The Vietnam War Era An Era of Protest

The Vietnam War Era & An Era of Protest and Change US History Unit #17 – Chapters 29 and 30

Ho Chi Minh The most important leader for Vietnamese independence; Born in 1890, Ho became involved in anti-French organizations as a young man. In 1912 he left Vietnam and traveled the world before ending up in Moscow, where he was trained in communist ideas. He returned to Vietnam after WWII, leading rebels to defeat the French in 1954, then continuing the fight against the United States.

Review Question #1 Which U. S. President refused to meet with Ho Chi Minh in Paris after World War I?

Dien Bien Phu French military base in northwest Vietnam in which Ho Chi Minh’s army, known as the Vietminh, trapped a large French garrison in 1954. After suffering 15, 000 casualties, the French surrendered. At a peace conference in Geneva in 1955 the Vietnamese agreed that their country would be divided in two: North Vietnam was to be ruled by Ho Chi Minh’s communists; South Vietnam, by an anticommunist government supported by the United States.

Review Question #2 Why was France’s military severely weakened by the 1950 s?

Closure Question #1: Identify one argument for and one argument against Truman’s decision to support the French rather than the Vietnamese nationalists. (At least 2 sentences) Vietnam thus became a pawn in Cold War politics. To ensure French support in the Cold War, Truman agreed to aid France’s efforts to regain control over Vietnam. After communist forces won the civil war in China in 1949, American increased its aid to the French in Vietnam. Truman did not want to see another communist victory in Asia. Between 1950 and 1954, the United States contributed $2. 6 billion to France’s war efforts. Containing Ho Chi Minh’s communist Vietminh – an abbreviation for the Independence of Vietnam – became a national priority. When President Dwight D. Eisenhower took office in early 1953, he continued Truman’s policies toward Vietnam. He sent monetary aid to the French, arguing that by battling Ho Chi Minh, they were containing the spread of communism. The domino theory was the idea that if Vietnam fell to communism, its closest neighbors would follow. This in turn would threaten Japan, the Philippines, and Australia. In short, stopping the communists in Vietnam was important to the protection of the entire region.

SEATO / Vietcong SEATO – Southeast Asia Treaty Organization; Alliance of seven Asian countries and the United States whose goal was to contain the spread of communism in Southeast Asia; Through SEATO the U. S. provided economic and military aid to South Vietnam. Vietcong – Communist guerrilla fighters within South Vietnam that wanted to unite Vietnam under a communist government. The Vietcong used surprise hit-and-run tactics to assassinate government officials and destroy roads and bridges, weakening support of the anti-communist government led by Ngo Dinh Diem.

Review Question #3 What was the European equivalent of SEATO?

Closure Question #2: What goals motivated President Kennedy’s policy decisions regarding Vietnam? (At least 1 sentence) After his election in 1960, President John F. Kennedy took a more aggressive stand against the communists in Vietnam. Beginning in 1961, he sent Special Forces troops to South Vietnam to advise the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) on more effective ways to fight the communist forces. By 1963, more than 15, 000 American “advisers” were fighting in Vietnam. Although U. S. advisers fought bravely and achieved some success, Diem continued to alienate South Vietnamese citizens. By late 1963, his regime was in shambles. Buddhists protested his restrictive policies, occasionally by setting themselves on fire. The Kennedy administration eventually concluded that South Vietnam needed new leadership. Working behind the scenes, Americans plotted with anti-Diem generals to overthrow Diem’s government. On November 1, 1963, Diem was removed from power and later assassinated.

Closure Question #3: How did the Maddox incident contribute to the outbreak of war? How did it lead to a change in the balance of power in the American government? (At least 2 sentences) Gulf of Tonkin Resolution On August 2, 1964 a North Vietnamese torpedo boat fired on the American destroyer USS Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam. Congress passed the resolution, authorizing the use of American military force in Vietnam, giving President Johnson the power to commit U. S. troops to the area to “defend American troops”, though an official war had not been declared.

Review Question #4 In the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which Branch of the U. S. government exercised command over the U. S. military, taking the country into war without asking the other 2 branches for permission?

