Transcript Section 4 - Cloudfront.net

Standard Addressed:
11.9 Students analyze U.S. foreign policy since
World War II.
Lesson Objectives: Section 4 - 1968: A Tumultuous Year
• 1. Describe the Tet offensive and its effect on the American
public.
• 2. Explain the domestic turbulence of 1968.
• 3. Describe the 1968 presidential election.
Section 4
1968: A Tumultuous Year
An enemy attack in Vietnam, two assassinations,
and a chaotic political convention make 1968 an
explosive year.
NEXT
SECTION
4
1968: A Tumultuous Year
The Tet Offensive Turns the War
A Surprise Attack
• 1968 villagers go to cities to celebrate Tet
(Vietnamese new year)
• Vietcong among crowd attack over 100 towns,
12 U.S. air bases
• Tet offensive lasts 1 month before U.S., S.
Vietnam regain control
• Westmoreland declares attacks are military defeat
for Vietcong
Continued . . .
NEXT
A Surprise Attack: TET OFFENSIVE
• Jan. 30th in the Vietnamese
equivalent to New Years
– During this time, safe travel was
allowed between N and S Vietnam
• Northern Vietnamese sent the
coffins of dead soldiers back to
S Vietnam
– Inside the coffins were the bodies,
but also weapons
– In the month to follow, the
Vietcong would use thee weapons
to take over 100 cities in S Vietnam
• The Vietcong also attack the US
Embassy in Saigon (killing 5
Americans)
• This month long surge would be
called the Tet Offensive
Tet Offensive:
Military Defeat & Propaganda Victory
A Viet Cong guerrilla
awaits interrogation
following his capture in
the attacks on Saigon.
• "In all honesty, we didn't achieve our main
objective, which was to spur uprisings
throughout the South. Still, we inflicted
heavy casualties on the Americans and their
puppets, and this was a big gain for us.
• As for making an impact in the United
States, it had not been our intention—but it
turned out to be a fortunate result".
• Hanoi had in no way anticipated the
political and psychological effect the
offensive would have on the leadership and
population of the U.S.
• When the northern leadership saw how the
U.S. was reacting to the offensive, they
began to propagandize their "victory".
Guided Reading:
CAUSE
The Vietnam War;
The Vietcong’s push
to capture cities in
South Vietnam
EVENTS of 1968
1. Tet Offensive
EFFECTS
A military defeat for
the Vietcong;
a dramatic fall in the
popularity of Johnson
on the war;
Johnson’s decision to
change his Vietnam
policy and not seek
reelection.
SECTION
4
continued The
Tet Offensive Turns the War
Tet Changes Public Opinion
• Before Tet, most Americans hawks; after Tet, hawks,
doves both 40%
• Mainstream media openly criticizes war
• LBJ appoints Clark Clifford as new Secretary of
Defense
• After studying situation, Clifford concludes war is
unwinnable
• LBJ’s popularity drops; 60% disapprove his handling
of the war
NEXT
Tet Changes Public Opinion:
• This offensive
changed public
opinion very
quickly
• The media now
openly criticized the
war
• Clark Clifford
filled McNamara’s
spot as Sec. of Def.
– he also believed
that the war was
unwinnable
• Johnson’s
popularity started to
plummet to record
lows (the media
reinforced this)
SECTION
4
Days of Loss and Rage
Johnson Withdraws
• Senator Eugene McCarthy runs for Democratic
nomination as dove
• Senator Robert Kennedy enters race after LBJ’s
poor showing in NH
• LBJ announces will seek peace talks, will not run
for reelection
NEXT
Johnson Withdraws:
• The Democratic Party was
looking for someone to challenge
Johnson in the 1968 primary and
end the war
• Eugene McCarthy declared that
he would run against Johnson and
end the war
• Johnson decided to drop out of the
race after McCarthy gained
almost as many votes
• Johnson stated
– “The war killed the lady I really
loved – The Great Society”
Guided Reading:
CAUSE
The Tet Offensive;
The unpopularity of
his Vietnam policy;
The growing
popularity of Eugene
McCarthy’s antiwar
message
EVENTS of 1968
2. Johnson’s poor
showing in the
New Hampshire
primary
EFFECTS
Robert Kennedy’s
decision to run for
president;
Johnson’s decision
not to run for
reelection
SECTION
4
Days of Loss and Rage
Violence and Protest Grip the Nation
• Riots rock over 100 cities after Martin Luther
King, Jr. is killed
• Kennedy wins CA primary; is fatally shot for
supporting Israel
• Major demonstrations on over 100 college
campuses
NEXT
Violence and Protest Grip the Nation:
• Civil Rights Leader Martin
Luther King, Jr. was
assassinated at the Lorraine
Motel in Memphis, Tennessee,
on Thursday, April 4, 1968, at
the age of 39.
