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The End of the Vietnam War
EQ: What events led to the end of the war?
Tet Offensive 1968
• Communist forces surround and attack Khe Sanh (diversion)
• Coordinated attacks throughout South Vietnam at start of Tet
• Military defeat for North but embarrassment for U.S.
• “I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president.”
Nixon takes office
Richard Nixon wins the 1968 Presidential election
Henry Kissinger & Richard Nixon
VietnamizationThe gradual withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam
South Vietnamese troops would be trained and take a larger role in the war
Nixon wanted to keep pressure on the North Vietnamese while peace talks progressed
America increased its air strikes against the North, Cambodia & Laos
Widening the War
Massacre at My LaiIncident were U.S. soldiers killed around 450 unarmed civilians
Mostly older men, women, and children
This caused many people to criticize the military’s actions
Increasing Protests
• Kent State shootings
• Jackson State College
• Anti-War Movement expands
• Protests turn radical
Pentagon PapersDaniel Ellsberg leaked papers
Government documents that showed that gov’t officials were against the war but publicly supported it
Peace AgreementJanuary 27, 1973 peace is reached and America pulls its remaining troops out of Vietnam
North Vietnam does not have to remove any of its troops
No agreement on what is to happen to South Vietnam
South Vietnam Falls
March 1975, North Vietnamese Army invades South Vietnam
President Gerald Ford wants to help but Congress refuses
Vietnam reunited as a communist country
Wars Impact58,000 Americans dead
300,000 Americans wounded
Over 1.6 million Vietnamese dead
Soldiers unappreciated
War Powers Act passed
Vietnam Memorial
Built in 1982 in Washington D.C.