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The Vietnam WarPart 3: American Popular Opinion
of The War(1962-1975)
Why did the American Public lose faith in the Vietnam War?
What were some major events that illustrate the divide in the nation?
American Public Opinionat first 61% in favor 24% opposed
Vietnam is sometimes called the “Living Room War”
Live coverage of the conflict was aired on TV nightly…
Once America saw how brutal the battle was…they started to question why
America was in Vietnam.
Reason #1: The Living Room War = TMI
Fighting the Vietcong
Cu Chi Tunnel (Saigon)
130 Miles!
“From the tunnels we were able to fight Americans from every angle,” said the Colonel Chau Lam, a veteran of the tunnels once known by the code name “Uncle Number Seven”. “They
didn’t know where we were coming from. That way we could
do more damage and limit casualties with fewer forces.”
-as quoted on MSNBC.com
"When foreigners
come there is war. When
foreigners go there is peace,“ -Viet Cong pamphlet
How do we fight an enemy we can’t find?* Search & Destroy = destroy everything, force the Vietcong out of hiding.
How can America tell if they are winning the battle?
•Westmoreland used body counts to prove the US was winning.
But the Vietcong keep hiding in the jungle…
•Napalm = jelly gasoline bomb.
•Agent Orange = chemical pesticide that kills all vegetation (plants)
Agent Orange = pesticide, used to kill jungle…bad side effects
EFFECTS
Reason #2: The Draft…was it fair?
• William Westmoreland = U.S. commander in South Vietnam
America’s Plan in Vietnam:
1.) We have better weapons, use them
2.) Fight a War of Attrition = gradual wearing
down of the enemy by continuous harassment.
This plan takes a lot of? … American Soldiers
Selective Service System = The Draft
You Get to Stay Home!• College Deferment: Males in College = did
not go to war. Usually wealthy/white• Conscientious Objector (CO) = people who
has moral/religious issues with the war• People flee to Canada est. 70,000 by
1972• Medical reasons (handicaps)
Who went to war? Who Did not? (1965-1975)
• Days of the year represented by numbers 1-366
• Draw the number that corresponds to day in the year (Feb 1st is 32nd day of the year)
• Each date then assigned a lottery number
• First 195 lottery numbers were called to serve
Would You Have Gone to War?
Year Number of US Soldiers
Year Number of US Soldiers
1960 900 1967 485,600
1961 3,200 1968 536,100
1962 11,300 1969 475,200
1963 16,300 1970 334,600
1964 23,300 1971 156,800
1965 184,300 1972 24,200
1966 385,300
Vietnam Troop Levels
These people go to war:
• The Poor & Middle Class– can’t afford college = get drafted
• African Americans
• Women– nurses, Red Cross, USO (entertainment)
Who went to war? Who Did not? (1965-1975)
The Draft plus All these bad things = Americans PROTEST
1962: Military Advisors are in Vietnam = Protest Begins
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)• Organized: teach-ins, building take overs, riots
Why are Americans so Angry?Credibility Gap = loss of trust in the government
Americans Protest! (1962-1975)
Doing what's right isn't the problem. It is knowing what's
right.
I report to you that our
country is challenged at
home and abroad: that it is our will that is being tried and not our
strength; our sense of
purpose and not our ability to achieve a
better America.
I'm tired. I'm tired of feeling rejected by the
American people. I'm
tired of waking up in the
middle of the night worrying about the war.
1968 = Johnson did not seek re-
election