Closure Assignment #1 Answer the following questions based on what you have learned from Chapter 29, Section 1: 1. Identify one argument for and one argument against Truman’s decision to support the French rather than the Vietnamese nationalists. (At least 2 sentences) 2. What goals motivated President Kennedy’s policy decisions regarding Vietnam? (At least 1 sentence) 3. How did the Maddox incident contribute to the outbreak of war? How did it lead to a change in the balance of power in the American government? (At least 2 sentences)

William Westmoreland / Napalm & Agent Orange William Westmoreland – The American commander in South Vietnam; Along with Secretary of Defense Robert Mc. Namara, Westmoreland believed the U. S. needed to increase its military presence in Vietnam and do more of the fighting in order to defeat the Vietcong. Following Westmoreland’s advice, in 1965 President Johnson increased U. S. troop numbers to 180, 000 and authorized extensive bombing of North Vietnam. (a. k. a. Operation Rolling Thunder) Napalm – Jellied gasoline which was dropped in large canisters that exploded on impact, covering large areas with flames. Agent Orange – An herbicide designed to kill plant life; In Vietnam U. S. forces used Agent Orange to deforest the countryside and destroy enemy crops. Many scientists believe that Agent Orange causes cancer.

Review Question #5 What was the chemical known as “Agent Orange” originally designed to do?

Closure Question #1: What military strategies did the United States employ in Vietnam? How successful were these strategies? (At least 2 sentences) As airstrikes intensified, American ground troops landed in South Vietnam. On March 8, 1965, U. S. Marines arrived to defend the airbase at Da Nang. They were soon followed by other troops. The soldiers accepted a wide range of missions. Some guarded bases. Others conducted search-and-destroy missions to kill as many Vietcong guerrillas as they could. Helicopters ferried commandos to and from remote locations for quick strikes against enemy positions. Large-scale battles against Vietcong or North Vietnamese Army units were not typical of America’s strategy in Vietnam. American soldiers generally fought lightly armed Vietcong guerrillas in small engagements. The Vietcong traveled light, often carrying just a rifle and a few handfuls of rice. They dug tunnels to hide in during the day and emerged at night to ambush American patrols. They infiltrated American bases and set off explosives. They set booby traps that maimed and crippled American troops. Their strategy was to wear the Americans down. The leaders of North Vietnam and the Vietcong remained convinced that if they could avoid losing the war, the Americans would eventually leave. American strategy during this stage of the war yielded limited results. U. S. bombers did disrupt North Vietnamese industry and slow the movement of supplies to the Vietcong. But when the communists did not sue for peace. American troop commitments and battlefield deaths escalated rapidly. By the end of 1965, there were 184, 300 U. S. troops in Vietnam and only 636 American soldiers had died in the war. Three years later, there were more than a half million U. S. troops in Vietnam and the number of American dead had risen to more than 30, 000.

John Mc. Cain Born in 1936 into a military family, Mc. Cain graduated from the Naval Academy and became a jet pilot. While serving in Vietnam in 1967, his plane was shot down and he was held prisoner in North Vietnam for over 5 years. Following his release in 1973, Mc. Cain spent 8 more years in the Navy before becoming a politician.

Review Question #6 Was John Mc. Cain born in the United States of America?

Closure Question #2: What difficulties did American soldiers face in Vietnam? What effect did these difficulties have? (At least 2 sentences) American forces supported the survival and development of South Vietnam, which was besieged by the Vietcong and their North Vietnamese allies. In this fight, U. S. troops could never fully tell their friends from their enemies. Yet from the outset, they faced the dangers of Vietnam’s battlefields with dedication and bravery. Although American troops won numerous battles, they could not win the war outright. The problem was that the Vietcong and North Vietnamese avoided significant engagements. Rather than expose themselves to superior American firepower, the communists fought smaller skirmishes where their small-unit abilities and their knowledge of the landscape bettered their chances for victory. U. S. forces often had no alternative but to fight indecisive battles in the jungles, rice paddies, and mountains of Vietnam. Most of these battlefields abounded with natural cover. Clad in black pajamas, Vietcong gunmen would spring out of the dense foliage, attack with automatic rifles and grenades, and disappear back into the landscape. Much of the fighting took place at night, which reduced the effectiveness of American planes, artillery, and troops tactics.

Closure Question #3: How did the disagreements between hawks and doves reflect different views about war and world politics? (At least 2 sentences) Hawks / Doves Hawks – Conservative congressmen who supported President Johnson’s war policy in Vietnam due to their strong belief that communism needed to be contained. Doves – Liberal congressmen who opposed President Johnson’s war policy in Vietnam, questioning the war on both moral and strategic grounds. The doves argued that the conflict in Vietnam was a local civil war, not a vital Civil War battleground.

