, because the US was using napalm and Agent Orange to expose Vietcong tunnels and hideouts. 1. These often wounded civilians destroyed villages.

IV. Sinking Morale Many soldiers were required by law to fight in a war they did not support 1) Many of them turned to alcohol, marijuana and other drugs. B) Other soldiers felt they were fulfilling a duty to their country to stop the spread of communism and served courageously.

V. The Great Society Suffers A) In order to pay for the war Congress cut spending in Great Society programs.

VI. The Credibility Gap The reports of General Westmoreland seemed to contradict what people saw on television causing critics to believe their was a credibility gap between what the Johnson Administration reported and what was really happening.

A Nation Divided

I. The Working Class Goes to War Most soldiers who fought in the war were drafted. 1) A popular way to avoid the draft was to enroll in college. 2) Because most college students in the 1960s were white and upper class, the majority of the soldiers were working class and minorities.

II. African Americans in Vietnam Large numbers of African Americans died in the war. MLK resisted speaking out against the war at first, but did later.

III. Changes in Civil Rights The Black Panther Party was formed to fight against police brutality in the ghetto. They believed African Americans should be exempt from draft because so many already died Although they did many positive things their shoot-outs with police caused MLK to object the Black Power movement.

IV. Roots of Opposition The New Left College students across the nation formed groups such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to protest against the war. They demanded sweeping change in American society.

B) The hippies wanted to completely drop out of society.

1968: A Tumultuous Year

I. The Tet Offensive A)The Vietcong launched a massive attack on over 100 towns and cities in South Vietnam along with 12 US airbases. B) It took US forces about a month to regain control C) Although the Vietcong lost 32,000 soldiers it caused many Americans to turn against http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/tet-offensive

II. King’s Assassination While visiting Memphis to support striking sanitation workers MLK was shot by a sniper. His death caused people to riot in over 100 cities.

IV. Troubles with the Democrats A) Johnson choose not to run for president again B) It looked as if Bobby Kennedy would win the nomination until he was assassinated. C) The Democrats nominated vice president Humphrey. D) Anti-war protestors showed up at the nominating convention to show their displeasure with Humphrey. E) They were gassed and beaten by police.

V. The general election Nixon Wins More info on this election to follow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Iye1NQy1NY http://www.history.com/topics/1960s/videos/violence-batters-1968-democratic-convention http://www.c-span.org/video/?74510-1/1968-democratic-convention

VII. Black Power at the Olympics A. The Black Power salute was a political demonstration conducted by African American athletes at the Summer Olympics in Mexico City. the African-American athletes  Tommie Smith  (GOLD) and John Carlos (BRONZE) during their medal ceremony at the 1968 Summer Olympics