DiO:1963-1969 PP: Democrat

Born: August 27, 1908 

Died: January 22, 1973 Platform: Great

SocietyVP: Hubert HumphreyState: Texas

36. Lyndon B Johnson

SUPREME COURT REFORMS SOCIETY,

TOO

• Reform and change were not limited to the Executive and Legislative branches

• The Judicial Branch led by the Supreme Court and Chief Justice Earl Warren did much to protect individual rights

Warren

• In Escobedo v. Illinois the court ruled that the accused has the right to have an attorney present when questioned by police

(21) In Miranda v. Arizona the court ruled that all suspects must be read their rights before questioning

WARREN COURT AND SUSPECT’S

RIGHTS

In Mapp v. Ohio (1961) the Supreme Court ruled that illegally seized evidence could not be used in court

LBJ: Foreign Policy

17th Parallel: Remember, the North was communist friendly and the South was US friendly

1. It was the first major conflict in which the US confronted an opponent who refused to fight in the manner of European style warfare (guerrilla warfare).

Guerilla

Not

gorilla

2. Vietnam became America’s most unpopular war.

A. Vietnam continues…

3. 5 different Presidents will deal with the Vietnam conflicts- and each President expressed commitment in different ways

1. Eisenhower: believed that the failure of the US

to stop communism expansion would lead to the fall

of Southeast Asia (the domino theory).

2. Truman, Kennedy : placed more emphasis on

the consequences of not stopping an aggressor early

3. Johnson: escalated the U.S. involvement

4. Nixon will eventually withdraw troops

B. Johnson’s Choices in Vietnam 1. He was challenged to not

involve the U.S too much in foreign wars but to also not appear weak or allow for communist victory.

2. Remember we wanted Diem in power; but he was assassinated, and a series of S. Vietnamese governments followed

3. Johnson faced a decision—a. admit defeat and pull out of South Vietnam (if the “domino theory” was correct, the rest of Southeast Asia would fall to the communists)b. continue limited support of South Vietnam’s government (but that would have probably end in defeat as well)

c. actively enter the war and attack North Vietnam…

A moment

to rest… until

Johnson decided to step up the attacks

4.The U.S. was secretly bombing positions held by the Vietcong and supporting raids on the coast of North Vietnam

(12) War Powers Act of 1964-• A declaration of war by the United

States is the statement of purpose traditionally requested by the President of the United States and granted by United States Congress to engage military force against another nation.

1. Johnson reported that North Vietnamese torpedo boats fired on two American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 2 and 4, 1964—called the attacks unprovoked and asked Congress for authorization to bomb North Vietnam (b/c remember- we are SECRETLY bombing them!!!)

(10) Gulf of Tonkin Resolution— August 7, 1964— Congress passed the resolution and virtually handed war powers over to the president- he didn’t have to get Congress’ permission anymore…

C. Escalation

- Johnson ordered the bombing of bases in North Vietnam—civil war in Vietnam grew into a major conflict between American and communist forces.

(11) February 1965: Johnson ordered an escalation (military expansion) of the war—American planes began bombing targets and the decision was made to send American ground forces

D. Differences

in this War=

Problems for US Forces

D. Differences

in this War=

Problems for US Forces

1. Vietnamese guerilla forces = “hit and run” tactics, ambushes, booby traps, and small-scale attacks— moved at night, hid during the day

2. Americans adopted a “search and destroy” strategy: search out enemy troops, bomb their position, destroy their supply lines, and force them into the open for combat

http://www.kulmbach.net/~MGF-Gymnasium/bilderdaten/usa-history%201/Bilder/Search%20and%20Destroy%20Mission%20vietnam_jpg.jpg

3. American answers to combat Guerrilla Warfare: (very harsh and sad alternatives)

a. Napalm: jellied gasoline that explodes, splatters, and clings to whatever it touches

b. Defoliants (“Agent Orange”): stripped leaves from trees and shrubs to improve visibility

c. Burned villages believed to be hiding communist supporters

(25) TET and Retreat

1968

(25) TET and Retreat

1968

1. (25) General Westmoreland, Prez. Johnson and the U.S. was hopeful that the end of the war was near. We seemed to be winning and the North Vietnamese seemed to defeated

but…, on January 30, 1968, the Vietcong launched major offensive strikes and attacked the U.S. Embassy in Saigon

Saving our wounded

a. Vietcong (southern communist Vietnamese) and North Vietnamese launched massive surprise attacks on all American bases in South Vietnam and on most of South Vietnam’s major cities

We were surprised because they occurred on a holiday … Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. US troops were BBQing

