1968: Taking a Turn for the Worst!

Ch. 29, Section 3 &4

IN THE 1969 DRAFT, THE FIRST 195 DATES (1940-1955) DRAWN WERE CALLED TO SERVICE!

WERE YOU DRAFTED?

http://www.landscaper.net/draft.htm

1940: FDR SIGNS THE SELECTIVE TRAINING AND SERVICE ACT

-MEN WERE DRAFTED FOR VARIOUS REASONS FROM 1948-1973

-1969: FIRST LOTTERY DRAWING HELD!!

THE DRAFT

-

1969-1972: Draft Lottery, based on Birthdates

-in response to 1968 events

-850K affected in 1969

-Approx. 70K men flee to Canada “Draft Dodgers”

TET

-late January the start of Tet, the Vietnamese New Year

-7 day party!!

-cease-fire??

KHE SANH

-increased traffic on Ho Chi Minh trail; America expecting an attack

-Siege of Khe Sanh-to throw

Americans off guard!

NO PARTY IN SOUTH VIETNAM!

-Tet Offensive begins Jan. 30th, 1968

-12 U.S. military bases & more than 100 S. Vietnam cities attacked by Vietminh & Vietcong

EFFECTS OF TET OFFENSIVE

-45K Vietcong/N. Vietnamese troops die

-1,500+ Americans die; 2,700+ ARVN troops die

-major blow, no “safe” place in S. Vietnam

-public support weakened

-political bickering

ELECTION OF 1968-Johnson is done!

-Nixon (Republican)

-Democrats-Robert Kennedy-Hubert Humphrey

-Independent: George Wallace

VIETNAMIZATION-1969: 540K U.S. troops in S. Vietnam

-1972: only 24K in S. Vietnam

-still not good enough for some war not over!

PROTESTORS

-College students

-Kent State Massacre

WHY DID THEY PROTEST?

-middle-class & vets join the protests

(1) My Lai Massacre(2) Pentagon Papers

ELECTION OF 1972

-incumbent Nixon vs. George McGovern (Dem)

-26th Amendment

-Jan., 1973: U.S. agrees to pull out, but what will happen to S. Vietnam??

NEARING THE END

-1975: North Vietnam invades South Vietnam

-April, 1975: Saigon evacuated; South Vietnam surrenders

-Vietnam is reunified, but under communist rule!

EFFECTS OF THE WAR-Domino Theory: Cambodia falls to communism

in 1973; Vietnam invades Cambodia in 1975

-Lives lost

-Environmental Effects/Human Defects

-Veterans

-War Powers Act (1973)