Chapter 22 Section 4
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Tumultuous: characterized by unrest or
disorder
The Tet Offensive Turns the War
Early in 1968, North Vietnam and the
Vietcong launch a surprise attack.
January 30 was the Vietnamese equivalent of
New Year’s the beginning of the lunar new
year festivities known in Vietnam as Tet.
That night the Vietcong launched an
overwhelming attack on over 100 towns and
cities in South Vietnam, as well as 12 U.S. air
bases.
They even attacked the U.S. embassy in
Saigon, killing five Americans.
The Tet offensive continued for about a
month before U.S. and South Vietnamese
forces regained control of the cities.
The Vietcong lost about 32,000 soldiers
during the month long battle, while the
American and ARVN forces lost little more
than 3,000
Chapter 22 Section 4
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The media and the public’s view of the
war sours.
The Tet offensive greatly shook the
American public, which had been told
repeatedly and had come to believe that
the enemy was close to defeat.
The Johnson administration’s credibility
gap suddenly widened to a point from
which it would never recover.
Chapter 22 Section 4
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In a matter of weeks, the Tet offensive
changed millions of minds about the
war.
Despite the years of antiwar protest, a
poll taken just before Tet showed that
only 28 percent of Americans called
themselves doves (Anti War) while 56
percent claimed to be hawks (Pro War).
After Tet, both sides tallied 40 percent.
The mainstream media, which had
reported the war in a skeptical but
generally balanced way, now openly
criticized the war.
By February, Johnson’s popularity has
plummeted. In public opinion polls
taken at the end of February 1968,
nearly 60 percent of Americans
disapproved of his handling of the war.
Chapter 22 Section 4
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In March President Johnson announces
a dramatic change in Vietnam policy
and bows out of presidential race.
Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy
are assassinated.
On June 4, Kennedy won the crucial
California primary.
Just after midnight of June 5, Kennedy
gave a victory speech at a Los Angeles
hotel. On his way out he passed
through the hotel’s kitchen, where a
young Palestinian immigrant, Sirhan
Sirhan, was hiding with a gun. Sirhan,
who later said he was angered by
Kennedy’s support of Israel, fatally shot
the senator.
Meanwhile, Campus protests surge
around the nation. During the first six
months of 1968, almost 40,000 students
on more than 100 campuses took part in
more than 200 major demonstrations.
Chapter 22 Section 4
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A Turbulent Race for
President
Protests spark rioting during
the Democratic National
Convention.
The convention, which
featured a bloody riot
between protesters and
police, fractured the
Democratic Party and thus
helped a nearly forgotten
Republican win the White
House, Richard Nixon.
Chapter 22 Section 4
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Delegates bitterly debate an
antiwar plank to platform.
Vice President Hubert
Humphrey wins the
nomination.
Republican Richard Nixon
wins the election over
Humphrey (Democrat) and
George Wallace (Third Party
Candidate) Wallace was a
democrat running on an
independent ticket.
Nixon eventually would end
America’s involvement in
Vietnam, but not before his
war policies created even
more protest and uproar
within the country.
Chapter 22 Section 4 Quiz
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1.) When was the Tet offensive?
a. January 30, 1965
b. January 30, 1968
c. January 1, 1968
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2.) How did the Tet offensive get its name?
a. Tet stands for battle in the Vietnamese
language
b. Tet stands for Communism in the Vietnamese
language
c. Tet stands for the beginning of the Lunar New
Year in Vietnam
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3.) How many South Vietnamese cities were
attacked during the Tet offensive?
a. Over 100
b. Over 200
c. Over 300
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4.) What was the capital of South Vietnam?
a. Saigon
b. Seoul
c. Hanoi
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5.) How long did the Tet offensive last?
a.) About a month
b.) About a week
c.) About a year
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6.) How many U.S. Air bases were attacked
during the Tet offensive?
a. 2
b. 12
c. 22
7.) What happened to American’s view of the
war?
a. Americans now wanted to end the war
b. Americans were upset and wanted to defeat
the Vietcong more than before
c. Americans wanted to increase the amount of
troops in Vietnam
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8.) What happened to Johnson’s popularity as a
result of the Tet offensive?
a. People disapproved of the way he was
handling the war
b. People approved of the way he was handling
the war
c. The media mostly defended Johnson
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9.) What was a dove in the Vietnam war?
a. A person who was Anti War
b. A person who was Pro War
c. A person who neutral on the War
10.) What was a hawk in the Vietnam War?
a. A person who was Anti War
b. A person who was Pro War
c. A person who neutral on the War
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Chapter 22 Section 4 Quiz con’t.
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11.) Name one thing that happened in the presidential campaign of 1968?
a. President Johnson won the Democratic nomination
b. President Johnson pulled out of the Presidential election
c. Richard Nixon won the Democratic nomination
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12.) What shot Robert Kennedy?
a. Jack Ruby
b. Medgar Evars
c. Sirhan Sirhan
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13.) What reason did Robert Kennedy’s assassin give for killing him?
a. He was upset about Kennedy supporting Israel
b. He was upset about Kennedy supporting South Vietnam
c. He was upset about Kennedy supporting the Viet Cong
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14.) Who else was assassinated in 1968?
a. John F. Kennedy
b. Malcolm X
c. Martin Luther King Jr.
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15.) Who won the 1968 presidential election?
a. Hubert Humphrey
b. Richard Nixon
c. Lyndon Johnson