1. How did Johnson respond to the Vietnam War Protests? The Vietnam War would be the event that dominated Lyndon Johnson's presidency and dictated his public view at the time and his place in American history. The Johnson administration's actions in Vietnam greatly soured Johnson's public image and would take much pride out of Johnson. As public support of the war declined rapidly, Johnson was puzzled at how he should respond to the growing opposition of his foreign policies. While Johnson coveted support of the people, he wished to please the war hawks in his administration in government, and these pressures would outweigh the overwhelming wish of the American people. As opposition to Johnson rose, Johnson became increasingly distressed and overwhelmed, and this opposition would be so great to Johnson that he would abandon the presidency and politics to his ranch in Texas, free of the constant coverage of those opposing him. The most adamant protestors of Vietnam were undoubtedly from college campuses, where teachers would often practice teach-ins on campuses such as the University of Michigan, in which open discussion of the war would take place. Colleges across the United States fostered fervent opposition to Johnson's war, developing phrases such as "Hey! Hey! LBJ, how many kids did you kill today" (Graff, Henry), to show their moral opposition to the war and fighting in Vietnam. This fostering of hatred toward the war would cause Johnson to despise the liberal institutions that were a breeding more ground for 'doves' going against the war to espouse their ideas. Many anti-war protesters corresponded to the youth movement in the U.S., and Johnson categorized these protesters as unruly kids that were not informed eno... ... middle of paper ... ...yndon Johnson’s War: America’s Cold War Crusade in Vietnam 1945-1968 / Where the Domino Fell: America and Vietnam, 1945 to 1995. Second Edition.” The Journal of American History 84.4 (1998): 1464-7. ProQuest. Web. 11 Sep. 2013. “Lyndon Baines Johnson, 37th Vice President (1961-1963).” United States Senate. www.senate.gov, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. . Schlesinger, Arthur, Jr. “The New Deal: A Middle Way.” The 1900s. Ed. Bonnie Szumski. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 2001. 137-42. Print. Simkin, John. “Vietnam Protest Movement.” Schoolnet. Spartacus Education, n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. . Vanden Heuvel, William. “Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Lyndon Baines Johnson: Architects of a Nation.” LBJ Presidential Library 14 Mar. 2000: 1-7. Print.
Lawrence’s purpose in writing this book was concise and to the point. In recent history, due to the fall of the Soviet bloc, new information has been made available for use in Vietnam. As stated in the introduction, “This book aims to take account of this new scholarship in a brief, accessible narrative of the Vietnam War… It places the war within the long flow of Vietnamese history and then captures the goals and experiences of various governments that became deeply embroiled in the country during the second half of the twentieth century” (Lawrence, 3.) This study is not only about the American government and how they were involved in the Vietnam conflict, but highlights other such countries as France, China, and the Soviet Union. Lawrence goes on to say that one of his major goals in writing this book is to examine the American role in Vietnam within an international context (Lawrence, 4.) Again, this goes to show that the major purpose of Lawrence’s study included not only ...
The Vietnam War was a vicious conflict predominately between the United States and Australia against The Viet Cong and The North Vietnamese. Initially the public supported the war, however the American president of the time, Lyndon B. Johnson, exaggerated how easy and worldwide the war was to attract further support. When he called for “more flags” to be represented in South Vietnam only the Philippines, the Republic of South Korea, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand indicated a willingness to contribute some form of military aid. By doing this “it enabled Johnson to portray the developing war as international to show it must be dealt with and gain support,” (Hastings, 2003). The outcome of the Vietnam War was ensured because the governments of the United States and Australia could not maintain their publics’ support due to the popular culture of the time. This was because much of the war was shown on television or other popular culture, so events like the Battle of Long Tan could be seen by families and people of all ages in their living rooms; this was the first time they could see how bad a war can actually be.
Johnson was put into office as the 36th president of the United States after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November of 1963, his first task was one close to his heart, which was to alleviate poverty and create what he called a “Great Society” for all Americans. This is where Medicare and the Head Start program came from which led to better healthcare, education, urban renewal, conservation and civil rights. Despite his amazing achievements at home in the US, he was also known very well for his failure to lead the nation out of the devastation of the Vietnam War which was travesty from 1954 to 1975. It was after this that he decided not to run for office again and he quietly retired to his ranch in Texas in January of 1969 (History.com Staff.
Richard Kinderdall, The New Deal as Watershed: The Recent Literature, The Journal of American History, Vol 54, No.4 March 1968 p.845
This brief biography of Lyndon Johnson outlined his life beginning in rural Texas and followed the ups and downs of his political career. It discusses his liberal, "active government" mentality and its implications on both domestic and foreign issues. Johnson was obviously a man who knew how to get things done but his "under the table" methods are brought into question in this book, although, in my opinion, Schulman presents a fairly positive portrayal of LBJ.
