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Section 3
Background-By the end of 1968, 16,000 Americans were killed in Vietnam -Gov’t was still optimisticàfighting drags on -Lots of scenes captured on TV -Made people angry -Military should do more / pull out
A Growing Antiwar Movement -Lots of groups were anti-war -Pacifists, civil rights, students -Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)àOver 100 colleges -Antiwar marches -Opposing the draft -Many draftees were poor -Others got “deferments” -High percentage of minorities -MLK spoke out against the war -Most were young (just out of high school) Hawks v. Doves-LBJ was criticized from both sides -We should get out of Vietnamàdoves -All wars are bad; Vietnam not a big deal; we might end up using nuclear weapons; Vietnamese wanted communism -We should support the waràhawks -Criticized war strategy -Anti-war protestors made up a small % of US population -Lots of people opposed the opposers -Burned flags and draft cards, occupying buildings -Some people started anti-“anti-war” clubs
1968—A Turning Point -Tet Offensive (January 1968) -Walter Cronkite’s visit to Vietnam -Presidential election -LBJ had a 75% DISapproval rate -Democratic Primary -LBJ vs. Eugene McCarthy (Sen.-MN) -McCarthy getting lots of votes -LBJ announces he is withdrawing from race -Robert Kennedy, Hubert Humphrey jump in race -RFK in the lead, but assassinated in CA -Convention in ChicagoàLots of protests -LBJ didn’t even show up -Police show up in riot gear -More protests -Hubert Humphrey chosen as candidate -Republican race -Nixon was chosen to run again -Promised to “bring our boys home” -Election Day -Nixon wins by about 500,000; carries 32 states
Nixon’s Vietnam Strategy -Nixon’s top advisor was Henry Kissinger -Wanted to end warà”Peace with honor” -Vietnamizationàgradually let SV do all the fighting -Let US troops pull out slowly -By the end of 1972à24,000 troops left -Escalated war in reality (sent 80,000 troops) -Started fighting in Cambodia, Laos -Increased bombing in NV -Hinted he might use “the bomb” (like in Korea) -Bluff didn’t work
More Protests-Lots of people upset at Nixon increasing troops -Kent State Riot (May 4, 1970) -National Guard sent in to get control -Opened fireà4 students dead -Congress protestingàRepealed Gulf of Tonkin Resolution -Pentagon Papers (1971) -NYT got a hold of some gov’t papersàPentagon Papers -Told of how gov’t mislead public about war -People really upset
Election of 1972-Election all about Vietnam -Nixon was Republican candidate -George McGovern was Democratic candidate -Anti-war senator -George Wallace was running again -Shot in May 1972àparalyzedàwithdrew -26th Amendment was passed in 1971 -Lowered voting age from 21 to 18 -Nixon wins big time (47m. to 29m popular votes) -McGovern carries only 1 state
Cease-fire-In October 1972, cease-fire plan worked out -SV leader, Thieu, rejected it -US rejected cease-fire -NV demands US accept it -US starts heaviest bombings -In January 1973, cease-fire signed -US withdraws from Vietnam in 1973 -2 years later, SV falls to communism -58,000 US soldiers killed (300,000 wounded) -War Powers Act (1973) -Limited President’s power to wage war -President must inform Congress within 48 hours of troops deployed to hostile areas -Can stay for only 90 days w/o permission |