Johnson and The Great Society

Ch. 24 section 3

Quick Recap

Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

After the close destruction during the Cuban missile crisis both sides decide to start consider the Nuclear crisis.

The U.S. and the U.S.S.R. sign the nuclear test ban treaty: Which stopped the testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere.

The Kennedy Era Ends

Shortly after the passage of the test ban treaty Kennedy and his wife were visiting Dallas Texas.

As the motorcade was moved down the street President Kennedy was shot once in the throat and head

The believed gunman was Lee Harvey OswaldOswald would later be killed in

police custody

Johnson and the Great Society

• Johnson set out to finish manyprograms Kennedy started

1. The civil rights bills was the first

2. Anti poverty program was thesecond

That Sothern Style

• Earned a reputation of a man who gets things done• He often times used aggressive tactics

War of Poverty• Johnson had seen poverty first hand being a teacher in a

poor area

• Late 1964 Johnson passed the Economic opportunity act.

This bill went after what was believed to be the cause of poverty.

1. Inadequate public services, 2. illiteracy, 3. unemployment.

Would lead to the establishment of VISTA: Put people with skills to work in impoverished areas.

War on Poverty

Great Society• Johnson achieved civil rights and voting rights

• During his campaign on society Johnson initiated 60 programs

The most significant are:1. Medicare & Medicaid, which provides health care for

senior citizens2. Educational programs like Head start and Upward

Bound targeted poor children provided equal education3. Government Housing programs like HUD, Housing and

urban development

Civil Unrest/ Vietnam WarCh. 26

Ho Chi Minh

• Ho chi minh moved to England at age 21 and pushed for the freedom of Vietnam during the Versailles conference.

• When this failed he found an alliance with the soviet union, returned to Vietnam he founded the first communist party in indo china

• Minh’s group grew until it became the Vietminh which united both people of communist and non-communist beliefs.

US aids in Vietnam dilemmaAfter WWII, French sought to regain colonial control in

South Asia

The French turned for support from AmericaPresident Truman authorized military aid & Eisenhower

continued defended this with the Domino Theory

Domino Theory: idea that Vietnam fell to communism, like a domino the rest of Southeast Asia would fall

Dien Bien Phu

• Despite US aid, French forces struggled against the Vietminh

• French troops were being plagued by guerrilla forces: troops that blend in civilian population

• French troops took over Dien Bien Phu in order to cut ff supply lines, but Vietminh forces defeated French forced them out of the region

Geneva accords• Negotiations to end conflict were held, Geneva

Switzerland• Divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel

1. Ho Chi Minh & Vietminh in the North2. Pro-Western South, US put Ngo Dinh Diem as president

• US supported Diem refusing elections, fearing Minh would win

• US continued aid in South and became #1 protectorate of South Vietnam

Vietnam DilemmaNgo Dinh Diem refused to hold elections and cracked

down on South Vietnamese communist groups, called Vietcong

Vietcong groups continued to increase due to the corruption of Diem despite US aid & support

Vietcong used terror, and assassinated many government officials and established control over much of the countryside

Vietnam Dilemma• Vietnam during the Kennedy era Vietnam fell

into political upheaval.• More and more South Vietnamese people

began to resent Diem policies• Diem discriminated against Buddhism, the

leading religion in the country• World watched in horror as a Buddhist monk lit himself on fire in protest

Vietnam Dilemma• Diem’s became so His own general plotted to

over throw him

• Generals launched a military coup, seized power, killed Diem shortly after

• This was unpopular for many South Vietnamese and the Government became weak and dependent on the US

The Gulf of Tolkien ResolutionAugust 2, 1964 the Maddox was sunk by

torpedoes. The ship was gathering information off the coast of North Vietnam.

US investigated the issue resulting in airstrikes on North Vietnamese navy facilities.

Leads to congress to passing the Gulf and Tolkien resolution which authorized Johnson to “take all necessary measures to repel armed attacks on U.S. forces prevent future aggression.”

The early days of War

Shortly after the Tonkin Resolution, Vietcong began attack bases where US advisors were stationed

The original plan was to use bombing and troop movements to cut off supplies to North Vietnamese rebels.

