THE VIETNAM WAR

The Tet Offensive

Thesis

The Tet Offensive changed America’s

outlook on the war in Vietnam and with

the help of the media, protests, and

political pressure the Tet Offensive

marked the beginning of the end for

American involvement in Vietnam.

Overview Tet Offensive was a series of

surprise attacks lead by the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese.

This was considered to be the turning point in the Vietnam War.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiW5FXs1n6M

The TargetsThe Communists attacked around 100 major cities and towns in South Vietnam. The size and ferocity of the attack surprised both the Americans and the South Vietnamese

Key targets of the Tet Offensive:The United States EmbassyVietnam Annex AreaThe Embassy Hotel.

Many towns that the United states occupied were attacked.

The red dots on the map were the major targets. These are only a handful of the towns and military encamp-ments attacked

Media involvement and its effects on America

This was the first “televised war” The information given to the American

public through the major media outlets was distorted to shine a negative light on the conflict.

The media made things seem worse than it was in actuality

With such influences more and more Americans disapproved of the war

More Americans gained an anti-war or anti-Vietnam mentality

As a result protests sprung up in many major cities.

Television and Its Role The video shown before was not part of a

documentary but was shown on national television to viewers across the country. Every night people tuned in to see the news and gory images littered the screen most nights.

This swayed public opinion and was the cause of many repercussions

(e.g. protests and riots)

Effects on AmericaPeaceful Protests

Peaceful protests occurred regularly before the time of the Tet Offensive but as soon as the media publicized the event protests occurred more often

Leads to Violent RiotsThe youth of the nation were becoming more involved than ever as a result from the Tet Offensive and the War in general.

Riots took place all over the country. One common place was at college campus’ due to increasing youth involvement

Anti-war Movement "Come on, mothers, throughout

the land Pack your boys off to Vietnam Come on, fathers, don't hesitate Send your sons off before it's too late Be the first one on your block To have your boy come home in a box!

"And it's 1, 2, 3, what are we fighting for? Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. Next stop is Vietnam. And it's 5, 6, 7, open up the Pearly Gates Yeah, there ain't no time to wonder why Whoopee! We're all gonna die!"

Propaganda like this poem was one form of defiance. This showed how the American public felt about the war. With the country against what the troops were doing the soldiers lost much needed morale.

“Napoleon explained long ago the vital importance of morale in war. No soldier likes to fight and put his life at risk when he feels that he is not backed by public opinion at home. The American soldiers in Vietnam increasingly felt the backlash of opposition in the USA.”

Works Cited "VN Wars: Tet Offensive and its Aftermath."

Clemson University. 26 May 2009 <http://www.clemson.edu/caah/history/FacultyPages/EdMoise/viet8.html>.

"Tet Offensive." Travel and History. 26 May 2009 <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1862.html>.

"YouTube - Tet Offensive." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. 26 May 2009 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiW5FXs1n6M>.