The Vietnam War 1968 - 1973

A Nation Divided As the war dragged on, Americans increasingly became divided into Hawks and Doves Hawks supported the war, Doves believed it was morally wrong and could not be won Doves began to organize protests, sit ins and marches against the war During Vietnam about 1.8 million soldiers were drafted vs. enlisting. As opposition to the war rose so did opposition to the draft Conscientious objectors were people who refused to fight in the war over moral obligations Television brought the sights and sounds of battle into American living rooms. The graphic images shocked and sometimes sickened viewers. One theory is that the steady diet of blood and horror on TV helped turn Americans against the war

The War Begins to End The war played a heavy role in the election of 1968. Heavily criticized for escalating the war, Johnson decides not to run again Anti-war protests plagued the nation and interrupted political conventions, some even had to have police and national guard get involved Promising to re-establish law and order, POTUS Nixon won the election knowing that most Americans do not support the war, he begins to look for a way out of the war that promised “peace with honor”

Vietnamization & Protests Nixon begins to scale back American troops in Vietnam in June of 1969 By Aug, 25000 troops return, by April of 70 – 150,000 troops have returned home Nixon refers to his policy of lowering the number of US troops and handing the war over to the South Vietnamese military as “Vietnamization” During this time, Nixon also secretly starts to bomb Cambodia and Laos to stop the VC and NVA from moving along the Ho Chi Minh Trail With the new bombing tactic in Cambodia came a new round of protests in America, the most notably was the protest at Kent State University which resulted in the death of American protesters During this time, peace talks begin in Paris between America and North Vietnam, USA asks for all Communist troops out of SV, North Vietnam asks to have a communist government in SV, the talks stall By 1972, only 60,000 troops remain in Vietnam

The Final Years of the War In 1970, Nixon sends Henry Kissinger to secretly negotiate a surrender with North Vietnam In 1972, Kissinger announces that a peace deal has been agreed upon, South Vietnam had never been consulted on these talks and declines the peace deal, war raged on and Nixon now orders the bombing of North Vietnam After 12 days of heavy bombings, the North Vietnamese agree to end the war by January of 1973 The last Americans leave by March and the longest war in American history is over Against the peace deal, North Vietnam invades South Vietnam again in 1974, by 1975 they control most of the cities, by April of 75 the capital Saigon falls