1968, the year of the Tet Offensive, was the peak of US involvement in the war. The Tet Offensive was a series of battles between the Communist and Anti-Communist forces in South Vietnam. Although it was a victory for the United States, public support decreased due to the number of casualties and struggle to win the offensive. President Johnson, in his comments on the Tet Offensive, bashed the public opinion (doc 4). He pointed out that in terms of numbers, the US and South Vietnamese had a huge victory. His point of view was simply from a statistical standpoint. But the public saw that many Vietnamese civilians were harmed and affected by the war. The Tet Offensive was the beginning of the decline of public support for the war, as well as decline in US involvement in the war due to the public opinion. In addition, President Johnson was losing support because of his stubborn foreign policy outlook. Robert Kennedy, the Senator of New York, was contemplating a presidential run to oppose the President 's Vietnam policy. In addition, Johnson was losing democratic primaries to Senator Eugene McCarthy, who also opposed Johnson’s Vietnam policy. The public support for McCarthy showed that the American people were now against participation in the Vietnam War. Soon after the Tet Offensive, President Johnson announced a slow decrease in bombings of North Vietnam, started to
During the great depression, then President, Herbert Hoover disappointed Americans. America was therefore ready for a change. In 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected as President. He pledged a “New Deal” for the country. According to Exploring American Histories, this New Deal would eventually “provide relief, put millions of people to work, raise price for farmers, extend conservation projects, revitalize America’s financial system and restore capitalism.”
After the Tet Offensive, more protests occurred demanding the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam. The protestors used it as fuel and began expanding their ideas to the rest of the United States. Even Johnson’s opposing party saw it as his lack of leadership with the army. The media was able to shift the opinions of the people one way or another. With the new information from the Tet Offensive, most people switched to the side of the anti-war
It is understandable that some Americans strongly opposed the United States getting involved in the Vietnam War. It had not been a long time since the end of World War II and simply put, most Americans were tired of fighting. Mark Atwood Lawrence is one of the people who opposed our involvement in the Vietnam War. In his essay, “Vietnam: A Mistake of Western Alliance”, Lawrence argues that the Vietnam War was unnecessary and that it went against our democratic policies, but that there were a lot of things that influenced our involvement.
Leuchtenburg, William. Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal. New York: Harper and Row. 1963.
Lyndon Johnson’s presidency was embroiled in foreign nations as was Madison’s. An advocator of the space program, Johnson and the leaders of Russia worked things out between their two nations. During Johnson’s presidency, Vietnam became his defining moment. Unfortunately, many people believe this to be his greatest failure. Never has a war seen more protests and draft dodgers. Even now, the word Vietnam leaves a rotten taste in people’s mouth. For Johnson in 1968, the United States joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, prohibiting the transfer of nuclear weapons to other nations and assisting other nations to join the nuclear arms race.
United States Senate. “Lyndon Baines Johnson.” U.S. & Senate: Art and History. https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/Lyndon_Johnson.htm (accessed May 2, 2014).
...untry to war at anytime and anywhere in the world. Because of this, the American people want to have confidence in its leader’s abilities. Plus, the actions of the President and his staff have a direct influence on the thoughts and perceptions of the people towards interference in foreign countries. Most people did not find the threat of Vietnam falling to communist rule as justification for the number of lives that were lost.
The life and presidency of Lyndon Baines Johnson could never be summed up in a word, a phrase or a sentence. Even hundreds of pages seem too few to capture the years of Johnson. Both books present Johnson as a political figure as powerful and memorable as Lincoln or FDR, each trying to show a complete picture of this huge man. History books will forever be puzzled by this enigma of a man, just as readers and students are. The biggest struggle is determining how one feels about the actions and effects of Johnson. Many presidents can be seen as almost completely "good" or "bad" depending on one's political ideology and opinions, however, when one looks at Johnson, it is easier, almost inevitable, to find nuances and contradictions which make forming straightforward and binary opinions difficult, if not impossible. Accomplishments are followed by nagging failures and triumphs are shadowed by relentless criticism. These two books (Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream by Doris Kearns Goodwin and A Life: LBJ by Irwin and Debi Unger) try to present a story of a figure that was larger-than-life, yet just a regular man underneath. Both books tell the story, but leave it up to the reader to decide how to feel, to decide if the good outweighs the bad and vice versa. They have to decide what to make of this man who, in his life, ranged from a confident young senator, a triumphant president, a defeated, tired leader, to ultimately just an old man hoping his story will live on.
My Grandmother was a young mother when Lyndon B. Johnson came to the presidency in a way that shocked the entire nation. Understandably, she most strongly remembers the image of young Jackie Kennedy standing on Air Force One, covered in her husband’s blood, as she watched Johnson take the Oath of Office. She also remembers various conspiracy theories at the time, claiming that after feeling held back by America’s Golden Boy, Kennedy, Johnson took it upon himself to have Kennedy assassinated. Aside from that, my Grandmother mostly remembers the horror that Johnson inflicted upon her own personal life with his involvement in the Vietnam War, or as my Grandmother still refers to it, “A war we knew we could not win.”