Chapter 29 America During Its Longest War, 1963-1974 Web.

Chapter 29Chapter 29

America During Its Longest War, 1963-1974

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Lyndon B. Johnson in the White Lyndon B. Johnson in the White HouseHouse Built on politics of consensus Determined to continue Kennedy’s initiatives

Tax cut proposal War on Poverty

Economic Opportunity Act– Office of Economic Opportunity– Job Corps– VISTA

Civil Rights Civil Rights Act of 1964

– Equal Employment Opportunity Commission– Prohibited racial discrimination in public accommodations associated with

interstate commerce Mississippi Freedom Summer Freedom Democratic Party

Election of 1964Election of 1964

Republicans nominated Barry Goldwater Unabashedly conservative campaign Described as on the “radical right” Even many republicans considered him extreme

Johnson reelected handily Trouble beneath the surface

Appeal of segregationist George Wallace Reinvigorated conservatives Propelled new Republicans into prominence

– Ronald Reagan– William Rehnquist

Great SocietyGreat Society

Fulfillment of dreams of Johnson’s Democratic predecessors

Medical care for the elderly and low-income citizens (Medicare and Medicaid)

Created Department of Housing and Urban development Voting Rights Act of 1965

Heartened Johnson’s supporters and appalled his critics Goal was to help people fight their own way out of economic

distress

Evaluating the Great societyEvaluating the Great society

Rekindled debates about proper role of national government

Raised expectations that could not be met Conservatives have been unrelentingly critical Leftists lamented failure to challenge the prevailing

distribution of political power and wealth in order to reduce poverty

Agreement that Great Society left its mark First significant outlay of federal dollars for social programs

since New Deal Significantly expanded reach of welfare state

Escalation in Vietnam, 1964Escalation in Vietnam, 1964

Tonkin Gulf Resolution Stemmed from confusing events in August, 1964

Became justification for concerted U.S. involvement Resolution in Congress

“All necessary measures to repel armed attack” Johnson used as tantamount to congressional declaration of

war Debate over extent of American involvement within

administration

Escalation in Vietnam, 1964 Escalation in Vietnam, 1964 (cont.)

Some voices calling for stepped up U.S. presence Others warned than “Americanization” would bring only defeat Johnson feared political consequences of pulling out

– Feared fallout on Great Society– Believed in domino effect

Operation Rolling Thunder Deployment of U.S. ground forces

Escalation in Vietnam 1965Escalation in Vietnam 1965

Use of napalm to defoliate jungle cover Further ground troop deployment Each escalation seemed to make further escalation inevitable U.S. and North Vietnam became locked in game of escalation and

counter-escalation Search and destroy missions Saturation bombing (Operation Ranch-hand) Johnson refused to be candid with public about extent of war

escalation I.S. escalation generated help to North Vietnam from China and the

Soviet Union South Vietnamese government in precarious state

Countryside being devastated Flood of U.S. aid dollars destabilizing economy

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Vietnam War

The Media and the WarThe Media and the War

Lack of actual Declaration of War prevented strict controls on reporting

Television coverage made Vietnam a “living room war” Johnson fanatical about monitoring war coverage Antiwar activists criticized perceived prop-war media

coverage Some reporters were overt in their criticism Public became polarized into “hawks” and “doves”

The New LeftThe New Left

Students for a democratic Society (SDS) Endorsed civil rights and the fight against racial discrimination Port Huron Statement

– Called for participatory democracy that would be responsive to the wishes of local communities

General opposition to the “establishment” Unrest on college and university campuses

War came to dominate agenda of student protesters by 1966 Debate over student deferments Draft card burning Unstructured demonstrations came to dominate campus life

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American Attitudes toward Vietnam War

The CountercultureThe Counterculture

Rejected traditional attitudes on clothing, hair styles, and sexuality

Embraced an experimental approach to daily life and an environmental ethic

Media highlighted association with drugs, communal living arrangements, and new forms of folk-rock music

Participated in 1967 march on the Pentagon

From Civil Rights to Black PowerFrom Civil Rights to Black Power Watts riots, 1965 Malcolm X and Black Power

Initially affiliated with Nation of Islam Integration was unworkable Self-defense “By any means necessary” Renewed pride in African-American heritage Vigorous efforts at community reconstruction Organized Organization of Afro-American Unity after breaking with

Nation of Islam Murdered in 1965 by enemies of Nation of Islam

Black Panthers Criticized slow pace of civil rights litigation Preached confrontation and self-defense

Civil Rights Act of 1968 Fair housing provision watered down to protect landlords and real

estate agents Federal offense to cross state lines in order to incite a “riot”

– Directly aimed at Black Panthers

1968:Violence Overseas1968:Violence Overseas

Tet Offensive, January Serious psychological defeat for United States Called into question claims of imminent victory Contributed to policy that would later be called “Vietnamization” Johnson announced he would not run for reelection, March

