Part III

Fighting for Peace: Vietnam and the Antiwar Movement

In this part . . .

The Vietnam War was tragic not only for its loss of life on all sides, but also because it tore the United States apart, as perhaps no other event had ever done. Although U.S. history in the region went as far back as World War II, it wasn’t until the 1960s that the United States became actively involved. Because of the cold war against Commu- nism, the U.S. government wanted to stop Communism in Asia, and thus was committed to helping bolster the anti-Communist regime in South Vietnam. However, because of internal problems, the South Vietnamese required increasingly more assistance.

The United States first helped the South Vietnamese with arms and advisors, and by the middle of the decade, was actually sending troops to fight the war. For the first time since the Civil War, a large number of Americans vocally opposed the war effort. Students, angered at the draft, fired with indignation at an unjust war, and encouraged and empowered by successes in the civil rights movement, protested loudly and visibly, gathering numerous supporters. In the end, the Vietnam War so divided the country that it unseated a president. The war didn’t end until 1973, after much agony, at home and abroad. In this part, we trace the war escalation through 1968 and the Tet Offensive, a major turning point, we examine the antiwar movement, and we detail Nixon’s attempts at deescalating the conflict.