• James Earl Ray entered a plea
of guilty and was sentenced to
99 years in the Tennessee
State Penitentiary.
• Violent protests and riots
swept the nation in over 100
cities
Guided Reading:
CAUSE
Racism
Hatred
Intolerance
An atmosphere of
violence
EVENTS of 1968
EFFECTS
3. Assassination
Feelings of anger
of Dr. Martin
and despair among
Luther King Jr. his followers;
Violent riots in
more than 100-130
cities
Violence and Protest Grip the Nation:
• The assassination of Robert
Francis "Bobby" Kennedy, a
United States Senator, took place
shortly after midnight on June 5,
1968, in Los Angeles, California,
during the campaign season for
the United States Presidential
election, 1968.
– After winning the California primary
elections for the Democratic
nomination for President of the
United States.
– Sirhan Sirhan, a 24-year-old
Palestinian/Jordanian immigrant,
was convicted and is serving a life
sentence for the crime.
• Many campus protests began to
turn violent
• People were losing control and
the government wasn’t sure just
what to do
Guided Reading:
CAUSE
Hatred;
An atmosphere of
violence in the
country
EVENTS of 1968
4. Assassination
of
Robert Kennedy
EFFECTS
Feelings of despair
and hopelessness
among his
followers
SECTION
4
A Turbulent Race for President
Turmoil in Chicago
• Vice-president Hubert Humphrey wins
Democratic nomination
• Over 10,000 demonstrators go to Chicago
• Mayor Richard J. Daley mobilizes police,
National Guard
• Protesters try to march to convention; police
beat them; rioting
• Delegates to convention bitterly debate
antiwar plank
Continued . . .
NEXT
Turmoil in Chicago:
• The Democratic National Convention was in Chicago in 1968
• Eugene McCarthy and Hubert Humphrey were both pitted against one another
• 10,000 protesters arrived and 12,000 Chicago police and 5,000 National
Guard were sent in
• Before long things got ugly – rioters were sprayed with pepper spray and
beaten with nightsticks
Guided Reading:
CAUSE
Disagreements among
Democrats over
Vietnam;
The presence of 10,000
demonstrators with
differing goals;
Daley’s handling of the
situation;
The poor judgment and
brutality of the
Chicago police
EVENTS of 1968
5. Disorder at the
Democratic
National
Convention
EFFECTS
The negative image of
the Democratic party;
A Republican
presidential victory
SECTION
4
continued
A Turbulent Race for President
Nixon Triumphs
• Nixon works for party for years, wins 1968
Republican nomination
• Campaign promises: restore law and order, end
war in Vietnam
• Governor George Wallace is third-party candidate
• Champions segregation, states’ rights; attracts
protest-weary whites
• Nixon wins presidency
NEXT
Nixon Triumphs:
• In 1968, Richard Nixon
announced his candidacy for
president and won the party’s
nomination
• He campaigned on returning
law and order
• He also promised to end the
war in Vietnam
• He would win the presidency
and eventually create even
more protest and uproar within
the country
Guided Reading:
CAUSE
The negative image of
the Democratic party;
The desire for the
peace, law, and order
that Nixon had
promised;
The entry of Wallace
into the presidential
race
EVENTS of 1968
6. Richard M.
Nixon’s
presidential
election victory
EFFECTS
Republicans control
the White House.
MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
• A – Why American support for the war change
after the Tet offensive?
– The enemy seemed much stronger and more
numerous that Americans had thought.
MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
• B – Why did President Johnson decide not to
run again?
– He believed that seeking a second term would
cause further turmoil and divisiveness within the
Democratic Party.
MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
• C – Why was 1968 characterized as a year of
“lost control” in America?
– Antiwar demonstrations, student takeovers of
universities, and the assassination of two of the
country’s leaders were unprecedented;
– People did not know how to control such events.
MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
• D – What were the reasons protesters
demonstrated in Chicago?
– Some wanted to pressure Democrats to adopt an
antiwar platform,
– others were displeased with Humphrey’s
nomination,
– and Yippies (YIP) came to provoke violence to
discredit the Democratic Party.