– Halted bombing of North– Initiated peace talks

1968: Violence at Home1968: Violence at Home

Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in April Spurred violence and riots across the country

Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in June Violence at political conventions

Republicans plagued by racial violence in Miami Democrats hurt by brutal suppression of anti-protesters in

Chicago

Election of 1968Election of 1968

Vice-President Hubert Humphrey was Democratic nominee Republicans ran Richard Nixon George Wallace ran on American Independent Party

Spoke of using nuclear weapons to end war in Vietnam Nixon won narrow victory

Nixon’s Economic ProgramNixon’s Economic Program

Two decades of economic growth came to an end during Nixon presidency

Inherited high levels of domestic spending, and expensive war in Vietnam, and the deteriorating, but still favorable balance of trade

Soaring unemployment and price inflation What economists came to call “stagflation”

Nation ran its first trade deficit of the twentieth century in 1971

New Economy policy 90 day freeze on wages and prices Subsequent government monitoring to detect excessive

increases in either

Nixon’s Economic Program Nixon’s Economic Program (cont.)

Abandoned gold-to-dollar ratio in 1971 Dollar would thereafter “float” against both Gold and all other

currencies Devalued dollar in 1973

Cheapened price of American goods in foreign markets Little improvement of U.S. trade balance resulted

Nixon’s Social PolicyNixon’s Social Policy

Family Assistance Plan Abolish other welfare programs, including AFDC Institute a guaranteed annual income for all families End Post-New Deal system of aid to those in particular

circumstances Provide aid to everyone Not implemented

New federalism plan to return federal tax money to the states in the form of black grants with virtually no restrictions

Supplementary Social Security Insurance for the elderly, blind, and disabled

Gradual expansion of Medicare and Medicaid Social Security payments indexed to inflation in 1972

The Supreme Court during the The Supreme Court during the Nixon AdministrationNixon Administration

Dominated by activist majority devoted to recognizing a broad range of constitutionally protected rights

Miranda v. Arizona guaranteed rights to persons accused of violent crime

– Conservatives saw as coddling of criminals

Three conservative justices appointed by Nixon Harry Blackmun, William Rehnquist, and Lewis Powell

Dandridge v. Williams declared that welfare was not a national right

Roe v. Wade ruled that a state law making abortion a crime violated a woman’s right of privacy

Foreign Policy Under NixonForeign Policy Under Nixon

Key Advisor was Henry Kissinger, national security advisor Détente as major foreign policy goal

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks with Soviet Union Opening toward China

Vietamization Withdrawal of U.S. troops Stepping up of air war and intensifying diplomatic efforts to

reach settlement Nixon Doctrine

– U.s. Military assistance to anticommunist government in Asia– Nations left to provide their own military forces

Foreign Policy Under Nixon Foreign Policy Under Nixon (cont.)

Withdraw U.S. troops but not accept compromise or defeat Adhered to bombing halt over North New operations in South Incursion into neutral Cambodia

– Spurred opposition at home• Kent State and Jackson State

– Contributed top rise of Khmer Rouge

End of U.S. involvement in End of U.S. involvement in VietnamVietnam

Secret war protected in Laos and Cambodia after 1970 Peace talks in Paris proceeded as war was actually

expanding Communists within 30 miles of Saigon in the Spring of 1972

Nixon responded with resumption of bombing and mining of harbors in North

Cease-fire announced weeks before 1972 election After election, U.S. firepower increased dramatically

Christmas bombing Paris Peace Accords, 1973

Withdrawal of U.S. troops South Vietnamese discontinued to fight

Collapsed in April 1973

Aftermath of the Vietnam WarAftermath of the Vietnam War

3.5 million Americans served, 58,000 died, 150,000 wounded, 2,000 remain missing

Blame game played by all sides after the war was after All Americans could be “no more Vietnams”

WatergateWatergate

Caused collapse of Nixon’s presidency stemmed from Nixon’s deep mistrust for nearly everyone in Washington Established “plumbers” unit to protect administration from

“enemies” Funded by illegal campaign contributions Broke into Democratic Party’s headquarters during 1972 re-election

campaign– Irony is that Nixon won election handily and didn’t need to resort to “dirty

tricks” to win Administration was involved but denied it and instituted cover up

instead The press, Congress, and the federal judiciary, all began searching

for the truth Eventually bits of the truth began trickling out, and Nixon was

implicated in both the original break in and in the cover up

Watergate Watergate (cont.)

Nixon continued to deny involvement, even after discovery of a secret White House taping system that could implicate him if the tapes were surrendered to the courts

Supreme Court ruled unanimously in U.S.v. Nixon that he had to give them up

House Judiciary Committee voted three articles of impeachment Obstruction of Justice, violation of constitutional liberties, refusal to

produce evidenced requested during the impeachment process In the end, Nixon chose to resign rather than face trial by the

senate Left office in disgrace on August 9, 1974, succeeded by Gerald Ford Received an unconditional pardon by Ford

Public knowledge and understanding of Watergate not high today

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