The Main Goal

• To stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, the United States uses its

• military to support South Vietnam.

France Battles the Vietminh

• • French troops move into Vietnam; French fight, regain cities, South

• • 1950, U.S. begins economic aid to France to stop communism

• North Vietnam was able to send troops to South Vietnam along the Ho Chi Minh Trail

The Tonkin Gulf Resolution

• • Alleged attack in Gulf of Tonkin; LBJ asks for power to repel enemy

• • 1964 Tonkin Gulf Resolution gives him broad military powers

• • 1965 8 Americans killed, LBJ orders sustained bombing of North

• • U.S. combat troops sent to S. Vietnam to battle Vietcong

U.S. Involvement and Escalation

• The United States sends troops to fight in Vietnam, but the war quickly turns into

a stalemate.

The Troop Buildup Accelerates

• • General William Westmoreland—U.S. commander in South Vietnam

• • Thinks southern Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) ineffective

• • Requests increasing numbers; by 1967 500,000 U.S. troops

An Elusive Enemy

• • Vietcong use hit-and-run, ambush tactics, move among civilians

• • Tunnels help withstand airstrikes, launch attacks, connect villages

• • Terrain laced with booby traps, land mines laid by U.S., Vietcong

The Battle for “Hearts and Minds”• • U.S. wants to stop Vietcong from

winning support of rural population• • Weapons for exposing tunnels often

wound civilians, destroy villages• - napalm: gasoline-based bomb that

sets fire to jungle• - Agent Orange: leaf-killing, toxic

chemical• • Search-and-destroy missions move

civilian suspects, destroy property• • Villagers go to cities, refugee camps;

1967, over 3 million refugees

Sinking Morale

• • Guerrilla warfare, jungle conditions, lack of progress lower morale

• • Many soldiers turn to alcohol, drugs; some kill superior officers

• • Government corruption, instability lead S. Vietnam to demonstrate

The Living-Room War

• • Combat footage on nightly TV news shows stark picture of war

• • Critics say credibility gap between administration reports and events

• • Senator J. William Fulbright’s hearings add to doubts about war

A “Manipulatable” Draft

• • Selective Service System, draft, calls men 18–26 to military service

• • Thousands look for ways to avoid the draft

• • Many—mostly white, affluent—get college deferment(they don’t have to go to war)

• • 80% of U.S. soldiers come from lower economic levels

African Americans in Vietnam

• • African Americans serve in disproportionate numbers in ground combat

• • Defense Dept. corrects problem by instituting draft lottery in 1969

• • Racial tensions high in many platoons; add to low troop morale

Women Join the Ranks

• • 10,000 women serve, mostly as military nurses

• • Thousands volunteer: American Red Cross, United Services Organization

From Protest to Resistance

• • Anti-war demonstrations, protests increase, some become violent

• • Some men burn draft cards; some refuse to serve; some flee to Canada

War Divides the Nation

• • Doves strongly oppose war, believe U.S. should withdraw

• • Hawks favor sending greater forces to win the war

• • 1967 majority of Americans support war, consider protesters disloyal

Johnson Remains Determined

• • LBJ continues slow escalation, is criticized by both hawks and doves

• • Combat stalemate leads Defense Secretary McNamara to resign

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

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

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

The Pullout Begins• • New president Richard

Nixon finds negotiations not progressing

• • National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger works on new plan as a top U.S. negotiator in the settlement of the Vietnam conflict.

• • Vietnamization—U.S. troops withdraw, S. Vietnam troops take over

The My Lai Massacre

• • News breaks that a U.S. platoon massacred civilians in My Lai village

• • Lt. William Calley, Jr., in command, is convicted, imprisoned

The Pentagon Papers

• • Nixon invades Cambodia; Congress repeals Tonkin Gulf Resolution

• • “Pentagon Papers” were found that showed plans to enter war under LBJ

• • Confirm belief of many that government not honest about intentions

The Legacy of Vietnam• • Government abolishes military

draft• • 1973 Congress passes War

Powers Act: (restrict power of president)

• - president must inform Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops

• - 90 day maximum deployment without Congressional approval

• • War contributes to cynicism about government, political leaders

Nixon’s New Conservatism

New Federalism• Richard M. Nixon: decrease size

and influence of federal government• New Federalism—give part of

federal power to state, local government (Reduce the size of the government)

• Nixon proposes revenue sharing, which becomes law in 1972:- state, local governments now decide how to spend federal money

The Nixon Administration

NEXT

Continued . . .

