Anti-War DemonstrationsAnti-War Demonstrations

May 4, May 4, 19701970

4 students 4 students shot dead.shot dead.

11 11 students students woundedwounded

Kent State UniversityKent State University

Jackson StateJackson StateUniversityUniversity

May 10, 1970May 10, 1970

2 dead; 12 2 dead; 12 woundedwounded

Nixon on VietnamNixon on VietnamNixon on VietnamNixon on Vietnam

NixonNixon’’s 1968 Campaign s 1968 Campaign promised an end to the war: promised an end to the war: Peace with HonorPeace with Honor Appealed to the great Appealed to the great

““Silent MajoritySilent Majority”” VietnamizationVietnamization Expansion of the Expansion of the

conflict conflict The The ““Secret WarSecret War”” CambodiaCambodia LaosLaos

Agent OrangeAgent Orange(chemical defoliant)(chemical defoliant)

““Pentagon Papers,Pentagon Papers,”” 19711971

““Pentagon Papers,Pentagon Papers,”” 19711971

Former defense analyst Former defense analyst Daniel EllsbergDaniel Ellsbergleaked govt. docs. regarding war efforts leaked govt. docs. regarding war efforts during Johnsonduring Johnson’’s administration to the s administration to the New York TimesNew York Times..

Docs.Docs. Govt. misled Congress & Amer. Govt. misled Congress & Amer. People regarding its intentions in People regarding its intentions in Vietnam during mid-1960s.Vietnam during mid-1960s. Primary reason for fighting not to Primary reason for fighting not to

eliminate communism, but eliminate communism, but to avoid to avoid humiliating defeathumiliating defeat. .

New York Times v. United StatesNew York Times v. United States (1971) (1971) **

The Ceasefire, The Ceasefire, 19731973

The Ceasefire, The Ceasefire, 19731973

Peace is at handPeace is at hand Kissinger, 1972 Kissinger, 1972 North Vietnam attacks SouthNorth Vietnam attacks South Most Massive U.S. bombing Most Massive U.S. bombing

commencescommences

1973: Ceasefire signed between1973: Ceasefire signed between U.S., South Vietnam, & North VietnamU.S., South Vietnam, & North Vietnam

Peace with honorPeace with honor (President Nixon) (President Nixon)

The Ceasefire, The Ceasefire, 19731973

The Ceasefire, The Ceasefire, 19731973

Conditions:Conditions:1.1.U.S. to remove all troopsU.S. to remove all troops2.2.North Vietnam could leave North Vietnam could leave

troops already in S.V.troops already in S.V.3.3.North Vietnam would resume North Vietnam would resume

warwar4.4.No provision for POWs or MIAsNo provision for POWs or MIAs

Last American troops left South Last American troops left South Vietnam on March 29, 1973Vietnam on March 29, 1973

1975: North Vietnam defeats South 1975: North Vietnam defeats South VietnamVietnam

Saigon renamed Saigon renamed Ho Chi Minh CityHo Chi Minh City

The Fall of Saigon

The Fall of Saigon

America Abandons Its America Abandons Its EmbassyEmbassy

April 30, 1975April 30, 1975

The ImpactThe ImpactThe ImpactThe Impact

2626thth Amendment Amendment: 18-year-olds : 18-year-olds votevote

Nixon abolished the draftNixon abolished the draft all-volunteer armyall-volunteer army

War Powers Act, War Powers Act, 19731973 ٭٭ President must notify Congress within President must notify Congress within

48 hours of deploying military force48 hours of deploying military force President must withdraw forces unless President must withdraw forces unless

he gains Congressional approval he gains Congressional approval within 90 dayswithin 90 days

Disregard for Veterans Disregard for Veterans seen as seen as ““baby killersbaby killers””

POW/MIA issue lingeredPOW/MIA issue lingered

Economic Slow DownEconomic Slow Down• Stagflation – Lower GDP WITH inflation (cause:

Oil Shortage)– 1973 Yom Kippur War (Egypt & Syria attack Israel).

OPEC is created and “shuts off” supply of oil to US. – Increase in unskilled work force– New Safety Regulations (costs businesses money)– Shift from Manufacturing to Services– Vietnam War – Gov’t spending => Inflation– Germany and Japan emerge with

industrialization (Thanks to US $)

Nixon’s Détente with Nixon’s Détente with BeijingBeijing

(Peking) and Moscow(Peking) and Moscow• 1972 – Nixon made 3 important

agreements with China and USSR• The Great Grain Deal

– 3-year agreement to sell USSR $750 million worth of grain

• Anti-ballistic missile (ABM) treaty• Limited each side to 2 clusters of defensive missiles

• Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALTI)• Freezing of number of nuclear missiles for 5 years• Limit # of antiballistic missiles to 200

A New Team on theA New Team on theSupreme BenchSupreme Bench

• The Warren Court– Warren (Gov of CA) made chief justice in 1953

by Eisenhower– Made series of decisions that drastically

increased rights of individual freedom• Escobedo v. Illinois (1964)

