American History Chapter 33: The War in Vietnam

IV. The War Ends

Bell Ringer

• Turn to page 998 – read quotation by George McGovern

• What do you think?

Objectives

• Explain why the US agreed to a cease-fire in January 1973.

• Describe the war’s long-term effects on Vietnam and the Vietnamese people.

• Evaluate the war’s long-term effects on the American people.

George McGovern

• July 1972, McGovern is against the war

• Uses it to run for President

A) Nixon's Re-election

1) George McGovern: SD, Senator, (D), antiwar presidential candidate

• Ran against George Wallace for democratic nomination – Wallace shot and paralyzed – withdrew

2) 26th Amendment: lowered voting age from 21-18.

• Nixon – war will soon be over – Kissinger announced a breakthrough in negations a few weeks before the election

• Nixon won by a landslide.

B) A Cease-fire at Last

• For three years starting in 1969 – Kissinger and Vietnam’s Le Duc Tho had been meeting secretly in Paris for peace

• October 1972: North Vietnam propose agreement – South reject

• Nixon responds by bombing the North over Christmas

• January 1973: cease-fire announced – US will pull out troops – North will leave the South alone – POW exchange – nothing on future of the South – US help rebuild Vietnam

• January 1975: South’s government collapses – North invades

• US help evacuate Saigon• April 30, 1975: South surrenders

unconditionally• For the US, war is over• Domino theory never happens –

Communists countries fight amongst themselves.

C) Effects of the War

• War devastated the Vietnamese people• 185,000 South Vietnamese soldiers

dead• South Vietnamese Civilians 500,000• VC and North Vietnamese -1 million• 800,000 Vietnamese children orphaned• 181,000 disabled

a) Vietnamese Refugees

3) Le Ly Hayslip: Vietnam refugee – relocated in the US – founded East Meets West Foundation – wrote When Heaven and Earth Changed Places.

• 1.5 million Vietnamese fled Vietnam• Braved the South China Sea and Gulf

of Thailand in boats – “boat people”

b) Vietnam Veterans

• 58,000 US service men killed – 300,000 wounded

• Large number of paralyzed and disabled veterans – better combat medical services

• 600 POW’s – some spent 6 years – Senator McCain – Arizona

• No ticker tape parades – no support• Veterans turned to drugs, homeless,

couldn’t adjust to life

c) Public Policy

• War shook American confidence in their government – Nixon and Johnson misled the people

• 150 billion dollars• Under what authority can presidents

wage an undeclared war?4) War Powers Act: President gets a

60day time limit to commit US troops without a declaration of war

D) Healing the Wounds of the War

5) Vietnam Veterans Memorial: memorial to the Vietnam War

6) Maya Ying Lin: Chinese American Yale student who designed the memorial

• Memorial is black, scar in the earth• Names listed chronological – not by

rank – not alphabetical

Review

• Why did the US agree to a cease-fire in January 1973?

• What long term effects did the war have on Vietnam and Vietnamese people?

• What long-term effects did the war have on Americans?

• Identify: George McGovern, 26th Amendment, Le Ly Hayslip, War Powers Act, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Maya Ying Lin.