US Involvement and Escalation

Section 30*2pp. 942-947

LBJ Increased US Involvement

• LBJ sends troops to Vietnam in 1965

• Gen. Westmoreland asks for more troops– S. Vietnamese army was weak and

corrupt– 1967: 500,000 troops in Vietnam

Fighting in the Jungle

• An Elusive Enemy – Vietcong guerilla tactics– Elaborate tunnels– Booby-trapped terrain– Jungle conditions

Fighting in the Jungle• War of Attrition – Goal: Wear out

the enemy – Vietcong

remained determined • Aided by USSR and

China• Fighting to

preserve way of life

Fighting in the Jungle• Peasants Don’t

Support U.S. – Napalm – Agent Orange– Search-and-destroy

missions

Fighting in the Jungle

• Sinking Morale– Frustrated by • Guerilla warfare• Jungle conditions• Stalemate

– Began to self-medicate

The Early War at Home

• The Great Society Suffers–War costs led to inflation and tax

increase– $6b reduction in Great Society programs

• Living-Room War– Daily reports of events and body count – LBJ’s credibility questioned

A Nation Divided

Section 30*3pp. 948-953

The Working Class War

• The Draft –Most Vietnam soldiers were drafted –Many tried to manipulate the system • Medical Excuses• Joined Coast Guard or National Guard• College Deferment

– 80% of soldiers from lower economic class

The Working Class War • African Americans

in Vietnam – Disproportionately

used as ground troops

– MLK: “Cruel Irony”– Racism presents

challenge in platoons

The Roots of Opposition

• The New Left– Growing youth movement of 1960’s– Called for changes in American society – Students for a Democratic Society – Free Speech Movement

Protest Movement Emerges

• Doves Oppose the War– Change in college deferments causes

SDS to call for civil disobedience – Criticisms of War• It was a civil war• It drained US strength• It was immoral

Protest Movement Emerges

• From Protest to Resistance – 200,000 draft violations during war • 4,000 imprisoned• 10,000 flee to Canada

Protest Movement Emerges

• War Divides the Nation – In 1967, a majority of Americans

remained committed to the war– 70% thought protests were disloyal

Protest Movement Emerges

• LBJ Remains Determined – Continued policy of slow escalation