Review Question #7 Hawks believed that the United States needed to keep fighting in Vietnam to stop the spread of _____?

Closure Assignment #2 Answer the following questions based on what you have learned from Chapter 29, Section 2: 1. What military strategies did the United States employ in Vietnam? How successful were these strategies? (At least 2 sentences) 2. What difficulties did American soldiers face in Vietnam? What effect did these difficulties have? (At least 2 sentences) 3. How did the disagreements between hawks and doves reflect different views about war and world politics? (At least 2 sentences)

Closure Question #1: Identify three factors that led to the growth of the antiwar movement. Which do you think was the most important? (At least 1 sentence) Draftees / Deferments Draftees – Young men drafted into military service; By 1965, most of the troops sent to Vietnam were no longer volunteers, but instead were draftees. In total, the U. S. government drafted 1. 5 million men into military service during the Vietnam War. Deferments – A postponement of military service; According to the Selective Service Act of 1948, men who were in college or who worked in certain occupations could have their military service deferred. Critics argued that as a result of these policies minorities and the poor were bearing most of the military burden while the wealthy and white young men avoided military combat.

Review Question #8 Name one U. S. President who “dodged the draft” for the Vietnam War.

Closure Question #1: Identify three factors that led to the growth of the antiwar movement. Which do you think was the most important? (At least 1 sentence) Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) Founded in 1960 at the University of Michigan to campaign against racism and poverty. The SDS changed its focus in the mid-1960 s to campaign to end the war in Vietnam, organizing demonstrations against the war and encouraging draft-age males to sign “We Won’t Go” petitions.

Review Question #9 On what college campus was the SDS Organization established?

Closure Question #1: Identify three factors that led to the growth of the antiwar movement. Which do you think was the most important? (At least 1 sentence) “Credibility Gap” The American public’s growing distrust of statements made by the government; During the Vietnam War, President Johnson’s administration repeatedly issued optimistic statements regarding the conflict while journalists reporting from the battlefield painted a gruesome picture of death and destruction with no victory in sight.

Review Question #10 Name the U. S. President who repeatedly issued optimistic statements regarding the War in Vietnam during the

Closure Question #2: How did the military outcome of the Tet Offensive differ from its impact on the American people? (At least 2 sentences) In November 1967, President Johnson brought General Westmoreland home from Vietnam to address the nation’s concerns about the war. Westmoreland said that the Vietcong were declining in strength and could no longer mount a major offensive. As Westmoreland made his claims, however, the North Vietnamese and Vietcong were planning just such an attack. In early 1968, U. S. officials anticipated a communist offensive. As expected, on January 21, the North Vietnamese Army hit Khe Sanh in northwest South Vietnam. The Tet Offensive – named after the Vietnamese lunar new year – was a coordinated assault on 36 provincial capitals and 5 major cities, as well as the U. S. embassy in Saigon. The communists planned to take and hold the cities until the urban population took up arms in their support. They thought the Tet Offensive had a good chance of ending the war. The fighting was fierce, but in the end the American and South Vietnamese forces repelled the offensive and there was no popular uprising against the government of South Vietnam. Although U. S. forces won a tactical victory by preventing the Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army from achieving their primary objectives, the Tet Offensive was a strategic blow to the Americans. It demonstrated that the communists had not lost the will or the ability to fight on.

Eugene Mc. Carthy / Robert Kennedy Eugene Mc. Carthy – Democratic Minnesota Senator who ran for President in the Democratic Primary in 1968 as an antiwar candidate. Robert Kennedy – Democratic New York Senator, and younger brother of John F. Kennedy, who ran for President in the Democratic Primary in 1968. After winning the California primary on June 5, 1968, Kennedy was assassinated by Sirhan, leaving the Democratic Party without a clear front-runner for President going into its party convention.

Review Question #11 Name the assassin who murdered Senator Robert Kennedy in 1968.

