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In 1955, African American woman Rosa Parks refused to walk to the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama, and instead sat at the front.  It was customary in the South at the time for blacks to sit at the back of the bus, leaving the seats at the front of the bus for whites.  Rosa Park defied this rule.  When authorities removed her from the bus, this sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott that lasted over a year from 1955 into 1956, until the Supreme Court ended this segregation on buses.

In 1955, African American woman Rosa Parks refused to walk to the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama, and instead sat at the front.  It was customary in the South at the time for blacks to sit at the back of the bus, leaving the seats at the front of the bus for whites.  Rosa Park defied this rule.  When authorities removed her from the bus, this sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott that lasted over a year from 1955 into 1956, until the Supreme Court ended this segregation on buses.

In 1957, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and began to emerge as a leader in what became known as the Civil Rights Movement.  Rev. King advocated nonviolent resistance by African Americans, culminating in a speech to a massive crowd of 250,000 that marched on Washington for civil rights in 1963.  Rev. King's speech, known as "I Have a Dream," was delivered from the base of the Lincoln Memorial and relied on passages in the Bible to urge an end to discrimination based on race.  Rev. King was tragically assassinated in Memphis in 1968.

In 1957, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and began to emerge as a leader in what became known as the Civil Rights Movement.  Rev. King advocated nonviolent resistance by African Americans, culminating in a speech to a massive crowd of 250,000 that marched on Washington for civil rights in 1963.  Rev. King's speech, known as "I Have a Dream," was delivered from the base of the Lincoln Memorial and adapted passages in the Bible to urge an end to discrimination based on race.  Rev. King was tragically assassinated in Memphis in 1968.

The early Civil Rights Movement drew much of its strength and inspiration from Christian values; many of the members were evangelical Christians, and the movement relied heavily on churches to provide the organization and manpower to achieve their foals.  Historians have characterized the early Civil Rights Movement as a fundamentally Christian, conservative movement that could not have come about in the more liberal north.<ref>http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2003/11/noteworthy.htm</ref>   

The early Civil Rights Movement drew much of its strength and inspiration from Christian values; many of the members were evangelical Christians, and the movement relied heavily on churches to provide the organization and manpower to achieve their foals.  Historians have characterized the early Civil Rights Movement as a fundamentally Christian, conservative movement that could not have come about in the more liberal north.<ref>http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2003/11/noteworthy.htm</ref>   

The United States entered this war on the side of South Vietnam against the communist North Vietnamese, who were backed by China and the Soviet Union.  America won every battle we fought.  But in the jungle warfare, we were not any closer to winning the war after years of struggle.

The United States entered this war on the side of South Vietnam against the communist North Vietnamese, who were backed by China and the Soviet Union.  America won every battle we fought.  But in the jungle warfare, we were not any closer to winning the war after years of struggle.

President Johnson mishandled everything about the war.  He became obsessed with bombing North Vietnam, but would not let our generals win the war completely.  Instead, LBJ insisted on ordering some bombing raids here and there without doing what was necessary to win the war.  Later politicians swore that we should never repeat the mistake of Vietnam, which means we should never enter a war unless we are committed to doing what is necessary to win it.  Later Presidents also avoided Johnson’s mistake of dictating detailed military strategy from the White House.

President Johnson mishandled everything about the war.  He became obsessed with bombing North Vietnam, but would not let our generals win the war completely.  Instead, LBJ insisted on ordering some bombing raids that he wanted, without doing what was necessary to win the war.  Later politicians swore that we should never repeat the mistake of Vietnam, which means we should never enter a war unless we are committed to doing what is necessary to win it.  Future Presidents also avoided Johnson’s mistake of dictating detailed military strategy from the White House.

 

We did not run the war any better under President Richard Nixon, who was the next president after Johnson.  We would win a battle and then our leaders, particularly Nixon's top adviser and future Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, would call for a "cease-fire" to discuss settlement.  But the communists had no intention of settling, and they would just use the cease-fires to obtain replacement of all their ammunition and supplies from China and the Soviet Union.  Some of our military leaders could have done better also.  Many of our planes were shot down early in the war, including the one carrying John McCain, and it took years before we improved and better protected our pilots.  We did not anticipate or sweep the territory for land mines as well as we do today, although the jungle in Vietnam made that more difficult than in a desert.

The war, and particularly the draft, became hugely unpopular.  Americans, particularly students, began protesting the war.  They caused disruption at colleges.  The protests became bigger and bigger.  At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968, hippies caused massive riots that were brutally suppressed by the tough Chicago Democratic Mayor Richard Daley, which was a political disaster for the Democratic Party.  The "Chicago Seven," the hippie ringleaders of the riots, were convicted for disrupting the convention but their convictions were overturned on appeal.  Democrats had hoped to nominate Robert Kennedy, the brother of the late President John Kennedy, but Robert Kennedy was assassinated in June by a disgruntled immigrant from the Middle East (Jordan).  The Democrats then nominated Vice President Hubert Humphrey instead.  (President Johnson himself had pulled out of the race after the first primary in New Hampshire, when he fared poorly due to unhappiness within his own Party about the war.)

