1968- Year of Infamy

Tet- (Review)

• Height of American Troop involvement

• General Westmoreland had misled the public– ‘the end begins to

come into view’

• Tet Holiday- end of January

• 70,000 VC and NVA launch massive attacks

• U.S. embassy in Saigon

• City of Hue

• Attacked more than 100 towns

___________ victory for the U.S., but a ________________nightmare!

New Info-

• Art Buchwald and Walter Cronkite (famous TV news anchors) turned against the war.

- ‘it is unwinnable’

• LBJ’s popularity slipped

1968 was also an election year…

Eugene McCarthy

Robert Kennedy

LBJ Decided Not to Run for Reelection• Anti-war democratic senator Eugene McCarthy

almost won the first primary (New Hampshire) – Why so startling?

• This encouraged anti-war senator Robert Kennedy to enter the race

• LBJ announced his decision not to seek the 1968 democratic presidential nomination – Why so startling?– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-FibDx

pkb0 (start at 4:15)

• Hubert Humphrey (LBJ’s VP, LBJ light)– kinda anti-war, but not really

As the 1968 Campaign Continued, America Descended Into Chaotic Hell

• 1960s Civil Rights

• Assassinations

• Anti-war Protests

• The 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago

Civil Rights

• 50s and 60s were an explosive time in the African American struggle for equal rights

• Prompted by distinguished black service in WWII – Tuskegee Airmen

• Benchmarks – Rosa Parks – Brown v Board of Education – Watts Riots – Civil Rights Act of 1964 – March on Washington– I have a dream – Rioting in Selma and Montgomery – Black children killed in a firebombing of a church in Birmingham– (more on Civil Rights in a later unit)

Civil Rights in 1968 (cont.)

• Orangeburg Massacre – Police broke up a protest at

an all-white bowling alley in South Carolina

– 3 black students were killed

• Howard University shut down by black militants– Claim ‘America is the black

man’s battleground’ – Double burden

Civil Rights (cont.)

• Shootout in Oakland between police and Black Panthers

• Black militants shoot it out with police in Cleveland, Ohio

• Black American Olympians stripped of medals after ‘black power’ salute

Assassinations

MLK assassinated

• Led to riots throughout the country

Robert Kennedy Assassinated

Anti-War Protests Swelled

Riots on Columbia Campus

Protests against University ties to Military-Industrial Complex (making napalm, etc.)

Vietnam War Protests (cont.)

• The Catonsville Nine entered Selective Service offices Maryland, took dozens of draft records, and burned them with napalm

Democratic Convention in Chicago

Democratic National Convention- Context

• It became clear that the Democratic Convention was going to become a flash point for pro-anti Vietnam War sentiment

• Convention would be selecting either a pro-war candidate (Humphrey) or an anti-war candidate (McCarthy)

• It was expected that hundreds of thousands of protestors would make their way to Chicago

• Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley publicly criticized the cautious handling of the riots that followed King's assassination. He said he was giving the police specific instructions "to shoot to kill any arsonist and to shoot to maim or cripple anyone looting.“

• Denied permits to protestors – Protestors came anyway

Cointelpro

• FBI program to keep tabs on ‘dissidents’ – Tapped MLK and tried

to blackmail him into stopping his marches

– Infiltrated anti-war groups

• Sometimes even inspired them to MORE radical action. Does this makes sense?

• Gives police an excuse to crack down on protest

Violence at the Convention is Caught on Cameras

Humphrey (LBJ’s VP) is Nominated

• The Convention showed that the Democratic Party was in poor shape.

• Nixon won the election in Nov.

Nixon

• Nixon campaigned on a "law and order" theme – appealed to many voters afraid of the

far left (goddamned hippies!) and concerned about the riots and demonstrations that had accompanied the Civil Rights movement and the anti-war movemen

• Nixon also said that he had a secret plan to end the Vietnam War – ???

Hansen Name ___________________Vietnam

1968- Year of Infamy! Note-taking Guide

• Tet Review • Art Buchwald and Walter Cronkite (______________________)

turned against the war.- ‘it is _____________’

• LBJ’s _____________________________• LBJ Decided Not to _____________________________

– Anti-war democratic senator ___________________ almost won _____________________ (New Hampshire)

• Why so startling? _________________________ _________________________________________

– This encouraged anti-war senator ___________________ to enter the race

– LBJ _______________________________________ not to seek the 1968 democratic presidential nomination

• Why so startling? ________________________ ______________________________________

– Hubert Humphrey (LBJ’s VP, _______________)• ____________________________________

• As the 1968 Campaign Continued, America Descended Into _____________________________________

– 1960s Civil Rights – Assassinations – Anti-war Protests – The 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago

• Civil Rights – _______________________________________________

time in the African American struggle for equal rights – Prompted by distinguished black service in ________

• _________________Airmen – Benchmarks

• Rosa Parks • Brown v Board of Education • Watts Riots • Civil Rights Act of 1964

• March on Washington• I have a dream • Rioting in Selma and Montgomery • Black children killed in a firebombing of a church

in Birmingham– Orangeburg Massacre

• Police broke up a protest at an all-white bowling alley in South Carolina

• ________________________________________ – Howard University shut down by _______________

• Claim ‘_________ is the black man’s battleground’ • Double burden - ___________________________

– Shootout in ________ between police and Black Panthers – Black militants shoot it out with police in

______________– Black American _______________________________

after ‘black power’ salute • Assassinations

– MLK assassinated • ________________________________________

– ___________assassinated • Anti-War Protests Swelled

– Riots on _________________________________• Protests against University ties to ____________

___________________ (making napalm, etc.) – The Catonsville Nine entered Selective Service offices

Maryland, took dozens of draft records, and ___________ ____________________________________________

• Democratic National Convention- – Context

• It became clear that the Democratic Convention was going to become a __________________for pro-anti Vietnam War sentiment

• Convention would be selecting either a _________ candidate (Humphrey) or an __________ candidate (McCarthy)

• It was expected that hundreds of thousands _____ ________________ would make their way to Chicago

– Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley publicly criticized ______ _____________________________________________ ______________________________________________. He said he was giving the police specific instructions "to shoot to kill any arsonist and to shoot to maim or cripple anyone looting.“

– ___________________________________________• Protestors came anyway

– Cointelpro • FBI program to keep tabs ____________________

________________________________________– _____________________ and tried to

blackmail him into stopping his marches– Infiltrated anti-war groups– Sometimes even inspired _____________

_____________________________. Does this makes sense?

– Gave police __________________________ ___________________________________

• Violence at the Convention is Caught on _________• ________________________________ Nominated at Convention

– The Convention showed that the Democratic Party was ___ _______________________________________________

– _________________ won the election in Nov. • Nixon

– Nixon campaigned on a “______________________" theme • appealed to many voters afraid of the far left

(_________________________!) and concerned about the ____________________________ that had accompanied the Civil Rights movement and the anti-war movemen

– Nixon also said that he had ________________ _____________________ to end the Vietnam War

• ??? - _________________________________ ______________________________________