Chapter 29 Section 3 Guided Notes

Protests Grow The Vietnam War escalated in the mid – 1960’s. Anti-war feeling grew at home. Religious leaders, teachers, students, journalists, and others opposed the war. Some believed that the U.S. should not be there. Some believed the fighting was immoral. Some believed that the death count was too high.

Protests Cal Berkley-San Francisco

.. continued College students formed large and vocal groups. Draft was reintroduced, students protested by burning draft cards. Middle and Upper class youths could delay by being in college. Most draftees were poor.

Burning of draft cards

Link to Civil Rights A high number of African – Americans were drafted. In 1965, they accounted for 20% of combat deaths. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out about the war. He believed that the war took money out of the anti-poverty programs.

African Americans in Vietnam

A Divided Country Vietnam War supporters and protesters were divided into 2 categories. Doves: People who opposed the war in Vietnam. Hawks: People who supported the war in Vietnam

Vietnam overwhelms American politics President Johnson (LBJ) begins to feel the heat from American news organizations. William Westmoreland requests more troops, LBJ refuses. Although LBJ created programs to help the poor and to protect civil rights, he does not seek re-election due to failing popularity.

LBJ Frustrated

Nixon Promises Results Democrats choose Hubert Humphrey, but at the Democratic National Convention, riots breaks out and news programs show protestors getting attacked by police. The chaos at the DNC causes Richard Nixon to win. Nixon promises his supporters that he would end the war fast, but he lied.

Nixon takes over

Morale Sinks South Vietnamese troops begin to desert their army in high numbers. American soldiers begin to ask why they are fighting when the South Vietnamese are running. My Lai (Mee Ly) – soldiers rounded up 400-500 unarmed civilians and shot them. Most were women, children, and elderly. Massacre ends when U.S. helicopter threatens to fire on U.S. troops. My Lai drops troop morale even lower.

My Lai

“Peace with honor” Nixon announced a strategy of Vietnamization. Vietnamization: gradually withdrawing troops from Vietnam and hand the fighting to the South Vietnamese. Nixon’s main goal was to get the North Vietnamese back to the bargaining table.

Widening the War Nixon begins secret bombing of Cambodia (a country which borders Vietnam). Nixon wanted to disrupt the North Vietnamese who continued to send troops and supplies down the Ho Chi Minh Trail (a main route the Vietnamese use). Public becomes outraged at the secret bombing. “Pentagon Papers” is published that showed at least 4 Presidents lied to the public.

Questions On the left side of your notebook, write down these questions then answer. Explain why so many Americans opposed the war. Explain how the Vietnam War created divisions in American society. Describe how the war affected American politics at home and abroad.