Closure Question #3: What were the chief weaknesses of the Democrats in the 1968 election? How did these weaknesses aid the election of Richard Nixon? (At least 2 sentences) Chicago Democratic Convention (1968) With Johnson’s refusal to run for another term and Robert Kennedy’s assassination, Democratic delegates arrived in Chicago to choose a presidential candidate. After angry debate regarding the war, the delegates chose Hubert Humphrey, Johnson’s Vice-President and a War Hawk. News of the decision led to eruption of violence between anti-war protesters and Chicago police outside the convention. TV coverage of the violence and bitter arguments at the convention shocked Americans, who responded by electing the Republican presidential candidate, Richard Nixon. The Convention also marked the downfall of liberal control of the government and sparked a resurgence in conservative values in the United States, a trend which dominated American politics until 2008.

Review Question #12 The violence in the Chicago Democratic Convention led to the election of what Republican President?

Closure Assignment #3 Answer the following questions based on what you have learned from Chapter 29, Section 3: 1. Identify three factors that led to the growth of the antiwar movement. Which do you think was the most important? (At least 1 sentence) 2. How did the military outcome of the Tet Offensive differ from its impact on the American people? (At least 2 sentences) 3. What were the chief weaknesses of the Democrats in the 1968 election? How did these weaknesses aid the election of Richard Nixon? (At least 2 sentences)

Closure Question #1: How did Nixon redirect the peace process when he became President? Did his plan have the desired result? (At least 2 sentences) Vietnamization Policy for withdrawal from Vietnam presented by President Nixon; U. S. forces would withdraw as the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) assumed more combat duties. Though the hope of the policy was that the ARVN would be able to secure South Vietnam with aid from the U. S. behind the front lines, the reality was that the ARVN troops were outnumbered and outgunned without U. S. combat troops.

Review Question #13 The policy of Vietnamization sought to hand control of the fighting against communism in Vietnam to what group?

Closure Question #2: What impact did the events of 1970 and 1971 have on Nixon’s actions in Vietnam? (At least 1 sentence) Kent State University (May 1970) Following the U. S. bombing of communist supply lines in Cambodia, antiwar demonstrators protested at Kent State, throwing rocks and bottles at members of the National Guard. When one guardsman thought he heard a sniper’s shot, he fired his rifle, prompting other guardsmen to fire as well into a group of protesters, killing four youths. The killings led to increased protests nationwide.

Review Question #14 How many students were killed in the shootings at Kent State?

Closure Question #2: What impact did the events of 1970 and 1971 have on Nixon’s actions in Vietnam? (At least 1 sentence) My Lai / Pentagon Papers My Lai – (March 16 th, 1968) American troops led by Lieutenant William Calley shot and killed between four and five hundred unarmed civilians. Lt. Calley later said that he was following orders, but many soldiers present did not participate in the massacre. Life magazine published photos taken during the event in 1971, forcing the military to try Lt. Calley for his participation in the attack. The massacre, its coverup, and Calley’s trial fueled anti-war protest in the United States while tarnishing America’s international reputation. Pentagon Papers – Classified government history of American involvement in Vietnam which was leaked to the NY Times in 1971. The Papers revealed that American leaders involved the U. S. in Vietnam without fully informing the American people and occasionally lied to Congress.

Review Question #15 Approximately how many civilians were killed in the attack at My Lai?

Closure Question #2: What impact did the events of 1970 and 1971 have on Nixon’s actions in Vietnam? (At least 1 sentence) Paris Peace Accords (January 1973) Agreement signed by the United States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the Vietcong which ended U. S. involvement in Vietnam. The parties agreed to a cease fire, U. S. troop withdrawal from South Vietnam, and that POWs would be exchanged. However, North Vietnamese troops would remain in South Vietnam, and in the spring of 1975 the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to the communists, who unified Vietnam under one government.

Review Question #16 Fill in the Blank Four groups met at the Peace Conference in Paris: North Vietnam, South Vietnam, the United States and ____.

Closure Question #3: Which two effects of the Vietnam War do you think had the biggest long-term impact? (Explain your answer in at least 2 sentences) War Powers Act (1973) Restricts the President’s war-making powers by requiring him to consult with Congress within 48 hours of committing American forces to a foreign conflict. The law was passed as a result of the Vietnam War in an attempt to check the power of the Executive Branch regarding foreign policy and prevent future president’s from using the military as their own private army.

Review Question #17 According to the War Powers Act, how much time does the President have to consult with Congress after sending U. S. troops into battle?