1965 Johnson expands war, with massive bombing campaign called Operation Rolling Thunder

Soon after the first combat troops were sent to fight along side South Vietnamese soldiers against Vietcong

BloodyStalemate

Vietcong used ambushes, booby traps, Guerrilla tactics, to frustrate and elude US forces

Vietcong would hit and vanish into the population“It’s a war where nothing seemed certain and no where seemed safe” Journalist Linda Martin

Vietcong, also hid into thick jungle or tunnels, so US used napalm, jellied gasoline that exploded on contact & agent orange, chemical that strips leaves from trees & shrubs, turning farmland and Forests into wastelands

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6wM9Aiy_kY

Bloody StalemateThe main supply line was known as the Ho-Chi-

Minh trail. That ran through Laos and Cambodia.

The U.S. bombed this area constantly but would not invade into other countries, so did little good

In the south the search and destroy programs of General Westmorland were no better, as the Vietcong were supported by the North Vietnamese.

A quick decisive victory was looked grim and citizens back home began to question the US involvement

Cultural push back

Even though Westmoreland proclaimed victory was at hand, US citizens saw a different story on their Televisions. (this was the 1st Televised war)

credibility gap developed: it was hard to believe what the Johnson administration was saying about the war

The war became a growing movement for youth protest.

Cultural push back

Across the country starting college campuses students began to speak out against the war. Starting at Berkeley.

Young Americans also protested the draft, which targeted poorer youth who couldn’t afford college (also minorities)

Voting age is 21, draft age is 18 (drafted without a vote)

Many youth burned draft cards or fled to Canada

Controversy ContinuesBy 1966 1967 protest became more tense.

The students did not end the war but at least gave protestors a voice and they started the counter war culture

By 1968 the nation was divided into 2 campsHawks: they insisted on staying in the warDoves: They insisted on withdrawing from the War

Tet Offensive

By 1968 the Tet Offensive would break the stalemate and drive Johnson from office.

During the holiday known as Tet (Vietnamese New Year) there was normally a lull in fighting.

The Vietcong deemed this a perfect time for a surprise attack.

The attack struck 36 of the 40 important provincial cities including American Embassy in the capital Saigon

6 hours were caught on film, showed this war was not close to ending.

Democratic party ProblemsJohnson decided to remove himself from re-electionThe vice President Hubert Humphrey stepped in

Robert “Bobby” Kennedy, little brother of John also stepped into the election race

Bobby was going to win Democratic nomination until he was assassinated outside a California hotel.

Humphrey got the nomination only to run against, Richard Nixon!!

Nixon’s campaign plan

Nixon ran by appealing to what became known as the “Silent majority”

The idea that the student protestors may have had a loud voice but did not truly speak for America.

Upon election Nixon said he would bring the country together and End the War!

Ending the War in VietnamThe policy in which Nixon tried to relax tensions with

communist countries, called LinkageSent Henry Kissinger to promote linkage, policy to

improve relations with China and Soviet Union, Using Diplomacy to stop supplies & aid to North VietnamNixon Opened trade with China

Salt conference: Visit to Moscow agreed to arms control and reduction

Ending the war in Vietnam

Nixon had a three scale tactic to end the war

1st renewed bombing including a secret order to bomb Cambodia! (attack the Ho Chi Minh trail & Vietcong bases)

2nd Vietnamization: slowly reducing troops, allowing South Vietnamese troops to take over

3rd Secret talks in Hanoi about ending the war

My Lai Massacre

While Public relations with the war continued to go down hill events during the war got worse.

Lieutenant William Calley kills a wipes out a village of women and children.

The main point is that soldiers had trouble seeing who the enemy was.

War at home!

• Invasion of Cambodia sparks more protests• Youth thought war was ending, more protests

began• At Kent State Ohio, national guard troops

called in fired rifles and tear gas, killing four students

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8jhL5XWF-k

Pentagon PapersThrough a leak in Pentagon security documents regarding the Vietnam war were published by the New York Times.

The papers :1. detail the Johnson administration questioning the war while publicly defending it.2. detailed how Johnson expanded the war without Congress consent3. Johnson, persuaded congress, press & public that war was

going better than it actually was

Confirmed to Americans that the Government lied to them about the war

The war endsAfter the bombing of Cambodia both the U.S. and North Vietnam returned to the bargaining table. (Prisoner exchange)

North Vietnamese troops would remain in the south after agreement was signed to end the war. US forces would withdraw

In 1975, without American aid North Vietnam invaded and took over Saigon & united Vietnam under Communist rule

Wars Legacy• Almost 8 years of war, longest in US history• 1973, War Powers Act: a way to reestablish some

limits on executive power, required president to inform Congress of any commitment of troops

• Voting age change from 21 to 18• This War has many MIA/POW issues, many soldiers

never made it home from Vietnam, (1982 the Vietnam memorial wall built in Washington D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWDktQ6mV1c