1 / 19

1968: A Tumultuous Year

1968: A Tumultuous Year. The Worst Year in American History?. TET. “Tet” is the Vietnamese New Year Both sides had promised “no fighting” during Tet Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army attacked dozens of cities simultaneously

dmitri
Download Presentation

1968: A Tumultuous Year

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. 1968: A Tumultuous Year The Worst Year in American History?

  2. TET • “Tet” is the Vietnamese New Year • Both sides had promised “no fighting” during Tet • Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army attacked dozens of cities simultaneously • Eventual USA victory, but the battle had scared the American public, who had been told they were close to winning the war • Johnson’s credibility gap widened

  3. TET • Many who had supported the war (hawks) were turning against it (doves) • The media now openly criticized the war • The White House began to see the war as unwinnable • Johnson’s popularity plummeted

  4. Johnson Withdraws • Robert Kennedy (a Democrat) decided to run against Lyndon Johnson (also Democrat) in the 1968 election • On March 31, 1968, Johnson gave a TV interview in which he announced he would begin negotiations to end the war in Vietnam • He then announced that he would not run for re-election • Shocked the nation, hurt troop morale • He admitted later that, “That war killed the lady I really loved—the Great Society.”

  5. Martin Luther King JR. • April 4, 1968 • Martin Luther King was assassinated by James Earl Ray • Anguish, anger, disillusionment • Riots

  6. Robert Kennedy • June 3, 1968 • Robert Kennedy, brother of JFK, was assassinated after California primary • Would have been Democratic nominee • Shot by Sirhan Sirhan

  7. Riots • The summer of 1968 was filled with riots and violence in American cities "Incessant agitation and propaganda on the part of communists and other subversives and extremists have definitely contributed to Negro unrest and fomented violence." — FBI, 1967

  8. 1968 Democratic Convention • Chicago—convention to determine the Democratic nominee for president (Hubert Humphrey, Johnson’s VP) • Massive protests, anti-war rallies • Disrupted the convention • Mayor of Chicago, Richard Daley, called on Police and National Guard to use tear gas, night sticks, dogs, etc. to disburse the protesters • Thousands of arrests

  9. Televised “The whole world is watching”

  10. 1968 Election • (R) Richard M. Nixon • (D) Hubert Humphrey • (AIP) George Wallace • “A Liar, A Wussy, A Racist”

  11. Richard Nixon • Richard Nixon ran on and said the following … • We need to restore “law and order” • We need “peace with honor” in Vietnam • “I have a secret plan to end the war” His running mate (for VP) was Spiro Agnew Agnew: Gov. of MD, seen as moral leader Birth name: Anagnostopolus

  12. Hubert Humphrey • Hubert Humphrey had been VP under LBJ • Was content to follow LBJ policies but hinted at pulling out … maybe • Indecisive Running Mate was Edmund Muskie Muskie: Senator form Maine Birth Name: Edziu Sixtus Marzcisewski

  13. George Wallace • George Wallace had been governor of Alabama • He hated blacks. He was a racist and a segregationist • “I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever!” Running mate was General Curtis Lemay “Bomb Vietnam back into the stone age” Willing to “use the bomb in Vietnam”

  14. In 1972 George Wallace was shot during an assassination attempt. He lived, but was paralyzed and confined to a wheel chair for the rest of his life.

  15. Nixon Wins! • Nixon won a plurality (he had enough electoral votes and more popular votes, BUT he did not have a majority … 43%)

  16. 1968 • TET • (My Lai—happened in 1968 but did not hear about it until 1969) • LBJ does not run • MLK assassinated • RFK assassinated • Riots • Democratic Convention, Chicago • 1968 Election • Nixon Wins

More Related