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The Vietnam Era: Turmoil, Protests, and the Shift in American Society

The Vietnam Era was marked by significant events and profound social changes. The killing of unarmed students at Kent State and Jackson State ignited protests against the war and systemic racism, leading to heightened tensions in the U.S. The conflict, driven by policies rooted in the Domino Theory, escalated through incidents like the Tonkin Gulf and Operation Rolling Thunder. Social consequences for American soldiers, civil rights activism, and identity politics brought both divisions and unity among various groups. The era culminated in Nixon's policies, the invasion of Cambodia, and evolving public sentiment surrounding the war and civil rights.

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The Vietnam Era: Turmoil, Protests, and the Shift in American Society

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  1. The Vietnam Era Kent State—buried Constitution, burned ROTC building: National Guard opens fire; four dead, nine wounded Jackson State—again, unarmed students (this time, at black school) fired upon; two dead, dozen wounded

  2. The Road to Vietnam • Ho Chi Minh—nationalistic, independent, communist: wary of China, France, U.S. • Ngo Dinh Diem—Eisenhower’s choice over free elections; Vietcong, Buddhists rise up • The domino theory—if one falls, all fall • Tonkin Gulf incident—skirmishes, deception provide pretext for “all necessary measures”: “blank check” • Escalation—full bore or get out • Air strikes—Operation Rolling Thunder aimed at North: failure—why? North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh. A Buddhist monk sacrifices himself to protest against the South Vietnamese Catholic-dominated government of Ngo Dinh Diem.

  3. Social Consequences of the War American “grunts” (avg. age, 19) in Vietnam. • Body counts—only way to keep score, territory irrelevant—why? • Technology and its limits —overwhelming supplies, napalm, white phosphorus, cluster bombs, Agent Orange: “destroying in order to save”; more bombs than WWII • Hawks and doves • McNamara loses faith–no “light at the end of the tunnel” • Inflation—massive war, Great Society spending Johnson and McNamara agonize over the War.

  4. The Unraveling • Stalemate—intelligence nightmare, Tet creates “credibility gap” in U.S. public opinion • My Lai—body count gone wild: tip of iceberg? • “Clean for Gene”—hippies got haircuts in supporting McCarthy for N.H. defeat/victory: RFK jumps in, too • LBJ withdraws– “I shall not seek, and I will not accept…” Summary execution of a Viet Cong by South Vietnamese officer during Tet Offensive.

  5. The King/Kennedy assassinations —shocking events in turbulent times: much of the strength of liberal tradition gunned down with them • Revolutionary clashes worldwide —Chicago one of many student uprisings worldwide in 1968 Aides point out the direction of the fatal gunshot that struck down Martin Luther King; a busboy tries to help the fatally wounded RFK in a Los Angeles hotel. Chicago Police clash with protesters who chanted “The whole world’s watching” during demonstrations at the 1968 Democratic convention.

  6. Nixon’s “silent majority”—hard-working, non-protesting • The election of 1968—Vietnam, civil rights, Wallace overwhelm Humphrey End of Reading

  7. Henry Kissinger Nixon’s War • Henry Kissinger—Nixon’s foreign policy man: end the war 1st priority • Invading Cambodia—escalating again to put hurting on North, give South time; disillusionment at home • Nixon Doctrine—U.S. can’t do it all: others should share burden; “détente” to deal with Soviets • SALT I—no new antiballistic systems and limits on deployed missiles Nixon announcing the invasion of Cambodia on national television.

  8. The New Identity Politics • Separate Identities vs. assimilation—African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans, feminists, gays • Puerto Ricans and Cubans—alienated island people • Cesar Chavez and the UFW —nonviolence, marches, consumer boycotts • Chicano activists—Latino militants: culture dismissed, labor exploited, advancement denied • La Raza Unida—paramilitary “Brown Berets” demanding concessions from government Cesar Chavez, leader of the United Farm Workers, mustering support for a boycott of table grapes.

  9. Termination—push Native Americans off tribal lands • American Indian Movement —like other groups, Native Americans turned to social activism; Alcatraz • Wounded Knee—lack of unity and support led to abandonment of takeover Russell Means and Dennis Banks, leaders of AIM, the American Indian Movement; Banks talks to reporters.

  10. Stonewall incident —Homosexuals fight back; American Psychiatric Association revision in ’74 • The Feminine Mystique —“problem that has no name”: lack of growth and fulfillment • NOW—“systemic discrimination” makes “sexism” rank with racism • Women divided—ERA and abortion Betty Friedan, author of the The Feminine Mystique. A NOW logo; and Gloria Steinem, founder of Ms. magazine.

  11. The End of an Era • Paris peace treaty—“Peace with honor”: provide aid to North Vietnamese, send soldiers back (secret pledge) if needed • Vietnam and the cold war—realization: limits to what U.S. could do both at home and abroad

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