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The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War. Vietnam Divides the Nation. A growing Credibility Gap. The American commander in South Vietnam, General William Westmoreland , reported that the enemy was on the brink of defeat.

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The Vietnam War

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  1. The Vietnam War Vietnam Divides the Nation

  2. A growing Credibility Gap • The American commander in South Vietnam, General William Westmoreland, reported that the enemy was on the brink of defeat. • Day after day, millions of people saw images of wounded and dead Americans and began to doubt government reports. • Credibility Gap: it was hard to believe what the Johnson administration said about the war. • The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held “educational” hearings on Vietnam, calling in Secretary of State Dean Rusk and other policy makers to explain the administration’s war program.

  3. An Antiwar Movement Emerges • Teach-Ins Begin • In March 1965, a group of faculty members and students at the University of Michigan abandoned their classes and joined together in a teach-in. • They discussed the issues surrounding the war and reaffirmed their reasons for opposing it.

  4. An Antiwar Movement Emerges • Anger at the Draft • Minorities, particularly African Americans, made up a disproportionately large number of the soldiers in Vietnam • Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, early on, King had refrained from speaking out against the war for fear that it would draw attention from the civil rights movement. • American officials increased the draft call, putting many colleges at risk. • Between 1965 and 1968, officials prosecuted more than 3,300 Americans refusing to serve. • Anger over the draft also fueled discussions of voting age.

  5. An Antiwar Movement Emerges • Hawks and Doves • President Johnson continues on fighting. • By 1968 the nation seemed to be divided into two camps, those who wanted the United States to withdraw from Vietnam were known as doves.

  6. 1968:The Pivotal Year • The Tet Offensive • The Vietnamese New Year, the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese launched a massive surprise attack. • Militarily, Tet turned out to be a disaster for the Communist forces. • Media age, openly criticized the effort. • The Tet offensive was a major political victory for the communists.

  7. 1968:The Pivotal Year • Johnson Leaves the Presidential Race • Robert Kennedy, who appeared to be on his way to winning the Democratic nomination, was gunned down on June 5 in a California hotel just after winning the state’s Democratic primary. • Johnson addressed the public on television on March 31, 1968.

  8. 1968:The Pivotal Year • A Season of Violence • Senator Robert Kennedy, who also opposed the war, quickly entered the race for the Democratic nomination. • In 1968, a chaotic and well-publicized clash between protesters and police at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

  9. 1968:The Pivotal Year • Nixon Wins the Presidency • Governor George Wallace of Alabama, decided to run in 1968 as an independent. • Wallace, an unspoken segregationist, sought to attract those Americans who felt threatened by the civil rights movement and urban social unrest. • Wallace helped account for the razor-thin margin by winning 46 electoral votes and more than 13 percent of the popular vote.

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