Transcript A Nation Occupied by Confusion

The War Winds Down
USII.20
Lesson #4
Class Objectives
 By the end of class, you will be able to…
 Define Vietnamization.
 Summarize the My Lai Massacre and Pentagon
Papers.
 Differentiate “hawks” and “doves.”
 Explain American frustration with the Vietnam War
and explain what happened at the Kent State
protests.
 Explain what happened after peace was finally
agreed upon.
 List the long term effects from the Vietnam War.
 Define the purpose of the War Powers Act.
The Nixon Presidency
 Nixon relied on adviser
Henry Kissinger for his
foreign affairs.
 Kissinger began a policy of
linkage where he would try
and improve relations with
the USSR and China to
convince them to reduce
their aid to North Vietnam
 He also negotiated with
North Vietnam to try and
end the war
Vietnamization
 Vietnamization was the plan to gradually
reduce American troops and allow the South
Vietnamese to do more of the fighting.
 Nixon asserted that this was not a form of
surrender.
 He wanted to maintain a strong American
presence through air raids to make sure the U.S.
had power when bargaining with the North
Vietnamese.
Massacre at My Lai
 In November 1969, Americans learned of a horrifying
event that happened in the spring of 1968 in the small
Vietnamese village of My Lai.
 Under the command of William Calley, American
troops massacred over 200 old men, women, and
children.
 Calley eventually went to prison for his role in the
killings.
 While most American soldiers served honorably, this
event tarnished the image of the soldiers fighting in
Vietnam in the eyes of the public.
Hawks and Doves
 The country was divided by people who supported
and opposed the Vietnam War.
 Hawks supported the morality of the war.
 Doves opposed the morality of the war.
 These terms are still used today to describe those
who support/oppose wars in the U.S.
The Invasion of Cambodia
 In April 1970, Nixon announced that American forces
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attacked Cambodia to destroy Vietcong bases.
This sparked many protests at colleges across the
nation.
At Kent State University, on May 4, 1970, Ohio
National Guard soldiers, armed with tear gas and
rifles, fired on demonstrators without an order to do
so.
Four students died and nine other were wounded.
Two days later police killed two African Americans at
Jackson State College in Mississippi over the same
issues.
The Pentagon Papers
 In December 1970, Congress repealed the Gulf of Tonkin
Resolution because Nixon would not inform them of his
actions in Vietnam (gave the president too much power).
 In 1971, the Pentagon Papers were leaked to the New
York Times which said that during the Johnson presidency,
many of his advisors privately questioned the war while
publicly supporting it.
 The documents also detailed decisions that the president
made without consulting Congress showing how Congress
could be deceived.
 This confirmed that the government had not been honest
with the American people.
The United States Pulls Out
 By 1971, 2/3 of Americans wanted out of Vietnam.
 On January 27, 1973, both sides agreed to end the war
and restore peace in Vietnam.
 The United States promised to withdraw all troops,
and both sides agreed to exchange prisoners of war.
 After 8 years (America’s longest war) the nation ended
its direct involvement in Vietnam.
South Vietnam Falls
 The last American troops had barely pulled out when
the North Vietnamese launched a full-scale war against
the South.
 Nixon promised S. Vietnam that the U.S. would “respond
with full force” if N. Vietnam violated the peace
agreement.
 With Nixon resigning due to the Watergate Scandal,
Gerald Ford asked for money to aid the South but
Congress refused.
 On April 30, the North captured the Southern city of
Saigon and renamed it Ho Chi Minh City.
The War’s Human Toll
 The United States paid over $170 billion in direct costs for
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this war.
About 58,000 Americans died during the war.
About 300,000 were injured.
Between South and North Vietnam, about 1,000,000
soldiers died during the war.
When American soldiers returned home many had a
difficult time dealing with the psychological effects from
the war (PTSD).
Many wanted to forget the war, which lead to many people
not recognizing the efforts and sacrifices made by the
troops.
POW’s
 Many families were distraught over the classification of
their family members as prisoners of war (POW’s)
or missing in action (MIA).
 Many families thought that the government had not
told the truth about these troops.
 In 1982, the nation dedicated the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial in Washington D.C., a large black stone
wall with the names of all those who died during the
war.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The War’s Impact on the Nation
 In 1973, Congress passed the War Powers Act,
which required the President to inform Congress
of any commitment of troops within 48 hours and
to withdraw them within 60 – 90 days unless
Congress approved the troop commitment.
 Reestablished some limits on executive power
 The war led some Americans to adopt a return of
isolationism.
 The war (and the Watergate scandal) increased
Americans’ cynicism and distrust of the
government.