1. The War’s End and Impact Chapter 16, Section 4

2. Nixon Starts the Pullout ●Peace talks began in 1968, but couldn’t come to an agreement ●Vietnamization: Nixon’s plan for gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces as South Vietnamese troops assumed more combat duties o Even though commitment of ground forces scaled back after 1968, more bombs were dropped in North Vietnam and along the Ho Chi Minh Trail

3. Troubles on the Home Front Intensify ●Nixon, frustrated with negotiations, decided to attack North Vietnamese forces in Cambodia “If, when the chips are down, the world’s most powerful nation, the United States of America, acts like a pitiful, helpless giant, the forces of totalitarianism and anarchy will threaten free nations … throughout the world.” -President Nixon, 1970

5. ●College campuses erupted into protests ●Students at Kent State University in Ohio threw rocks and bottles at the National Guard. o One guardsman thought he heard a sniper’s shot and fired his rifle, inciting more guardsmen to shoot  Four students were killed

6. "Ohio"

7. o Led to more demonstrations at colleges  Jackson State University in Mississippi witnessed two more students who were killed ●African American university - not as much publicity

9. ●Demonstrations in support of Nixon as well “I’m very proud to be an American, and I know my boy that was killed in Vietnam would be here today if he was alive, marching with us… I know he died for the right cause, because in his letters he wrote to me he knew what he was fighting for: to keep America free …” -Robert Geary, May 1970

10. ●March 1968: American troops searching for enemy troops in an area with strong Vietcong presence - My Lai o Many American soldiers killed by Vietcong dressed as civilians o Lieutenant William Calley’s unit began shooting and killing unarmed civilians (400-500 civilians)  Not all soldiers participated  Inadequate military investigation

11. o Life magazine published photos from the massacre  Shocked many Americans and fueled anti-war protests  1971: Lt. Calley convicted for his role in the My Lai Massacre

12. ●Pentagon Papers: classified U.S. government study that revealed American leaders intentionally involved the United States in Vietnam without fully informing the American people o Leaked to the New York Times in 1971

13. The War Finally Ends ●Nixon wins re-election in 1972 ●January 1973: Paris Peace Accords o agreement between the U.S., North and South Vietnam, and the Vietcong that effectively ended the Vietnam War  cease-fire, U.S. withdrawal, North Vietnamese troops would remain in South Vietnam, Vietcong would be a legitimate political party and exchange of POWs ●neither side honored the cease-fire ●Spring 1975: Saigon falls and Vietnam is unified

14. The Vietnam War Has A Lasting Effect ●More than 58,000 died and 300,000 injured ●Communist parties controlled Laos and Cambodia o Vietnam and Laos are STILL communist countries today ●Nation never fully expressed its appreciation to returning veterans

16. Vietnam Veterans Parade New York City 1985

17. ●War Powers Act: 1973 law passed by Congress restricting the president’s war-making powers o President must consult Congress within 48 hours of committing American forces to a foreign conflict ●Less funding for Johnson’s Great Society ●Made Americans more suspicious of foreign commitments o fear of “another Vietnam”

18. Review - What happened at My Lai? What was the ultimate effect of the withdrawal of American troops? What effect did the Vietnam War have on the power of the President?