Examine key events on the Vietnam Conflict Vietnam Test Tuesday Agenda: End the War/ Begin Review

America looked to Robert Kennedy, an antiwar candidate in 1968 election. He won primary after primary. LBJ announced that he would not run again. June 6, 1968: Sirhan Sirhan, a young Palestinian in Los Angeles, assassinated Kennedy.

Chicago: Democratic Convention shaken – named Herbert Humphrey as new front-runner candidate, but the democrats could not decide on an antiwar plank. Problem was that thousands of antiwar protestors were staging demonstrations in downtown Chicago. The third night of the Convention, protestors were injured with tear gas and Billy clubs. The whole riot was being televised with the crowd chanting, “The whole world is watching!”

1968 Election Made many Americans turned away from Democrats to the more conservative Republicans. Richard Nixon won the election of He offered “peace with honor” as his plan for Vietnam. It was a tight race. Yet he found it difficult to abandon the American commitment.

Nixon’s special assistant for national security, Henry Kissinger, often overshadowed him.

Nixon Policy Continued Kissinger’s main strategy was “Vietnamization” – training and equipping South Vietnamese soldiers to assume burden of conflict instead of American soldiers. In 1969, Nixon brings home 50,000 troops and continues gradual removal of the rest. By 1972 there are fewer than 60,000 troops left.

Problem: policy did not help the South gain an advantage. The U.S. escalate activity – decide to attack bases in Cambodia and Laos where they think the North were launching many of their attacks. Nixon kept these raids from the public and Congress. Spring 1970 – a pro-American government took control of Cambodia – gave approval to Americans to come into Cambodia. Nixon announced that he ordered American troops across the border to clean out bases used by the North. Nixon Policy Continued

Complete key events on the Vietnam Conflict Vietnam Test Tomorrow Agenda: End the War/ Review

More Problems for Nixon My Lai Massacre Lack of public support for the war intensified as evidence of the full awfulness of the war effort mounted. In March of 1968 an American unit was patrolling the village of My Lai in Central Vietnam. They had suffered recent losses, were frustrated by their inability to find the enemy and anxious for revenge. The U.S. Soldiers believing the village to be controled by the Viet Cong had gone there on a search and destroy mission. They only found women, children and old men. They rounded up unarmed women, children, and elderly civilians, raped the women, then opened fire. The killed between Vietnamese civilians, mostly women and children.

Result: huge inflammation of antiwar activity at home. May 4, 1970 four students were killed and nine others injured when National Guard opened fire on antiwar demonstrators at Kent State University in Ohio. This lead to many college campuses closing. Nixon’s Vice President Spiro Agnew insisted most Americans still supported the war, and they referred to their supporters as the “silent majority”. Exchanges between anti-war & supporters sometimes became violent. In 1971 the New York Times published leaked government documents called the Pentagon Papers that showed that several presidents before Nixon had lied about the situation in Vietnam and decided to leave or send our troops there anyway.

1972: Nixon went on another major bombing raid of Hanoi and other Northern targets. Finally, on January 27, 1973, North Vietnam and U.S. signed an “agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam”. Nixon claimed this last bombing helped bring on the cease-fire.

The U.S. Withdraws from Vietnam ***Finally, in January 1973 a peace agreement was reached. The provisions of the peace agreement included: 1.U.S withdraw all forces in S. Vietnam in 60 days. 2.All prisoners of war needed to be released. 3. All military activities must end in Cambodia and Laos. 4. The 17 th parallel would continue to divide Vietnam until the country could be reunited.

Legacy of the War In 1975, the South fell to the North at the fall of Saigon and Vietnam was united as one, Communist nation marking the end to the war officially. More than 58,000 Americans died and over 300,000 were wounded. The Vietnam was the longest and least successful war in American history. The U.S. spent at least $150 billion on the war Led to Congress passing the War Powers Resolutions setting limits on Presidential power in a conflict without a formal declaration of war from Congress. The 26 th Amendment was passed making the voting age 18. The U.S. did not restore trade with Vietnam until 1994.

Vietnam Wall Memorial A contest was held in 1979 for designing the Vietnam Memorial to honor all the soldiers who gave their life for their country during the Vietnam War. The winner was a 21 year old college student named Maya Ying Lin. The Wall was completed in 1982.

The eastern world, it is exploding Violence flarin’, bullets loadin’ You’re old enough to kill, but not for votin’ You don’t believe in war, but what’s that gun you’re totin’ And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin’ But you tell me Over and over and over again, my friend Ah, you don’t believe We’re on the eve Of destruction. Don’t you understand what I’m tryin’ to say Can’t you feel the fears I’m feelin’ today? If the button is pushed, there’s no runnin’ away There’ll be no one to save, with the world in a grave [Take a look around ya boy, it's bound to scare ya boy] And you tell me Over and over and over again, my friend Ah, you don’t believe We’re on the eve Of destruction. Yeah, my blood’s so mad feels like coagulatin’ I’m sitting here just contemplatin’ I can’t twist the truth, it knows no regulation. Handful of senators don’t pass legislation And marches alone can’t bring integration When human respect is disintegratin’ This whole crazy world is just too frustratin’ And you tell me Over and over and over again, my friend Ah, you don’t believe We’re on the eve Of destruction. Think of all the hate there is in Red China Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama You may leave here for 4 days in space But when you return, it’s the same old place The poundin’ of the drums, the pride and disgrace You can bury your dead, but don’t leave a trace Hate your next-door neighbor, but don’t forget to say grace And… tell me over and over and over and over again, my friend You don’t believe We’re on the eve Of destruction Mm, no no, you don’t believe We’re on the eve Of destruction.

NOW…… Let’s review JFK  Vietnam 23. The violence in #22 helped this Republican candidate. ** Correction on review