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How did American citizens react to the Vietnam War?
Despite the growing antiwar movement, a silent majority of Americans still supported the Vietnam effort. Many admitted that involvement was a mistake, but military defeat was unthinkable. When Richard Nixon was inaugurated in January 1969, the nation was bitterly divided over what course of action to follow next.
Why were the Americans worried about the Vietnam War?
China had become communist in 1949 and communists were in control of North Vietnam. The USA was afraid that communism would spread to South Vietnam and then the rest of Asia. It decided to send money, supplies and military advisers to help the South Vietnamese Government.
What was happening in Vietnam in 1967?
April 1967: Huge Vietnam War protests occur in Washington, D.C., New York City and San Francisco. November 1967: In the Battle of Dak To, U.S. and South Vietnamese forces resist an offensive by communist forces in the Central Highlands. The United States forces suffer some 1,800 casualties.
What war was happening in 1967?
January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of the Republic of Vietnam troops launch Operation Deckhouse Five in the Mekong Delta. January 8 – Vietnam War: Operation Cedar Falls starts.
How did some Americans oppose the Vietnam War?
Many Americans opposed the war on moral grounds, appalled by the devastation and violence of the war. Others claimed the conflict was a war against Vietnamese independence, or an intervention in a foreign civil war; others opposed it because they felt it lacked clear objectives and appeared to be unwinnable.
What was the approval rating for the Vietnam War in 1967?
Polling in 1967 itself rarely addressed these protests, though the exception indicated approval was likely low. In a December Harris poll, 40% of Americans didn’t think people who were against the war in Vietnam even had the right to undertake peaceful demonstrations against the war.
When did people start to doubt the Vietnam War?
In December 1966, only 15% of Americans had thought the war would be over by the end of 1967. That pessimism proved prophetic. Protests against involvement in the war began to increase in size and frequency during 1967, culminating in 100,000 people gathering in Washington DC in October.
When did Americans turn against the Vietnam War?
Bombarded by horrific images of the war on their televisions, Americans on the home front turned against the war as well: In October 1967, some 35,000 demonstrators staged a massive Vietnam War protest outside the Pentagon.
What was the war in Vietnam in 1967?
In Vietnam, no one called 1967 the Summer of Love. With half a million US troops on the ground and almost twice that number of allies, the year was to see the largest-scale battles in the conflict so far.