The war, and particularly the draft, became hugely unpopular.  Americans, particularly students, began protesting the war.  They caused disruption at colleges.  The protests became bigger and bigger.  At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968, hippies caused massive riots that were brutally suppressed by the tough Chicago Democratic Mayor Richard Daley, which was a political disaster for the Democratic Party.  The "Chicago Seven," the hippie ringleaders of the riots, were convicted for disrupting the convention but their convictions were overturned on appeal.  Democrats had hoped to nominate Robert Kennedy, the brother of the late President John Kennedy, but Robert Kennedy was assassinated in June by a disgruntled immigrant from the Middle East (Jordan).  The Democrats then nominated Vice President Hubert Humphrey instead.  (President Johnson himself had pulled out of the race after the first primary in New Hampshire, when he fared poorly due to unhappiness within his own Party about the war.)

The United States began looking for ways to get out of the war.  When we finally pulled out completely in 1973, the South Vietnamese clung to the wheels or landing gear of the last airplanes and helicopters, begging to leave with us.  North Vietnam eventually conquered South Vietnam after we left (Saigon fell to the communists in 1975), and created the new communist country of Vietnam that exists to this day.

The United States began looking for ways to get out of the war.  When we finally pulled out completely in 1973, the South Vietnamese clung to the wheels or landing gear of the last airplanes and helicopters, begging to leave with us.  North Vietnam eventually conquered South Vietnam after we left (Saigon fell to the communists in 1975), and created the new communist country of Vietnam that exists to this day.

Humphrey lost the presidential election to Republican Richard Nixon, who was nominated at a peaceful convention in 1968 in Miami (which your teacher attended, and where he met Nixon in person).

Humphrey lost the presidential election in 1968 to Republican Richard Nixon, who campaigned by promising to end the war based on his secret plan.  Nixon was nominated at a peaceful Republican national convention in 1968 in Miami (which your teacher attended, where he met Nixon in person).

President Nixon did not handle the war any better than Johnson had.   

Once President, Nixon did not handle the war any better than Johnson had.   

In 1969, Nixon tried "Vietnamization", which consisted of America giving planes to South Vietnam so it could defend itself against the communists; this strategy was unsuccessful.  Also in 1969, news reports from Vietnam shocked the nation with a story about how American soldiers had murdered villagers in the "My Lai Massacre."  The story was that our soldiers would unsuccessfully look for North Vietnamese, known as "Viet Cong," but in their frustration with trying to find the real enemy would allegedly kill innocent people instead.

In 1969, Nixon tried "Vietnamization", which consisted of America giving planes to South Vietnam so it could defend itself against the communists; this strategy was unsuccessful.  Also in 1969, news reports from Vietnam shocked the nation with a story about how American soldiers had murdered villagers in the "My Lai Massacre."  The story was that our soldiers would unsuccessfully look for North Vietnamese, known as "Viet Cong," but in their frustration with trying to find the real enemy would allegedly kill innocent people instead.

At Kent State University in 1970, peaceful protesters were shot at by National Guardsmen and several were killed.  Unrest continued.  The United States began looking for ways to get out of the war in any way possible.

At Kent State University in 1970, peaceful protesters were shot at by National Guardsmen and several were killed.  Unrest continued.  The United States began looking for ways to get out of the war in any way possible.

Henry Kissinger, a foreign-born adviser to Nixon who essentially ran the Nixon Administration, settled the war in the Paris peace talks in 1972 and 1973 on terms that required the United States to pull out and let Vietnam fall to the communists.  A decade later, a memorial was built in D.C. that commemorates those who gave their lives.  Some say that the fighting was not in vain, because it slowed down the growth of communism long enough to save the neighboring countries until the Soviet Union itself collapsed.

Henry Kissinger, a foreign-born adviser to Nixon who essentially ran the Nixon Administration, repeatedly made the mistake of calling for a "cease-fire" to discuss settlement, during which the communists would use the cease-fires to obtain replacement of all their ammunition and supplies from China and the Soviet Union.  Kissinger finally settled the war in the Paris peace talks in 1972 and 1973 by giving the communists everything they wanted, including a complete pull out by the United States.  Vietnam then fell to the communist takeover.   

 

A decade later, a memorial was built in D.C. that commemorates those who gave their lives.  Some say that the fighting was not in vain, because it slowed down the growth of communism long enough to save the neighboring countries until the Soviet Union itself collapsed.  Future presidential candidate John McCain (nominated by Republicans in 2008, but who then lost to Obama) was a prisoner of war (POW) for many years of the war, before being released back to the United States.

To avoid a repeat of involvement in a war without a formal declaration of war, as happened in the Vietnam War (and in the Korean War), Congress passed the War Powers Act in 1973.  It requires that the President obtain the approval of Congress within 60 days of using troops in battle in a foreign conflict.

To avoid a repeat of involvement in a war without a formal declaration of war, as happened in the Vietnam War (and in the Korean War), Congress passed the War Powers Act in 1973.  It requires that the President obtain the approval of Congress within 60 days of using troops in battle in a foreign conflict.