– Required police to inform an arrested person of right to remain silent

• Miranda v. Arizona (1966)– Extended Escobedo decision to include right to

a lawyer being present during questioning by police

A New Team on theA New Team on theSupreme BenchSupreme Bench

• Engel v. Vitale (1962) and School District of Abington Township v. Schempp (1963)– Court used First Amendment to prohibit

required prayers (Engel) and Bible reading (Schempp) in public schools

A New Team on theA New Team on theSupreme BenchSupreme Bench

• Conservatives had criticized the Court since 1954 (Brown decision)– Critics thought they ignored the Constitution in favor of

social values

• Nixon undertook to change Court’s philosophical makeup– Strict interpretation of Constitution– Stop “meddling” in social and political questions– “Southern strategy” – tried to nominate 2 judges from South –

opposed busing

• End of 1971 – Nixon had appointed 4 (of 9) conservative members, including new chief justice Warren Burger

• The Burger Court– Reluctant to undo the “liberal” rulings of Warren Court– Issued most controversial decision of modern times, legalizing

abortion

A New Team on theA New Team on theSupreme BenchSupreme Bench

• Roe v. Wade– State laws restricted abortion except to protect life of

mother– 1973 – court agreed that women had right to abortion

(right to privacy in her own body)• Fetus had to be “viable” (able to live outside of the

womb) before it could receive protection of the state“Everybody should have a birthday!”

Nixon on the Home FrontNixon on the Home Front• Nixon as a “liberal” – “New Federalism” – Fed $ given to

state/local governments.– EPA, OSHA– Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act– Consumer Products Safety Commission– Greatly expanded existing social welfare programs

• Food Stamps, Medicaid, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)

• Affirmative action– Philadelphia Plan- Required federal construction contracts to have

“goals” for hiring minorities. Soon applied to all federal contracts.– Supreme Court in Griggs v. Duke Power Co. (1971)

• Strongly suggested that the only sure protection against charges of discrimination was to establish quotas for minorities in proportion to their numbers in the population

• Effects of policy of affirmative action– Opened job and educational opportunities for minorities and women– Opened storm of criticism from critics who called it “reverse

discrimination”

The Nixon Landslide of The Nixon Landslide of 19721972

• Foreign policy dominated the campaign of 1972– 4 years since Nixon had

promised to end the war

• Democrats nominated George McGovern– Promised to pull all US troops

out in 90 days– Appealed to antiwar people,

racial minorities, feminists, leftists, youth

– Alienated Democratic base: working-class

– VP Candidate T. Eagleton was mentally unstable and was replaced.

The Nixon Landslide of The Nixon Landslide of 19721972

• Nixon’s campaign– He had wound down the “Democratic” war

• Troop levels went from 540,000 to 30,000

– 12 days before the election• Kissinger announced that a peace agreement would

come within a few days – “Peace is at hand”

• Nixon won the election in a landslide– McGovern had counted on large numbers of

young people• Fewer than 1/2 even registered to vote

The Nixon Landslide of The Nixon Landslide of 19721972

““Don’t blame me, I’m from Massachusetts”Don’t blame me, I’m from Massachusetts”

Watergate WoesWatergate Woes

• June 17, 1972 – 5 men arrested in Watergate apartment-office complex– Trying to bug the Democratic headquarters– Revealed they were working for Committee for

the Re-election of the President (CREEP)

• Other “dirty tricks” Nixon carried out against enemies– Forging documents to discredit Democrats– Used IRS to harass people on “enemies list”– Using FBI and CIA to prevent investigations

Great Tape ControversyGreat Tape Controversy

• 1973 – 1974 – Senate committee conducted televised hearings about Watergate– Nixon denied any prior knowledge of the break-in or any

involvement in legal proceedings against the burglars– John Dean accused president and others in White House

of trying to cover up Watergate and silence the burglars– Another aid revealed existence of secret taping system

in White House (that could verify Dean’s testimony)– Nixon refused to produce the tapes– Bernstein & Woodward of Washington D.C. “break” the

story – Deep Throat informant – FBI W. Mark Felt (2005)

Great Tape ControversyGreat Tape Controversy

• Vice President Spiro Agnew– October 1973 – forced to

resign for taking bribes • Congress used 25th

amendment (president nominated a successor and both houses confirmed him)– Replaced Agnew with

Gerald Ford, congressman from Michigan

Great Tape ControversyGreat Tape Controversy

• October 20, 1973 – “Saturday Night Massacre”– Nixon fired his own special prosecutor

appointed to investigate Watergate– He also accepted the resignation of his

attorney general and deputy attorney general because they refused to go along with the firing

The Unmaking of a The Unmaking of a PresidentPresident

• Spring 1974 –House Judiciary demanded Watergate tapes– Nixon finally agreed to publication of

“relevant” parts of the tapes, with many parts missing

• July 24, 1974 – Supreme Court unanimously ruled that “executive privilege” gave president no right to withhold evidence relating to possible criminal activity

The Unmaking of a The Unmaking of a PresidentPresident

• Nixon made 3 tapes public of conversations with an aide on June 23, 1972 (was forced to)– One contained Nixon ordering the aide to use the CIA to

impede an inquiry by the FBI• Convicted Nixon of being active part of the cover-up

• House Judiciary Drew up articles of impeachment– Obstruction of justice, abuse of power as president,

contempt of Congress

• Nixon resigns– Republican leaders in Congress informed Nixon that

impeachment was inevitable– August 8, 1974 – Nixon announced his resignation on TV

• Admitted some “judgments” that “were wrong”• But claimed he had always acted “in what I believed at that

time to be the best interests of the nation”

““Our long national nightmare is over. Our Our long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works; our great Republic is a Constitution works; our great Republic is a

government of laws and not of men.”government of laws and not of men.”—Gerald R. Ford —Gerald R. Ford