The Vietnam War

Section 3Vietnam Divides the Nation

Growing Credibility Gap

• Gen William Westmoreland – Commander in S. Vietnam for years declared the enemy was on the brink of defeat.

• Media contridicted those reports.• 1st “television war”• These reports caused the credibility gap.

Gen. Westmoreland

Teach-Ins

• Teach-In – U of Michigan teachers and students formally discussed issues of the war instead of regular material.

• May 1965, 122 colleges held, “National Teach-In” by radio.

Anger At the Draft

• Beginning of war, college students could defer service until after graduation.

• This meant, low income and minorities were more likely to be drafted.

• This got Dr. MLK involved and as war went on America increased the draft putting everyone at risk.

• Estimated 500,000 refused to serve.

Anger At the Draft

• 3,300 were prosecuted for refusing to serve.• America went to a lottery system instead.• 1971, 26th Amendment, lowered the age to

vote in all elections to 18.

Hawks vs. Doves

• Doves – wanted the U.S. to withdraw from the war

• Hawks – insisted the U.S. stay and fight

1968 – The Pivotal Year

• January 30, during Tet, Vietnamese New Year, The Vietcong launched a massive surprise attack known as the Tet Offensive.

• Attacked all American airbases and most major cities, and the American embassy in Saigon.

Tet Offensive

1968

• Militarily, the Tet Offensive was a disaster for the Vietcong.

• Politically, it was a nightmare for the U.S. that someone, “close to defeat”, could mount such a huge attack.

• Media claimed the war would end in a stalemate.

Walter Cronkite

1968 Presidential Election

• Johnson is defeated in the New Hampshire primary by Eugene McCarthy and decides to leave the race.

• Sen. Robert Kennedy enters the race after Johnson leaves.

Season of Violence

• April, 1968, James Earl Ray, kills MLK, Jr.• June, 1968, Sirhan Sirhan, an Arab nationalist

assassinates Robert Kennedy. • Riots break out at the Dem. National

Convention.

MLK, Jr. Assassinated

James Earl Ray Lorraine Motel, Memphis, TN

Robert Kennedy Assassinated

Sirhan Sirhan Robert Kennedy

1968 Election

• Richard Nixon wins by a very slim margin.• He promises to have a plan to end the war.• His chief goal was to, “Bring Us Together”.

Richard Nixon

End of Section 3

Next:

Section 4The War Winds Down