30.4 and 30.5
Legacy of Vietnam in the U.S.
- Changed Americans' views on foreign policy. Caused the Vietnam syndrome, which means Americans are more hesitant to get involved in foreign war - Passage of the War Powers Act - Made Americans cynical and distrustful of their government and political leaders
Eugene McCarthy
1968 Democratic candidate for President who ran to succeed incumbent Lyndon Baines Johnson on an anti-war platform. Did not represent the Democratic Party in the election though, Hubert Humphrey ended up winning the Democratic ticket and then went on to lose to Nixon
War Powers Act
1973. A resolution of Congress that stated the President can only send troops into action abroad by authorization of Congress or if America is already under attack or serious threat. Passed because of the way the Vietnam War was handled, especially in its early stages when it was escalated by President Johnson.
About how many names are inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial in Washington, DC?
58,000
Pentagon Papers
A 7,000 top-secret government document published in 1971 that revealed that the US government had misled and lied to Americans about progress in the Vietnam War.
Platform
A formal declaration of principles on which a political party makes its appeal to the public
"Peace with Honor"
A phrase U.S. President Richard M. Nixon used to describe the Paris Peace Accord to end the Vietnam War. He wanted to maintain US dignity in the face of withdrawal from Vietnam
The Tet offensive changes minds
A poll taken before Tet showed that only 28% of Americans called themselves doves, while 56% claimed to be hawks. After Tet, both sides were equal at 40%. Also, after Tet President Johnson's popularity plunged, with 60% disapproved.
Hubert Humphrey
A prominent liberal senator from Minnesota dedicated to the promotion of civil rights, he served as Johnson's vice-president from 1964-68 and ran an unsuccessful personal campaign for the presidency in 1968.
Christmas Bombings
After peace talks between Nixon and North Vietnam broke off in December of 1972, Nixon ordered intense bombing on the two largest cities in North Vietnam, Hanoi and Haiphong. US planes dropped 100,000 bombs over eleven days, pausing only on Christmas Day.
What was the experience of soldiers returning home from Vietnam?
American soldiers returning home from Vietnam were welcomed by their families, but the general public were indifferent or even hostile towards them. They were not greeted with parades or happy crowds like the veterans from WWII were. The country was so divided about the war and there was so much antiwar feeling that these soldiers were seen as a bad people or as signs of failure and corruption of America.
Robert Kennedy
Brother of JFK. He was a Democrat who ran for president in 1968 promoting civil rights and other equality based ideals. He was ultimately assassinated in 1968, leaving Nixon to take the presidency.
How many Vietnamese died in the Vietnam War?
Estimates are 1 million soldiers and 4 million civilians
Who ran in the 1968 presidential election as an independent on a platform supporting states' rights and segregation?
George Wallace
What was the most significant result of the Tet offensive?
It helped turn public opinion in the US against the war in Vietnam
Explain the Tet Offensive
January 31, 1968, 70,000 North Vietnamese forces launched a coordinated series of fierce attacks on more than 100 cities and towns in South Vietnam. The Tet Offensive began on the night of January 30/31, 1968, which was the Vietnamese New Year. A temporary truce had been called, but the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese used it as a way to launch a surprise attack against American forces.
Fall of Saigon
Late in April 1975, communist forces marched into Saigon, shortly after officials of the Thieu regime and the staff of the American embassy had fled the country in humiliating disarray. The forces quickly occupied the capital, renamed it Ho Chi Minh City and began he process of uniting Vietnam under Hanoi. Marked the end of the Vietnam War.
What was one legacy of the Vietnam War?
Many Americans had a more cynical attitude toward their government
Whose assassination was followed by riots in 130 US cities?
Martin Luther King Jr.
Kent State University Protest
May 4, 1970, while students were protesting against the American invasion of Cambodia, Ohio National Guard troops opened fire and killed 4 of them
Despite the gradual withdrawal of US forces, how did the war continue to outrage the nation?
My Lai Massacre - The My Lai Massacre took place in a small village in the northern part of South Vietnam in March of 1968. A US platoon under Lieutenant William Calley, Jr. killed a hundreds of innocent civilians while searching for Vietcong fighters hiding among the population. Twenty-five officers were charged for this crime, but only Calley was found guilty because it was determined that he was the one who gave the direct orders to kill every person in the village. He only served three years in prison for this act. This outraged much of the country and added to the antiwar movement. Kent State Shooting - In May of 1970, at Kent State University in Ohio, a huge student protest began. The protesters burned down the ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) building and the mayor called in the National Guard. The National Guard soldiers eventually opened fire on the students and killed four of them. The country remained extremely divided over whether or not these shootings were justified, showing just how extreme differences had become within the country.
What happened at Kent State University on May 4, 1970?
National Guardsmen fired into a crowd of protestors, killing four and wounding nine
To what extent was Nixon's program of "Vietnamization" a plan for "peace with honor" ?