Closure Assignment #4 Answer the following questions based on what you have learned from Chapter 29, Section 4: 1. How did Nixon redirect the peace process when he became President? Did his plan have the desired result? (At least 2 sentences) 2. What impact did the events of 1970 and 1971 have on Nixon’s actions in Vietnam? (At least 1 sentence) 3. Which two effects of the Vietnam War do you think had the biggest long-term impact? (Explain your answer in at least 2 sentences)

Henry Kissinger A German-born Jewish man, Kissinger and his family immigrated to the U. S. in 1938 at the age of 15 to escape Hitler’s persecution of Jews. Kissinger earned a Ph. D. at Harvard in 4 years and became Richard Nixon’s leading adviser on national security and international affairs, becoming Secretary of State in 1973.

Review Question #18 How many years did it take Henry Kissinger to earn his Ph. D. at Harvard?

Realpolitik (German for “real politics”) Nixon and Kissinger’s shared belief that political goals should be defined by concrete nationalist interests instead of abstract ideologies. Both argued that America needed to move past the Cold War stereotype of communism vs. democracy as evil vs. good, but instead recognize that communist nations could prove loyal allies while democratic nations could become enemies.

Review Question #19 What is the English translation of the German word “Realpolitik”?

Realpolitik

Closure Question #1: How did Nixon’s policy toward China reflect the philosophy of realpolitik? (At least 1 sentence) Zhou Enlai Chinese Premier who worked behind the scenes with Henry Kissinger to iron out sensitive issues in establishing a peaceful relationship between China and the United States. Zhou and Kissinger’s work culminated in a visit by President Richard Nixon to China in 1972 and the establishment of full diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1979.

Review Question #20 In what year did President Richard Nixon visit China for the first time?

Closure Question #2: Did Richard Nixon position the United States to win the Cold War? Why or Why not? (At least 1 sentence) Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty Otherwise known as SALT I, the treaty, agreed to by the U. S. and U. S. S. R. in 1972, froze the deployment of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) and placed limits on antiballistic missiles (ABMs). Though the agreement did not end the arms race between the U. S. and the U. S. S. R. , it was a giant step toward that goal.

Review Question #21 Fill in the Blank: SALT I was a treaty between the United States and ______.

Closure Question #3: Why did Nixon and Kissinger believe détente was a beneficial foreign policy? (At least 1 sentence) Detente U. S. Foreign policy during the 1970 s which aimed to ease Cold War tensions by relaxing the inflexible stance toward communism, replacing previous diplomatic efforts based on suspicion and distrust.

Review Question #22 The policy of Détente toward the Soviet Union was practiced in what decade?

Closure Assignment #5 Answer the following questions based on what you have learned from Chapter 29, Section 5: 1. How did Nixon’s policy toward China reflect the philosophy of realpolitik? (At least 1 sentence) 2. Did Richard Nixon position the United States to win the Cold War? Why or Why not? (At least 1 sentence) 3. Why did Nixon and Kissinger believe détente was a beneficial foreign policy? (At least 1 sentence)

Closure Question #1: What assumptions about mainstream culture were made by the counterculture? (At least 1 sentence) Generation Gap A lack of understanding and communication between an older and younger generation. The values and beliefs held by Baby Boomers were drastically different from the traditional values and beliefs held by their Greatest Generation parents regarding dress, music, sexuality, drug usage, and politics.

Review Question #23 “Baby Boomers” and the “Greatest Generation” disagreed on many issues. Name one.

The Beatles / Communes The Beatles – British rock band the most popular musical group of the 1960 s, The Beatles came to represent the counterculture. Communes – Small communities in which the people have common interest and share resources; During the late 1960 s and early 1970 s many hippies chose to live together in communes.

Review Question #24 There were four original members of the Beatles. Name one.

Closure Question #2: Explain whether you agree with the following statement: “The counterculture was a form of protest. ” (At least 1 sentence) Haight-Ashbury / Timothy Haight-Ashbury – District of. Leary San Francisco which became the epicenter of the counterculture, attracting thousands of hippies who experimented with drugs, wore unconventional clothing, and listened to rock music and speeches by political radicals. Timothy Leary – A former Harvard researcher, Leary preached that drugs could free the mind, and he encouraged American youths to “tune in”, “turn on” to drugs, and “drop out” of mainstream society.

Review Question #25 The communal settlement of Haight. Ashbury was located in what major American city?

