Standard Addressed: 11.9 Students analyze U.S. foreign policy since World War II.

1. Standard Addressed: 11.9 Students analyze U.S. foreign policy since World War II. Lesson Objectives: Section 4 - 1968: A Tumultuous Year 1. Describe the Tet offensive and its effect on the American public. 2. Explain the domestic turbulence of 1968. 3. Describe the 1968 presidential election.

2. A BULLDOG ALWAYS Commitment Attitude CARES Respect Encouragement Safety

3. Section 4 1968: A Tumultuous Year An enemy attack in Vietnam, two assassinations, and a chaotic political convention make 1968 an explosive year. NEXT

4. SECTION 4 1968: A Tumultuous Year The Tet Offensive Turns the War A Surprise Attack • 1968 villagers go to cities to celebrate Tet (Vietnamese new year) • Vietcong among crowd attack over 100 towns, 12 U.S. air bases • Tet offensive lasts 1 month before U.S., S. Vietnam regain control • Westmoreland declares attacks are military defeat for Vietcong Continued . . . NEXT

5. A Surprise Attack: TET OFFENSIVE • Jan. 30th in the Vietnamese equivalent to New Years • During this time, safe travel was allowed between N and S Vietnam • Northern Vietnamese sent the coffins of dead soldiers back to S Vietnam • Inside the coffins were the bodies, but also weapons • In the month to follow, the Vietcong would use thee weapons to take over 100 cities in S Vietnam • The Vietcong also attack the US Embassy in Saigon (killing 5 Americans) • This month long surge would be called the Tet Offensive

6. Tet Offensive:Military Defeat & Propaganda Victory • "In all honesty, we didn't achieve our main objective, which was to spur uprisings throughout the South. Still, we inflicted heavy casualties on the Americans and their puppets, and this was a big gain for us. • As for making an impact in the United States, it had not been our intention—but it turned out to be a fortunate result". • Hanoi had in no way anticipated the political and psychological effect the offensive would have on the leadership and population of the U.S. • When the northern leadership saw how the U.S. was reacting to the offensive, they began to propagandize their "victory". A Viet Cong guerrilla awaits interrogation following his capture in the attacks on Saigon.

7. Guided Reading:

8. SECTION 4 continuedThe Tet Offensive Turns the War • Tet Changes Public Opinion • Before Tet, most Americans hawks; after Tet, hawks, doves both 40% • Mainstream media openly criticizes war • LBJ appoints Clark Clifford as new Secretary of Defense • After studying situation, Clifford concludes war is unwinnable • LBJ’s popularity drops; 60% disapprove his handling of the war NEXT

9. Tet Changes Public Opinion: • This offensive changed public opinion very quickly • The media now openly criticized the war • Clark Clifford filled McNamara’s spot as Sec. of Def. – he also believed that the war was unwinnable • Johnson’s popularity started to plummet to record lows (the media reinforced this)

10. SECTION 4 Days of Loss and Rage • Johnson Withdraws • Senator Eugene McCarthy runs for Democratic nomination as dove • Senator Robert Kennedy enters race after LBJ’s poor showing in NH • LBJ announces will seek peace talks, will not run for reelection NEXT

11. Johnson Withdraws: • The Democratic Party was looking for someone to challenge Johnson in the 1968 primary and end the war • Eugene McCarthy declared that he would run against Johnson and end the war • Johnson decided to drop out of the race after McCarthy gained almost as many votes • Johnson stated • “The war killed the lady I really loved – The Great Society”

12. Guided Reading:

13. SECTION 4 Days of Loss and Rage • Violence and Protest Grip the Nation • Riots rock over 100 cities after Martin Luther King, Jr. is killed • Kennedy wins CA primary; is fatally shot for supporting Israel • Major demonstrations on over 100 college campuses NEXT

14. Violence and Protest Grip the Nation: • Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King, Jr.was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on Thursday, April 4, 1968, at the age of 39. • James Earl Ray entered a plea of guilty and was sentenced to 99 years in the Tennessee State Penitentiary. • Violent protests and riots swept the nation in over 100 cities

15. Guided Reading:

16. Violence and Protest Grip the Nation: • The assassination of Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy, a United States Senator, took place shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968, in Los Angeles, California, during the campaign season for the United States Presidential election, 1968. • After winning the California primary elections for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. • Sirhan Sirhan, a 24-year-old Palestinian/Jordanian immigrant, was convicted and is serving a life sentence for the crime. • Many campus protests began to turn violent • People were losing control and the government wasn’t sure just what to do

17. Guided Reading:

18. SECTION 4 A Turbulent Race for President • Turmoil in Chicago • Vice-president Hubert Humphrey wins Democratic nomination • Over 10,000 demonstrators go to Chicago • Mayor Richard J. Daley mobilizes police, National Guard • Protesters try to march to convention; police beat them; rioting • Delegates to convention bitterly debate antiwar plank Continued . . . NEXT

19. Turmoil in Chicago: • The Democratic National Convention was in Chicago in 1968 • Eugene McCarthy and Hubert Humphrey were both pitted against one another • 10,000 protesters arrived and 12,000 Chicago police and 5,000 National Guard were sent in • Before long things got ugly – rioters were sprayed with pepper spray and beaten with nightsticks

20. Guided Reading:

21. SECTION 4 continued A Turbulent Race for President • Nixon Triumphs • Nixon works for party for years, wins 1968 Republican nomination • Campaign promises: restore law and order, end war in Vietnam • Governor George Wallace is third-party candidate • Champions segregation, states’ rights; attracts protest-weary whites • Nixon wins presidency NEXT

22. Nixon Triumphs: • In 1968, Richard Nixon announced his candidacy for president and won the party’s nomination • He campaigned on returning law and order • He also promised to end the war in Vietnam • He would win the presidency and eventually create even more protest and uproar within the country

23. Guided Reading:

24. A – Why American support for the war change after the Tet offensive? The enemy seemed much stronger and more numerous that Americans had thought. MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS

25. B – Why did President Johnson decide not to run again? He believed that seeking a second term would cause further turmoil and divisiveness within the Democratic Party. MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS

26. C – Why was 1968 characterized as a year of “lost control” in America? Antiwar demonstrations, student takeovers of universities, and the assassination of two of the country’s leaders were unprecedented; People did not know how to control such events. MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS

27. D – What were the reasons protesters demonstrated in Chicago? Some wanted to pressure Democrats to adopt an antiwar platform, others were displeased with Humphrey’s nomination, and Yippies (YIP) came to provoke violence to discredit the Democratic Party. MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS