Vietnam War @ Home

Phosphorous & Napalm Bombs “Operation Rolling Thunder” was backed up by phosphorous and napalm bombs – the latter causing dreadful burns to thousand of innocent civilians.

The War in America The Vietnam War had a major impact on everyday life in America, and the Johnson administration was forced to consider domestic consequences of its decisions daily. Since there were not enough volunteers to continue to fight a protracted war, the government instituted a draft.

Protests Before 1966 Before 1966, vocal opposition to the Vietnam War came mainly from college students, pacifists, and a few radical groups. Most Americans considered those protesters troublemakers.

Television’s Role in Perception The television continued to play an important role in how Americans perceived the war. At first, news reports described U.S. successes and told upbeat stories about the courage and skill of American soldiers.

Television’s Role in Perception As the war continued, television reports began to show more scenes of violence, suffering, and destruction from the war.

Hawks & Doves Public opinion polls showed that by 1967 the American public was about evenly divided on the war. The views of hawks and doves were pulling the nation in two directions.

Hawks & Doves Hawks believed in the containment doctrine. They argued that the war was morally correct and could be won by giving the military a free hand to expand the fighting.

Hawks & Doves Doves regarded U.S. actions as immoral and futile. In their view, the war was a civil conflict in which the United States had no right to interfere. They wanted LBJ to seek peace.

Anti-War Sentiments As the deaths mounted and Americans continued to leave for Southeast Asia, the Johnson administration was met with the full weight of American anti-war sentiments.

Anti-War Protests Protests erupted on college campuses and in major cities at first, but by 1968 every corner of the country seemed to have felt the war's impact.

Costs of War During 1968, the government spent $30 billion on the war. This huge expense led to increased inflation and higher taxes for the American people.

1968 Democratic Convention One of the most famous incidents in the anti-war movement was the police riot in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Hundreds of thousands of people came to Chicago in August 1968 to protest American intervention in Vietnam and the leaders of the Democratic Party who continued to prosecute the war.

Watching War LIVE Television networks now focused most of their news coverage on the war. Viewers saw graphic images of combat and rows of body bags containing dead U.S. soldiers.

LIVE!

The Tet Offensive By 1968, things had gone from bad to worse for the Johnson administration. In late January, North Vietnam and the NLF launched coordinated attacks against major southern cities. These attacks, known as the Tet Offensive, were designed to force the Johnson administration to the bargaining table.

The Tet Offensive On their TV screens, Americans saw enemy soldiers inside the walls of the U.S. embassy. They saw U.S. bases under attack. No amount of positive spin from the administration could persuade reporters or the public that this was a U.S. victory.

Tet Offensive

The My Lai Massacre A serious blow to U.S. credibility came with the exposure of the My Lai massacre (March 1968). Hushed up at the time and only discovered by a tenacious journalist, this involved the killing of 400 men, women and children by US troops. 

Campus Protests & Shootings The intense bombing campaigns and intervention in Cambodia in late April 1970 sparked intense campus protests all across America.

Kent State At Kent State in Ohio, four students were killed by National Guardsmen who were called out to preserve order on campus after days of anti-Nixon protest.

Jackson State Shock waves crossed the nation as students at Jackson State in Mississippi were also shot and killed for political reasons, prompting one mother to cry, "They are killing our babies in Vietnam and in our own backyard."

LOST hope

26th Amendment Other young men between 18 and 21 complained that they could be sent off to fight even though they had no right to vote against the war. Congress took their complaint seriously. In 1971, it passed the 26th Amendment to the Constitution, which lowered the voting age to 18.

Why Did the United States Lose the Vietnam War? They underestimated the tenacity and organization of the North Vietnamese and the National Liberation Front.  

Despite dropping more tonnage of high explosive on Vietnam than the whole of World War II, the Americans could not stop the movement of troops or supplies to the south along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.  

The North Vietnamese conducted a “Peoples war” in which everyone played a part.

At first, most Americans supported the war At first, most Americans supported the war. But by 1970, the Peace Movement had support from all parts of society and no government could ignore it.

After 1969, there were deep questions about the efficiency of US troops. There was a serious drug problem; desertion rates were high and morale low. Many troops were “time-servers,” i.e., counted the days until the tour was over.

The US never really understood the culture of the Vietnamese people The US never really understood the culture of the Vietnamese people. Coca Cola, chewing gum, ball point pens, and ice cream cones could not dislodge their ancient beliefs.

America was not prepared to keep losing high numbers of casualties for such limited progress in a difficult jungle war, for which they were not suited.  

The strength and resourcefulness of the NLF The strength and resourcefulness of the NLF. For example, the highly complex Cu Chi tunnel system the U.S. never shut down.