Welfare Reform• Family Assistance Plan gives family of four a

base income• Senate liberals, conservatives defeat bill

Confronting a Stagnant Economy

The Causes of Stagflation• Stagflation—combination of high

inflation, high unemployment• Inflation result of LBJ’s deficit

spending on war, social programs• Unemployment from more

international trade, new workers• Rising oil prices, U.S. dependence on

foreign oil add to inflation• Organization of Petroleum

Exporting Countries (OPEC) controls prices

NEXT

Nixon Battles Stagflation• Nixon tries different strategies; none have much

success

Nixon’s Foreign Policy Triumphs

Kissinger and Realpolitik• Henry Kissinger—national

security adviser, later secretary of state

• Realpolitik—foreign policy based on power issues, not ideals, morals

• Realpolitik calls for U.S. to confront powerful nations, ignore weak

• Nixon, Kissinger follow policy of détente—easing Cold War tensions

NEXT

Continued . . .

continued Nixon’s Foreign Policy Triumphs

Nixon Visits China• 1971, Nixon’s visit to China a huge

success; U.S., China agree to:• - cooperate over disputes, have

scientific, cultural exchange• Takes advantage of rift between

China, Soviet Union

NEXT

Nixon Travels to Moscow• 1972, Nixon visits Moscow; he,

Brezhnev sign SALT I Treaty:- Strategic Arms Limitation Talks limit missiles to 1972 levels

• Foreign policy triumphs, expected Vietnam peace help win reelection

President Nixon and His White House

An Imperial Presidency• Depression, WW II, Cold War make executive

most powerful branch• Nixon expands presidential powers, ignores

Congress

Watergate: Nixon’s Downfall

NEXT

The President’s Men• Nixon has small, loyal group of

advisers; like him, desire secrecy- H. R. Haldeman, White House chief of staff- John Ehrlichman, chief domestic adviser- John Mitchell, Nixon’s former attorney general

The Drive Toward Reelection

A Bungled Burglary• Committee to Reelect the President

break into Democratic headquarters at the Watergate complex

• Watergate scandal is administration’s attempt to cover up break-in- destroy documents, try to stop investigation, buy burglars’ silence

• Washington Post reporters link administration to break-in

• White House denies allegations; little public interest in charges

• Nixon reelected by landslide over liberal Democrat George McGovern

NEXT

continued The Cover-Up Unravels

The Saturday Night Massacre• Special prosecutor Archibald Cox

subpoenas tapes; Nixon refuses• Nixon orders Cox fired, attorney

general Elliot Richardson refuses • Saturday Night Massacre:

Richardson resigns; deputy refuses, fired

• Cox’s replacement, Leon Jaworski, also calls for tapes

• Vice President Spiro Agnew resigns, revealed he accepted bribes

• Nixon nominates, Congress confirms Gerald R. Ford as vice-president

NEXT

Nixon Releases the Tapes• March 1974, grand jury indicts 7

presidential aides- charges: conspiracy, obstruction of justice, perjury

• Nixon tells TV audience he is releasing edited transcripts

• July, Supreme Court rules unanimously Nixon must surrender tapes

The Fall of a President

NEXT

Continued . . .

The President Resigns• House Judiciary Committee

approves 3 articles of impeachment - formal accusation of wrongdoing while in office- charges: obstruction of justice, abuse of power, contempt of Congress

• Nixon releases tapes; show knows of administration role, cover up

• Before full House votes on impeachment, Nixon resigns

continued The Fall of a President

NEXT

The Effects of Watergate• 25 members of administration convicted, serve

prison terms

NEXT

Ford Travels a Rough Road

“A Ford, Not a Lincoln”• September 1974, new president

Gerald R. Ford pardons Nixon• Tries to move country past Watergate;

loses much public support

The Ford and Carter Years

Ford Tries to “Whip” Inflation• Unsuccessfully asks public to cut back

use of oil, gas, save energy• Cuts government spending; urges

higher interest to restrict credit • “Tight money” policy triggers recession• Continually battles Democratic

Congress with own economic agenda

NEXT

Mr. Carter Goes to Washington• Jimmy Carter promises to restore

integrity to presidency- defeats Ford by narrow margin

• Has down-to-earth style; holds “fireside chats” on radio, TV

• Does not make deals with Congress; relies on Georgia advisers

• Both parties in Congress join to sink Carter budgets, major reforms

Carter Enters the White House

NEXT

The Camp David Accords• 1978 Carter hosts talks between Anwar el-Sadat,

Menachem Begin• Camp David Accords forge peace between Israel,

Egypt:- Israel withdraws from Sinai Peninsula- Egypt recognizes Israel’s right to exist

Triumph and Crisis in the Middle East

Continued . . .

NEXT

The Iran Hostage Crisis• Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

leads overthrow of shah- establishes Islamic state

• Carter supports shah; allows him entry to U.S. for cancer treatment

• Students seize U.S. embassy, take 52 hostages; demand shah back

• Carter refuses; standoff ensues; intense secret negotiations follow

• Captives released Jan. 1981, shortly after Ronald Reagan sworn in

continued Triumph and Crisis in the Middle East

NEXT

The First Earth Day• Earth Day—celebration highlighting environmental

awareness• First observed 1970 by communities, thousands of

schools, colleges

Environmental Concerns in the 1970s

Continued . . .

The Government Takes Action• Nixon not an environmentalist—

active protector of environment• Signs Clean Air Act, creates

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)- main government arm on environmental issues

• 1970s, Congress passes 35 laws on conservation, clean up