1. Vietnam War Protests at Home Chapter 12

2. The Great Society  Lyndon B. Johnson working on government programs to make life better for all americans  Medical care for older people  Help with education, housing, and jobs  In 3 years got more programs started than any other president  He led during war and many people thought the war was wrong

3. The Vietnam War  Vietnam was divided into two parts after WWII  North Vietnam – communist  South Vietnam – a republic  Vietnamese communists “Vietcong”  Vietcong, with the help of North Vietnam tried to take over South Vietnam government

4. The Vietnam War  US sent supplies and money to help South Vietnam  US did not defeat Vietcong quickly  Johnson sent planes to bomb North Vietnam and sent more troops  By 1968 more than 500,000 US soldiers were serving there

5. The Vietnam War  This war was costing the US billions of dollars each year  Johnson was pushing his Great Society  US couldn’t afford all of this so had to borrow money  This affected the US economy by creating inflation – more and more money is needed to buy the same goods and services

6. Americans Are Divided  Public Opinion – what people thought  Government was split: hawks – supported war doves – wanted war to end  People began to protest the war because they believed it was wrong and unnecessary  New president: Richard M. Nixon

7. Nixon Resigns  President Nixon tried to end the war with more bombing and more soldiers  He was elected for a second term  Scandal – an action that brings disgrace  Watergate – people working for Nixon during the election broke into Watergate Hotel (Democratic Party)

8. Nixon Resigns  Many people thought Nixon covered this up  1973 Nixon agreed to a cease-fire – an end to the shooting and bombing  1974 Nixon was forced to resign  Gerald Ford became President of US

9. End of Vietnam War  The Vietnam War ended when Americans troops left Vietnam, and the government of South Vietnam surrendered  Large black polished stone wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. lists the more than 58,000 men and women who died or were reported missing during the war

10. The End