Nixon's program for "Vietnamization" was the policy of slowly replacing American troops with well-trained South Vietnamese soldiers who could defend the South against the North when America finally pulled out. This was intended to be a program for "peace with honor" because the US would be leaving without fully defeating the North, but the idea was they would not have lost either. They would be leaving the South in a good position to defend themselves. This strategy would also give the US more power at the peace negotiations because the South Vietnamese government would still be intact and backed by the US. Unfortunately for the US and South Vietnam, this was not to be. The US could not fully defeat the North even with thousands of their own troops, so it was unrealistic to think that the South Vietnamese troops who had not been as effective up to that point, would be able to defeat the North.
What is one significant legacy of the Vietnam War in America?
One of the most significant legacies of the Vietnam War is the way it changed how many Americans view their government. Since Vietnam, there is much more cynicism about government leaders. It is expected that they are often lying or distorting the truth to the general public. Many Americans after the war no longer had faith in their own government. This has changed how Americans view themselves and their country on the world stage and in their own homeland as well. There is much less optimism and much more suspicion. This began with Vietnam and has not gone away since.
How did violence at home in the U.S. mirror violence in Vietnam in 1968?
Only a few months after the Tet Offensive, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. This set off protests and rioting in more than 100 cities throughout the country. At the same time, the war was still raging in Vietnam, even though the Tet Offensive had been stopped. In addition, only two months after that, Robert Kennedy was also assassinated, showing that the violence at home was still going on at the same time as the all-out war in Vietnam. In addition, in the fall of 1968, at the Democratic National Convention, thousands of protesters gathered outside the building where the Democratic candidate for the presidency was to be selected. They were protesting the failure of the Democratic Party to end the war and many believed the candidates to be chosen from would also not end it quickly enough. They wanted to put pressure on the Democratic candidates to adopt an antiwar platform. These protesters were met by police and national guardsmen and attacked and in some cases brutally beaten.
Election of 1968 - Nixon
Political realignment - Southern states (whites) began to vote Republican and Nixon won Nixon promised to restore law and order, which appealed to many middle class Americans after several years of riots and protests. He also promised to end the war in Vietnam but did not provide any specifics on how he would do that, nevertheless this attracted some voters to him
What happened under the policy of Vietnamization?
President Nixon called on the South Vietnamese to take a more active combat role
Vietnamization
President Richard Nixon's strategy for ending U.S involvement in the Vietnam War, involving a gradual withdrawal of American troops and replacing them with South Vietnamese forces
George Wallace
Racist gov. of Alabama in 1962 ("segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever") Ran for president in 1968 on independent party ticket of racism and law and order, lost to Nixon
Who won the 1968 presidential election?
Richard M. Nixon
Election of 1968
Richard M. Nixon, Republican, won by a 1% margin against Hubert Humphrey, Democrat. The issues were the war in Vietnam and urban crisis of law and order.
Which 1968 presidential candidate was assassinated?
Robert Kennedy
Invasion of Cambodia 1970
Surprise attack to destroy Viet Cong and North Vietnamese supply centers or "sanctuaries" in Cambodia. Nixon kept this secret until it was already well underway. Produced even more outrage and protest among Americans and on college campuses
Silent majority
Term used by President Nixon to describe Americans who opposed the counterculture - moderate, mainstream Americans who quietly supported the US efforts in Vietnam. While many Americans did support Nixon, the events of the war continued to divide the country
What happened militarily during the Tet Offensive
The North Vietnamese and Viet Cong took the Americans by surprise and attacked cities and villages all over the South, even getting into the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon and infiltrating the American Embassy there. After about a month of fighting, the Americans and South Vietnamese regained control of the cities and towns, and the offensive was technically a failure.
What was the purpose of the War Powers Act?
To restrict the power of the president
My Lai Massacre (1968)
US military assault on a small Vietnamese village on March 16, 1968, in which American soldiers under the command of 2nd Lieutenant William Calley murdered hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese civilians, mostly women and children. The atrocity produced outrage and reduced support for the war in America and around the world when details of the massacre and an attempted cover-up were revealed in 1971.
Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam
Under this agreement, North Vietnamese troops would remain in South Vietnam. However, Nixon promised to respond "with full force" to any violation of the peace agreement. On March 29, 1973, the last US combat troops left. Within months however, the cease-fire between North and South collapsed. Two years later, in 1975, the North launched a full-scale invasion of the South and finally captured Saigon, the capital of the South.
Total U.S. bomb tonnage Vietnam vs. WWII
Vietnam: 8 million tons dropped during the war WWII: 2.6 million tons
American Veterans Cope Bach Home
While families welcomed home their sons and daughters, the nation as a whole extended a cold hand to returning Vietnam veterans. There were no parades or cheering crowds. Many veterans faced indifference or hostility from an American public still torn and bitter about the war
How did the Tet Offensive change opinions about the Vietnam War in America in the public and the government?
because the American government had been promising the American people that the end of the war was in sight, this was a huge failure for American forces. The public began to turn even more intensely against the war and began to see it as unwinnable. The American media even began to portray the war in this way as well. In addition, later in 1968, President Johnson decided he would not run for President. This was largely because of the stress and failure of the Vietnam War and the Tet Offensive.
