Vietnam Divides the Nation Chapter 30 Section 3

A Gap in Credibility As the Vietnam War drug on public support b/g to drop Suspicion about the govt. truthfulness was a significant reason US generals continued to report that the Vietcong were on the brink of defeat Contradicting reports were less optimistic, especially on TV The Vietnam war was the first “television war” w/ footage from combat appearing nightly

A Gap in Credibility Millions of people saw images of wounded and dead Americans They b/g to doubt the govt. reports A credibility gap developed Credibility gap – it was hard to b/l what LBJ’s administration said about the war

Teach-In’s As casualties mounted in Vietnam many people b/g to protest against the war They demanded the US pull out of Vietnam March 1965 – a group of faculty members and students at the University of Michigan abandoned their classes and joined together in a tech-in Teach-in – informal discussion of the issues surrounding the war and reaffirm their reasons for opposing it

An Unfair Draft? Young protestors focused on what they b/l to be an unfair draft system A college student was often able to defer military service until after graduation Therefore, young people from low income families were more likely to be sent to Vietnam b/c they were unable to afford college Minorities, especially blacks, made up a disproportionately large number of the soldiers in Vietnam

Dodging the Draft As the war escalated, US officials increased the draft call, putting many college students at risk An estimated 500,000 draftees refused to go Many burned their draft cards Some simply did not report when called Some fled the country (moving to Canada, Sweden, etc) Others stayed and went to prison rather than fight in a war they opposed

Go Fight, Can’t Vote? Anger over the draft also fueled discussion of the voting age Many draftees argued that if they were old enough to fight, they were old enough to vote 1971 – the 26th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified Gave all citizens age 18 and older the right to vote in all state and federal elections

Hawks and Doves 1968 the nation was divided into two categories Doves - wanted the US to w/draw from Vietnam Hawks – insisted the US stay and fight

The Tet Offensive January 30, 1968 – The Tet Offensive Tet is the Vietnamese New Year The Vietcong and N. Vietnamese launched a massive surprise attack Guerrilla fighters attacked virtually all American airbases in S. Vietnam and most of the South’s major cities The Vietcong even blasted their way into the American embassy in Saigon

The Tet Offensive Militarily, Tet turned out to be a disaster for the Vietcong After a month of fighting, the US and S. Vietnamese soldiers repelled the Vietcong inflicting heavy losses on them

The Tet Offensive Politically, the Vietcong had scored a major victory The American people were shocked an enemy supposedly on the verge of defeat could launch such a large-scale attack When more troops were asked to go to Vietnam it seemed to be an admission that the US could not win the war

Mass Media Mainstream media had tried to remain balanced in their war coverage, but after Tet they openly criticized the war effort Public opinion no longer favored the president LBJ and his administration’s credibility was now too far gone to repair

Johnson Leaves Office March 31, 1968 – Johnson addressed the public on TV LBJ stunned viewers by stating “…I shall not seek, and will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President.” Bobby Kennedy announced he would be running for the Democratic nomination for president

Assassinations April 1968 – James Earl Ray kills Martin Luther King, Jr. June 1968 – Bobby Kennedy is assassinated All of the violence, protests, and assassinations benefitted Richard Nixon

1968 Election Richard M. Nixon… Governor George Wallace… Republican nominee for president Governor George Wallace… Independent running for the presidency Hubert Humphrey… Democratic nominee for president Nixon wins the presidency