Political Divisions During the Vietnam War

Setting the Scene- Two of the sides

Side 1- Increase the war effort to have a military victory.Side 2- This war is morally wrong and we need to withdraw.

What side would you be

on?

Student Activism- The baby boom generation was now graduating from high school. And because of years of prosperity, many will now go to college.

Why all the divisions?

Change was in the air. The conformist 50’s decade led many to rebel. Rock and Roll and movies were influentialYoung Americans were not satisfied with the values of their parents. This is called the generation gap.

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)

The civil rights movement began to move onto college campuses. These students had goals- Port Huron Statement. Led by Tom Hayden (future California senator)

SDS is a small organization at first.Influential in the development of the New Left. These people believed that problems like poverty and racism called for radical changes.

The Free Speech Movement1964- University of California at BerkeleyStudents not allowed to hand out civil rights leaflets. The students think their freedom of speech is being denied. Confrontations began between students and police.

A take-overStudents take over the administration buildingPolice move in and arrest 700 students.Students and some faculty go on strikeStudents realize they have power

2 more thoughts on the War

Side 3- Some students felt the war was American imperialism. Side 4- others felt it was a civil war that should be solved by the Vietnamese.

IRAQ

The Teach-In MovementAnti-war activists used new methods of protest.The teach-in began when faculty members made a statement against the war. Night sessions to talk about the issues. Thousands show up. Later on these sessions would be dominated by anti-war voices.

Draft ResistanceDraft Resistance

The Draft

Since 1951 we can draft men from 18-26Many who refused were conscientious objectors. Refused to fight on moral and religious grounds

Quakers!!

Because of Johnson’s escalation

Draft resistance movement grows larger“Don’t cooperate with your draft board.”People begin to question the morality and fairness of the draft. College students could receive a deferment, official postponement.

How fair is a deferment?

College students could get one. (And these guys had money)Poor students could not get a deferment.

But after complaints

academically low students can be

drafted.

The drafteesMany claimed physical disabilitiesMany tried to become conscientious objectorsEstimated 100,000 flee to Canada

Okay- Review Time4 different views on the war

1. Let’s protect Vietnam- push out Communists or we will also fall

2. The war is morally wrong3. This war is about American

imperialism4. This is a civil war- stay out.

What side would you

have picked?

Because of these divisions…

ProtestsTeach-insDraft ResistanceConscientious ObjectorsWhat is a country to do? Who is going to fight this war for us?

Public Opposition Grows

Continuing protestsMore casualtiesSome high up officials are losing faith in the war effort. The majority of Americans now oppose the war.

News Coverage

The T.V. coverage is immense.Families watch the news every night and see that the war is going badly for us. We fear another stalemate (like Korea)

What is the President going to do?

After the Tet- he rarely went out in public. To many protesters. Eugene McCarthy- anti-war nominee for President gains momentum.

Even more competition

Robert Kennedy will also run for president. Anti-warYounger brother of JFK“even though we must know as a nation what it is necessary to do, we must also feel as men the anguish of what we are doing.”

Johnson will not run

In a television speech Johnson states, “I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term.”

Robert F. Kennedy

While campaigning he is assassinatedWhat was a real possibility for the Democratic Party has now been shot. (Many say he could have been a great president)

The election of 1968The Democratic Party was split (just like everyone else)Democratic National Convention is held in Chicago and the party is falling apart.RFK assassinated in JuneMcCarthy to far out of the mainstreamInstead they nominate V.P. Hubert Humphrey

More on Humphrey

Humphrey has defended LBJ’s policies in VietnamThis will alienate him from the many people who protest the warCan he win?

The Convention BeginsDelegates vote down a peace resolution and are about to nominate Humphrey. Protesters gather for a rally and the police move in. All on T.V.The Democrats have fallen apart

Who will the Republicans pick?

Richard NixonSaid he had a secret plan to end the war in Vietnam.Would not play “dirty politics”. Instead he let his VP, Spiro Agnew do it. Nixon takes the lead in the polls.

One more candidate

Alabama Governor George WallaceLong time Democrat now running for the Independent PartyAppealed to blue-collar workers who were tired of the protests…

So finally the electionRepublican- NixonDemocrat- HumphreyIndependent/Democrat- WallaceThe Democrats are torn apart plus essentially they have 2 nominees. What happens is obvious. The Republicans unite and Nixon wins.

What does the’68 election show us?

The 1960’s are a very unsettling and uncertain time for mainstream America, a group we call Middle America. In this era of confrontation and chaos, Middle America turned to the Republican Party for stability.The conformity of the 50’s is looking pretty good to a lot of older Americans but not the younger generation.

Also in ‘68The counterculture, rejected the customs and ways of life of their eldersWoodstock Music FestivalThey want us to question traditions and try new ways of living.

The Protest Movement in review

The focus is to demand the full withdraw of U.S. forces from Vietnam.

Nixon is in- now what will he do?The country is divided about the war.Protest movement still going strong.Should we deal with Vietnamization?Plus we have the little matter of the Civil Rights Movement going onAnd the Women’s MovementAnd the Environmental MovementThe space race

A decade of change

Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon had their hands full.Most say that this decade doomed every president, there was no way to keep everyone or anyone happy during this political and social chaos.

A quiz will be coming