Closure Question #3: How did trends within the counterculture movement contribute to its downfall? (At least 1 sentence) By the end of the 1960 s, many people, even those within the counterculture, had become disillusioned with some of its excesses. The utopian urge to discover a more authentic way of living had an unfortunate underside. Drug addictions and deaths from overdose rose. A number of rock musicians, most famously Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, died of drug overdoses while only in their twenties. The downward spiral continued in 1969 with a tragedy at a music festival sponsored in Altamont, California. While the Rolling Stones played, members of the Hells Angels, a motorcycle gang that had been hired to provide security, stabbed to death a black man who had approached the stage. The ugly violence contradicted the values of “peace and love” that many hippies embraced. At the same time, the movement’s values were becoming increasingly shallow and self-centered. When the counterculture fell apart, most hippies abandoned their social experiments and melted right back into the mainstream. Still, the seeds of protest they had sown would influence the growing “rights revolution. ”

Closure Assignment #6 Answer the following questions based on what you have learned from Chapter 30, Section 1: 1. What assumptions about mainstream culture were made by the counterculture? (At least 1 sentence) 2. Explain whether you agree with the following statement: “The counterculture was a form of protest. ” (At least 1 sentence) 3. How did trends within the counterculture movement contribute to its downfall? (At least 1 sentence)

Closure Question #1: Why did so much time elapse between the first and second waves of feminism? (At least 1 reason and 1 sentence) Feminism / Betty Friedan Feminism – The theory of political, social, and economic equality of men and women. Betty Friedan – Author of The Feminine Mystique in 1963, which was the most influential literary work in the Feminist movement.

Review Question #26 The goal of the Women’s Rights Movement in the 1910’s was to help women gain what type of rights?

N. O. W. / E. R. A. N. O. W. (National Organization for Women) – Established by Betty Friedan, this organization dedicated itself to winning “true equality for all women” and to attaining a “full and equal partnership of the sexes”. E. R. A. (Equal Rights Amendment) – Created in the 1920 s, the ERA was a proposed amendment to the Constitution that would guarantee gender equality under the law. The ERA and protecting women’s abortion rights were the two major priorities of the ERA.

Review Question #27 What does the acronym N. O. W. stand for? N______ O______ for W______

Closure Question #2: What beliefs led women to support the women’s movement? What beliefs led women to oppose it? (At least 2 sentences) Gloria Steinem The most famous feminist leader of the 1970 s; Steinem worked as a freelance writer, trying to change public perception of women through the mass media. In 1972, she helped co-found Ms. , a feminist magazine.

Review Question #28 Gloria Steinem first gained public notoriety for her article exploiting the derogatory treatment of women who posed for shots in what magazine?

Closure Question #2: What beliefs led women to support the women’s movement? What beliefs led women to oppose it? (At least 2 sentences) Phyllis Schlafly Conservative political activist who argued that the women’s liberation movement was an attack on the family, marriage, and children. Schlafly worked hard to defeat the ERA, which fell 3 states short of becoming a constitutional amendment.

Review Question #29 Fill in the Blank: Phyllis Schlafly said that people who disagreed with the idea that women were made to be mothers should complain to ____.

Roe v. Wade (1973) Controversial Supreme Court decision which assured women the right to legal abortion.

Review Question #30 The controversial Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling was made in what year?

Closure Assignment #7 Answer the following questions based on what you have learned from Chapter 30, Section 2: 1. Why did so much time elapse between the first and second waves of feminism? (At least 1 reason and 1 sentence) 2. What beliefs led women to support the women’s movement? What beliefs led women to oppose it? (At least 2 sentences) 3. Make up two or three questions that will help you decide whether American women have made significant strides toward equality.

Cesar Chavez The most influential Latino activist in the 1960 s and 1970 s; Chavez fought for the rights of farm laborers in the Southwest, organizing the UFW to lead laborers in striking against unfair treatment.

Review Question #31 In what region of the United States did Cesar Chavez focus his efforts to improve the treatment of migrant farm workers?

Migrant Farm Workers / United Farm Workers Migrant Farm Workers – Laborers who travel from farm to farm – and often from state to state – to pick fruits and vegetables. The majority of migrant farm workers in the United States are Latinos. United Farm Workers – Union organized by Cesar Chavez in the late 1960 s which used nonviolent protest and strikes to improve the treatment of migrant farm workers. Most famously, in the early 1970 s the UFW went on strike against California grape growers and sparked a nationwide boycott of California grapes. In 1975, California’s government responded by enacting laws requiring growers to negotiate with UFW representatives.

