Vietnam War Comes To An End

With the war creeping on with no victory in sight, Americans try to deal with the losses at home.

The Tet Offensive Turns the Tide

January 30, 1968 (New Years Eve) Celebrated in Vietnam as

the start of Tet

Tet = New Year celebration

No fighting usually took place this day.

North Vietnam Surprise Attacks! Tet Offensive

84,000 Vietcong attack major areas of South Vietnam including:

US army bases

S. Vietnam capital Saigon

US would never win another battle in North Vietnam

Election Year of 1968

LBJ does not run for re-election

Richard Nixon (Republican) Ran on slogan “you can’t

trust Democrats” “I will end this war!”

Hubert Humphrey (Democrat) Claimed to want to end war

as well

Protests Break Out Across US

By 1969 Its clear that Vietnam War is not going to end

Nixon lied! Even started to send more troops to other SE Asia areas

Cambodia Laos Over 1.2 million troops in SE Asia

In Vietnam US still trying to get Vietcong out of South Vietnam

Walter Cronkite on CBS Evening News protests

New York Times releases the Pentagon Papers

Documents that revealed the government had lied about: How the war in Vietnam

was going

Sending US troops to Cambodia

Amount of actual US deaths

Kent State University

May 4, 1970 Supposedly KSU

students set fire to campus ROTC building.

Protesting troops being sent to Cambodia

Ohio Governor John James Rhodes “I will eradicate these

protestors!” How?

Governor James Rhodes

Call in the Ohio National GuardShoot and Kill 4 students!

4 dead in Ohio….

News Spreads!

KSU shootings become national news quickly!

Then, it happens again.

Jackson State University In Mississippi

Police shoot 2 students for “protesting”

Surely Nixon Can’t Win Again!

Election of 1972 Nixon runs on campaign

of “cease fire” in Vietnam Bring the boys home!

Wins election in a landslide

Small election change 26th Amendment

Voting age lowered from 21 to 18

Congress does not trust Nixon!

1972 North Vietnam offered a cease fire.

US troops could leave S. Vietnam S. Vietnam would get own democratic government

Had to have Vietminh political party involved!

Good plan, right? S. Vietnam says no!

We support them so…..

Nixon Tries to Erase N. Vietnam For 2 weeks

US drops 40,000 tons of bombs over N. Vietnam Still hopes Vietcong would

give up!

Doesn’t work…

Finally, January 1973 Congress starts to bring

troops home.

S. Vietnam government falls apart.

April 30, 1975 Saigon falls to Vietcong!

S. Vietnam surrenders to Communists.

1973 Congress passes War

Powers Act Gives Congress back

“right to declare war”

Limits military commitment by President to 60 days! Supposedly….

Vietnam Veterans

Over 2 million troops sent to Vietnam

58,000 thousand die

300,000 injured

25,000 Missing in Action

1.2 claim PTSD and Agent Orange Disease

Vietnam War Memorial “The Wall”