teambadass

How did the progressive movement of the 60’s spur the New Right during this time?

-How did Nixon improve relations between communist China and the United States during his presidency

The People’s Republic of China was a very feared country during the late 1960’s. Americans had no idea what modern day Chinese culture was like. This would have been a continual trend if it weren’t for the 31st World Table Tennis Championships. Held in Japan, the championship drew athletes from all around the world to compete. During this time there was an unexpected meeting between an American player Glen Cowan and a Chinese player Zhuang Zedong. The encounter ultimately equated to Zhuang hesitantly approaching Glen on a bus and giving him a silk portrait of Huangshan Mountains. With news reports of the event quickly spreading, Mao Zedong proceeded by inviting the American team to China. On April 10, 1971, nine American players, four officials, and two spouses stepped across a bridge from Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland and then spent nearly a week playing matches, touring the Great Wall and Summer Palace, and watching a ballet. This paved the way to Nixon’s famous visit to Beijing.

What led to the beginning of “Black Power” and what were their beliefs?

Group 1: What was the goal of “massive retaliation” and how did it take advantage of American power?

Kent State Shooting: Due to protests

Protests against the Vietnam war were very apparent amongst colleges as students rallied together in what was mostly peaceful protests. However, things took a turn for the worst and fell into complete chaos on May 4th, 1970 at Kent State University. During Nixon’s solution of Vietnamization, which was the process of replacement of U.S soldiers with South Vietnamese soldiers to prevent Vietnam from communism, Nixon continued to bomb and raid neighboring areas such as Cambodia and Laos. On April 30, 1970, with the announcement of the Cambodia invasion by American troops, Nixon called for a draft of 150,000 American soldiers to continue the war efforts in Vietnam. Amongst countless other universities, Kent State began to hold protests. To demonstrate their frustration and anger with the events of the time, Kent students set fire to the ROTC building, which lead to the arrival of 900 National Guardsmen on campus. On May 4th, chaos occurred as twenty-eight Guardsmen opened fire on the protestors, leading to the death of four and wounding nine. After the shooting, almost five hundred colleges were reported shutdown or disrupted by protestors begging for justice. Finally, the Grand Jury indicted eight National Guardsmen, but due to lack of evidence the charges were dropped. The Kent State tragedy evoked national attention, overshadowing the shooting at Jackson State, an all black school in Mississippi. Due to student protests, police and highway patrol opened fire in a dorm, leading to two deaths and nine injuries. Similar to Kent State there was no justice for the students due to a lack of evidence. These student protests demonstrated the pandemonium of the Vietnam War abroad and the effects it had on U.S soil.

1. In what ways did the popularization of literature such as  “The Lonely Crowd” affect views on 1950s conformity?

To what degree was the US’s involvement in the Cold War fueled by their own economic interests?

Chapter 14:

Was the Vietnam war a tragic blunder, a noble cause, or one of the costs of American leadership of the so-called “Free World” or western alliance? What alternative choices might the American leaders have made, considering the range of the international problems they faced? How did the war affect the nation’s people and government?

According to President Eisenhower, the involvement in the Vietnam War was a noble cause and service to the “free world” considering Indochina’s available resources. His fears were that losing one country to Communism could spark a chain reaction, or “falling dominoes” effect on other countries in the region, that would follow suit as a way to protect their economic survival. Some people say that other choices didn’t exist. Simply folding and cutting their losses were not feasible because of the Cold War. This continues to be debated among scholars, historians, and the American people alike. There were many steps that took place before the US ultimately went to Vietnam. The so-called Cold War was in fact quite heated in many parts of the world. Indochina was a constant battleground with superpowers jockeying for position. The French sought to keep heavy influence in Vietnam, beyond their efforts during WWII . Ho Chi Minh, a communist leader in Vietnam, wrote to President Truman and asked for support in their fight for independence. Minh explained his grievances and requested similar help, just as the US granted the Philippines. However, President Truman ignored this request and he backed the French who were perceived to be an allied force with future benefit. The US funded France from 1950-1954 until the French failed in Vietnam.

The American leaders ignored the warning signs such as Undersecretary of State George Ball telling President Johnson directly that the US cannot win a fight in the jungle using guerrilla warfare. These sentiments were echoed in the voices of the American people. Anti-war activism grew wildly across college campuses, thanks to anti-war songs and other actions of the peace movement. By 1970, the majority of Americans considered the US military action a mistake, but when the troops finally came home they would have to wait a decade before a proper homecoming.

  Here is a video I found when I was researching this particular song. This video was made by two individuals for another history class and I thought I would share their work.

 

http://datab.us/nVZAum4MWyE#Godspeed – The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus – Tied into Vietnam

Chapter 6 source posts