Review Question #32 The United Farm Workers organized a successful strike and boycott against the growers of what type of fruit in California?

Closure Question #1: How did the government make immigration for Latinos and Asians easier in the 1960 s? (At least 1 sentence) Along with Mexicans who had migrated to the U. S. illegally in search of work, braceros who had outstayed their permits were targeted for deportation in the 1950 s. In 1965, however, the government passed the Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments, eliminating national-origin quotas for immigrants. In the decades that followed, the number of legal Mexican and Asian immigrants surged. More than 400, 000 Mexicans arrived during the 1960 s, another 630, 000 in the 1970 s, and more than 1. 5 million in the 1980 s. After World War II, large numbers of Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and Cubans migrated to the United States. As citizens of a United States territory, Puerto Ricans came legally, leaving their homeland in search of better-paying jobs. In contrast, most Cuban and Dominican immigrants came to America as political refugees, fleeing their countries to escape the harsh rule of dictators. Most Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Dominican immigrants settled in urban areas, especially in New York City and Miami, Florida.

Chicano Movement Mexican American social and political effort begun in the 1960 s dedicated to increasing Latinos’ awareness of their history and culture, reducing poverty and discrimination, and supporting the election of Latino politicians.

American Indian Movement Activist group established in 1968 to help Indians living in inner-city ghettos. Eventually, AIM played an active role in securing land, legal rights, and self-government for Native Americans.

How and why was the Native American struggle for equality different from that of Latinos? (At least 2 sentences) Native Americans: As Indians’ dissatisfaction with the government grew, their activism became more militant. In late 1969, a group of American Indians occupied the island of Alcatraz, the site of a federal prison in San Francisco Bay that had closed in 1963. Members of the Sioux tribe asserted that the island belonged to them under a treaty provision granting them unused federal land. About 100 American Indians representing 50 tribes joined the occupation. In spite of efforts by the Coast Guard and other federal authorities to evict them, the Indians maintained control of the island until mid-1971. The 1970 s saw another series of confrontations. Led by Dennis Banks and Russell Means, AIM orchestrated a “long march” from San Francisco to Washington D. C. , in 1972. Upon arriving in the capital, they took control of the Bureau of Indian Affairs building. They temporarily renamed it the Native American Embassy, suggesting that Native Americans are treated as foreigners. Latinos - Cesar Chavez organized the United Farm Workers in the late 1960 s, which used nonviolent protest and strikes to improve the treatment of migrant farm workers. Most famously, in the early 1970 s the UFW went on strike against California grape growers and sparked a nationwide boycott of California grapes. In 1975, California’s government responded by enacting laws requiring growers to negotiate with UFW representatives.

Japanese American Citizens League Organization founded in 1929 to protect Japanese Americans’ civil rights. The JACL worked for decades to receive government compensation for property lost by Japanese Americans interned in camps during World War II.

Ralph Nader Leader of the consumer rights movement during the 1960 s and 1970 s; A lawyer, Nader investigated American automakers and discovered that flawed car designs led to increased traffic accidents and deaths. The publishing of his findings in Unsafe at Any Speed (1965) led Congress to enact legislation regulating safety features for all automobiles, including making seat belts standard equipment.

Closure Assignment #8 Answer the following questions based on what you have learned from Chapter 30, Section 3: 1. How did the government make immigration for Latinos and Asians easier in the 1960 s? (At least 1 sentence) 2. Why was it particularly important to Latino activists to gain political rights? (At least 1 sentence) 3. How and why was the Native American struggle for equality different from that of Latinos? (At least 2 sentences)

Toxic Waste Poisonous byproduct of human activity; In 1962, biologist Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring described the deadly impact that pesticides, acid rain, and other toxic wastes were having on birds and other animals. Carson’s book sparked the environmental movement.

Earth Day (April 22, 1970) Nationwide protest against human caused pollution involving 20 million Americans. The protest eventually developed into an annual government-sponsored conservation event.

Environmental Protection Agency Created by Congress in 1970, the agency’s mission is to protect the “entire ecological chain” by cleaning up and protecting the environment.

Clean Air Act / Clean Water Act / Endangered Species Act Clean Air Act (1970) – Law aimed at reducing air pollution by limiting the emissions from factories and automobiles. Clean Water Act (1973) – Law which limits the pollution of water by industry and agriculture. Endangered Species Act (1973) – Law which promotes the protection of endangered animals and plants.

Endangered Species Act