The Vietnam Era Chapter 30

John F. Kennedy Chapter 30 Sec. 1

Election of 1960  Kennedy vs. Nixon  Kennedy – young, good looking, war hero, wealthy, political family, wanted change, Catholic, Democrat  Nixon – Vice President, older, wanted to continue with Ikes plans, Republican  Very close race  Kennedy wins

“… ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” - John F. Kennedy (Inauguration Speech)

JFK and Communism  Kennedy increased spending on Nukes, but worked to stop all nuclear testing  Communist armies began using guerilla warfare – small armies using ambush tactics  Flexible Response – US plan to combat guerilla warfare – Green Berets  Created Peace Corp to help countries in need

Bay of Pigs  Plan to overthrow Fidel Castro  Using armies of Cuban exiles – people forced from their homes  April 17, 1961 – troops land in southern Cuba  Exiles quickly defeated - embarrassing

The Berlin Wall  Continued disputes in East and West Germany as well as Berlin  Khrushchev & Kennedy discuss problems – Berlin major issue  US troops to Berlin  Khrushchev closes border between East and West Berlin  Berlin Wall is built

Cuban Missile Crisis  Oct – US spy plane finds Soviets building nuclear launch sites in Cuba  Massive fear of attack in US  US blockade of Cuba until missiles removed  close off  US and Soviet ships have close encounter  The world sits and waits

Missile Crisis Resolved  Agreement made between US and Soviets  Soviets remove nukes and launch sites  No US invasion of Cuba  2 new advancements 1.Hot Line – direct phone line from Washington D.C to Moscow 2.No nuclear testing

Space Race Continues  Yuri Gagarin – 1 st man to orbit the Earth,  Alan Shepard – 1 st American in space  John Glen – 1 st American to orbit the Earth  July 20, 1969 – Apollo 11 landed on the moon  Neil Armstrong – 1 st man on the moon

“One small step for man, one giant leap for man kind”

War in Vietnam Chapter 30 Section 2

Origins of War  Ho Chi Minh and Communist army win independence from France  Geneva Accords  Split Vietnam north/south  North communist – South Free (United States)  Ngo Dinh Diem took control of South in ’55  Anti-Communist  Anti-Buddhist – Pro-Catholic

Monks protesting the harsh treatment of Buddhists under Diem

Origins of War continued…  Communists in the south organize and form the Vietcong  US had big fear of the Domino Theory – one country falls many will follow  Kennedy sends troops to help the south  Nov. 1, 1963 the South Vietnamese army staged a coup – overthrow the government  Assassinated Diem

Conflict Continues  President Lyndon B. Johnson takes over after the death of JFK  Sec. of Defense Robert McNamara  “I don’t think it’s worth fighting for, but I don’t think we can get out.”  US ships attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin  LBJ now has a good reason to fight  US involvement begins to escalate – gradually increase  180,000 in ’65 to 500,000 in ‘67

Combat in Vietnam  Guerilla Warfare – jungles, tunnels, trails  Ho Chi Minh Trail – main supply route  The US began search – and – destroy missions – find the enemy and wipe them out  Backed by jets and helicopters  Napalm – liquid fire  Agent Orange – herbicide - chemical warfare  North Vietnamese/Vietcong frustrated the US by constantly out numbering them  Pres. Johnson – “Can we win this war?”

Reaction to the War Chapter 20 Section 3

Generation Gap  A fight between young and old over the Vietnam War  Counterculture – a movement that rejected traditional values  Long hair, torn blue jeans, Rock N’ Roll

The Draft  All men must register at 18 years old  Some believed if you stop the draft you can stop the war  Protests of burning draft cards  Congress made it illegal  Draft Dodgers

Doves vs. Hawks  Doves – anti-war  Hawks – pro-war  The debate moved to congress  “Is this war a mistake?”  Anti-War movement quickly grows  In 1967, 50,000 march on Washington

1968: Year of Crises Chapter 30 Section 4

Attack on American Ships  Jan. 23, 1968 USS Pueblo, a US spy ship and its crew are captured by North Vietnam  This attack shocked America  “A US boat had been defeated”

The Tet Offensive  Jan 31, 1968 (Vietnamese New Year - Tet) the North Vietnamese and Vietcong launched a massive offensive attack  targeted southern bases and major cities (Saigon)  Vietcong drove deep into southern territory  America launched a strong counter attack and was able to push the Vietcong north  Major turning point in the war

Response in America  After Tet, Americans began to lose faith  The Gov’t developed a credibility gap – fewer people trusted their statements  Johnson ordered reevaluation of the war  “new step towards peace”  Bombings stopped

Election of 1968  Johnson will not seek reelection  Democrats: Robert Kennedy, Hubert H. Humphrey, Eugene McCarthy  Kennedy Assassinated, Humphrey won nomination  Republican: Richard Nixon  Law and Order: George Wallace  Nixon wins a close race

Nixon and Vietnam Chapter 30 Section 5

Nixon’s New Plan  “Peace with Honor” 1.Draft Reform 2.Vietnamization – South Vietnamese army would take over more of the fighting 3.More bombing in Cambodia and Laos  Kept a secret to the American People

New Issues in Cambodia  Civil War breaks out between communists and anti-communists  Nixon steps in and attacks Communist bases  Highly unpopular with Americans  Nixon is overstepping his authority

Protests  Kent State  Student burned down a military building  Governor called for martial law – emergency military rule  3,000 armed troops – riot control  17 students shot – 4 killed, “Reasons that are unclear”  Jackson state – police shot and killed 2  America stunned, many colleges shut down

“Peace is at Hand”  Removal of over 450,000 US troops  1 st peace talks failed  South Vietnamese president did not want Northern troops in his country  Nixon reelected  One final round of bombings  Jan. 27, 1973 – Peace Treaty signed

North Vietnam Continues  North Vietnamese army does not stop  Saigon fell on April 20, 1975  Communism takes over Vietnam

Legacy of the War  1.4 million Vietnamese died  58,000 Americans died – 300,000 wounded  2.7 million served  No hero’s welcome  Many MIA’s (Missing in Action) – never found  Vietnam War Memorial