Opening Assignment

Opening Assignment • Turn in your homework to the folder. • How do we build trust? • How can we lose trust ? • How does the government earn and keep the trust of the American people? • How does the government lose and destroy the trust of the American people?

SECTION 5 The End of the War and its Legacy Learning Targets: • I can describe Nixon's policy of Vietnamization. • I can explain the public's reaction to the Vietnam War during Nixon's presidency. • I can describe the end of U.S. involvement and the final outcome in Vietnam. • I can summarize the war's painful legacy in the United States and Southeast Asia.

Section 5: The End of the War and Its Legacy Main Idea: President Nixon instituted his Vietnamization policy, and America’s 2nd longest war finally came to an end. Why it Matters Now: Since Vietnam, the United States considers more carefully the risks to its own interests before intervening in foreign affairs. • Key Terms: • Richard Nixon • Henry Kissinger • Vietnamization • Silent Majority • My Lai Key Terms: Kent State shooting Pentagon Papers War Powers Act

The Pullout Begins: • In the summer of 1969, Nixon announced the first US troop withdrawal from Vietnam • Negotiations were underway but were not going anywhere • Nixon conferred with his National Security Advisor – Henry Kissingeron a plan to end the US involvement in Vietnam

Vietnamization: • Kissinger’s plan was called Vietnamization– gradual withdraw of US troops in order for the South Vietnamese to take a more active combat role in the war • Over the next three years, the number of troops in Vietnam would drop from 550,000 to 25,000

“Peace With Honor” • The US wanted to “bow out” of the war gracefully • Nixon secretly began massive bombings in North Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia to leave the South Vietnamese in the best possible position • Laos and Cambodia housed many Vietcong bases

Trouble Continues on the Home Front: • Nixon was seeking to win support for his war policies • He called on the silent majority– moderate mainstream Americans who quietly supported the war effort • Many did support the President, not the war

The My Lai Massacre: • In March of 1968 it was discovered that a US platoon massacred over 200 innocent women and children in the small village of My Lai(South Vietnam) • Lieutenant William Calley and his men were looking for Vietcong rebels – they didn’t find any • “I poured about four clips into the group..the mothers hugging their children…Well, we kept right on firing.” • Calley was convicted and imprisoned – the others were charged for minor offenses

The Invasion of Cambodia: • It seemed to Americans that the war was winding down • The President however was still sending troops into Cambodia to bring down the Vietcong • In response to this invasion, 1.5 million students protested and closed down over 1,200 campuses

Violence On Campus: • May 4, 1970 - Disaster struck hardest at Kent State University • Four students were killed in a clash with the National Guard • Ten days later another protest at Jackson State in Mississippi, killed two students and wounded 12 more • Listen to this song about the Kent State Shootings.

The Pentagon Papers: • Congress was furious with Nixon for bombing and invading Cambodia without Congressional approval • Congress decided to repeal the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, limiting Nixon’s wartime powers • The Pentagon Paperswere also leaked during this time – a 7,000 page report describing Johnson’s escalating war plans (when he was telling the American people that he was pulling troops out of the war) • The papers also showed that there was never a plan to end the war as long as the North Vietnamese persisted.

America’s 2nd Longest War Ends: • In March of 1972, The North Vietnamese launched their largest offensive since Tet • Nixon responded with a massive bombing campaign against the North Vietnamese cities. • This did not stop the North Vietnamese offensive • Nixon would soon take steps to end America’s involvement in the war

The Final Push: • President Nixon won reelection with the help of the Silent Majority but the war did not end • Negotiations still were at a stalemate with the Vietcong • Nixon decided to drop 100,000 more bombs on N. Vietnam, pausing only on Christmas Day • Other world powers began to notice the futility of the war • On January 27, 1973, America signed a “peace agreement” • North Vietnamese troops would remain in S. Vietnam – Nixon promised to respond with “full force” if the peace treaty was violated. • For America, the Vietnam War had ended.

The Fall of Saigon: • The war however, raged on between North and South. • Within months of the cease fire agreement, North and South Vietnam were fighting again • South Vietnam asked for help – the US sent money • Soon after, Saigon– South Vietnam’s capital, was taken by the North Vietnamese

The War Leaves a Painful Legacy: • The Vietnam War: • 58,220 American killed • 303,000 wounded • North and South Vietnamese deaths topped 2,000,000 • The war left many Americans cautious toward their government after the deceptions surrounding Vietnam

American Veterans Cope Back Home: • The nation extended a “cold hand” to the troops returning from Vietnam • No parades, no cheering crowds. • About 15% of troops were treated for PTSD, while many more suffered from drug, alcohol abuse, and even suicide • The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was created in Washington D.C. in 1982 to honor those who served in the war.

Further Turmoil in Southeast Asia: • The Communist North Vietnamese imprisoned more than 400,000 South Vietnamese in the years to follow • Nearly 1.5 million people fled Vietnam • The US invasion of Cambodia also sparked a harsh civil war – Khmer Rougewanted a “peasant society” and executed anyone with an education or foreign connections • In the end, the Khmer Rougekilled at least 1,000,000 people

The Legacy of Vietnam: • After Vietnam the government would abolish the draft • In 1973, Congress also passed the War Powers Act – president must inform Congress of military decisions • The war diminished American faith in their government

Opening Assignment