3. Americans and South Vietnamese sustained heavy losses, but were eventually able to drive back the communist offensive

4. Westmoreland requested 209,000 more troops (in addition to the 500,000 already there)

5. March 31, 1968: Johnson announced he would stop nearly all bombing of North Vietnam and offered to hold peace negotiations —May 1968: diplomats from the U.S. and North Vietnam met in Paris, but reached no agreement—fighting in Vietnam continued

(29) Communist Vietnamese had been using Cambodia to hide from US and to store weapons and as sanctuaries into which they could withdraw from the struggle in South Vietnam to avoid destruction, rest and reorganize without being attacked by allied forces. The US Army

wants to stop this, but the American people would not have approved of invading another country… so LBJ did it secretly

F. LBJ Announces He Won't Run for President in 1968:

1. Vietnam is a loss, no $ for the Great Society, Johnson is tired and frustrated

2. With his popularity plummeting President Lyndon Johnson stuns the nation and announces that he will not be a candidate for re-election.

Who will be the next man to lead the US fight against

The Vietnam War? Will we win? Will we lose?

Will the US just walk away?Stay Tuned…

Famous Vietnam vets?

Opposition in the U.S.

to the Vietnam War

(30) After the Tet Offensive, criticism of American involvement in Vietnam increased (centered around questioning reasons for involvement)1. January 1966: Senate Foreign

Relations Committee held “educational” hearings on Vietnam— televised doubts

about winning war to Americans

(24) Americans were divided into two groups—

“hawks:” those who supported the war (birds of war)

“doves:” those who opposed the war (birds of peace)

(30)Many of those who opposed the war were college students who openly protested. The anti-war movement centered on college campuses (much like during the Civil Rights Movement).

1. Many protests focused on the draft

a. students facing the draft did not understand why the war was being fought or why they should go

b. student deferments: safe from the draft as long as you were enrolled in college

c. conscientious objectors: did not serve because of membership in an organized religious group with pacifist views

d. “dodging the draft”: refusing to report when drafted (leaving the country, going to jail, demonstrating)

e. teach-ins: students and teachers held meetings to study the history of war and to protest its expansion

Burning their draft cards

Moved to Canada to avoid being drafted

“We Refuse to go”

D. The 1960’s Counterculture-

Hippies!!!

1. Some young people rebelled against established values and looked for new beliefs

a. They studied different religions and philosophies.b. Much experimentation with hallucinogenic drugsc. Developed individuality by having long hair and wearing unconventional clothing d. Some left home to live in communes (communities in which living quarters, food, and work were shared)

III. Vietnam Costs’ End The Great Society

1. Domestic Programs (in economics this is called the BUTTER) required large sums of money—federal spending rose sharply to cover the costs of all LBJ’s new programs

2. Vietnam War (in econ this is referred to as the guns) was costing as much as $20 billion-a-year

3. Johnson first tried to finance the war with taxes, explaining that the nation could afford both a Great Society and a war— but the federal deficit

was climbing and we couldn’t afford both guns and butter

4. LBJ asked Congress for a tax increase, but they refused unless he would cut the budget— This caused Johnson to cut $6 billion out of proposed domestic spending (ending the Great Society)

IV. End of Johnson’s Presidency1. The nation had become completely

divided (rejection of both Vietnam and/or the Great Society)

2.

2. LBJ left office in January

1969—He was unable to build his Great Society and wage a war at the same time

19681968The Election

that Changed America

I. DEMOCRATIC I. DEMOCRATIC PARTYPARTY

-MN Senator Eugene McCarthy criticizes the war and challenges LBJ for the nomination.

-McCarthy receives almost as many votes as LBJ at the New Hampshire primary held in March ’68.

(26) Exhausted, LBJ withdraws from

the election claiming he wants to finish his

term focusing on ending the war in

Vietnam.

A. Democratic Primaries

Democratic Primaries (cont.)

-Hubert Humphrey Johnson’s current VP,joins the race

(26) Robert F. Kennedy (dove-against Vietnam) of NY joins the race and wins a majority of the primaries. His followers included African Americans, Hispanics, the poor, and the young.

Kennedy TragedyKennedy Tragedy

Robert Kennedy addressing well-wishers minutes before he is shot.

(28) Kennedy Tragedy1. Robert Kennedy won the California primary

and seemed destined to win the Democratic Nomination.

2. On the night of the California victory, Kennedy was shot by a Jordanian immigrant-

Sirhan Sirhan 3. Kennedy was shot three times, with a fourth

bullet passing through his jacket, and died nearly 26 hours later

According to Sirhan's mother, Mary Sirhan, he killed Kennedy because of his Arab nationalism. She said, "What he did, he did for his country." Further, Sirhan believed he was deliberately betrayed by Kennedy's support for Israel in the June 1967 Six-Day War, which had begun exactly one year before the assassination.