The Tet Offensive: The Vietnam War

Enveloped in a state of domestic and international crisis, 1968 America was divided. The Tet Offensive ended the country’s feint hope that the war could be over soon, and racial tensions left many Americans either feeling ignored or fearful for their lives. Constant protest and riots concerning race and the Vietnam War brewed a feeling of insecurity in the country. The feelings of intense nationalism and American pride seemed to have dissolved in the wake racial conflict and Vietnam. The American virtues of freedom and equality seemed to fall wayward, and the government did not act like it was any concern. The dirge of protests concerning Black Power, the Vietnam War, and civil rights were nearly unacknowledged by Lyndon Johnson. The people
During the holiday of Tet in 1968, Viet Cong and NVA forces led surprise attacks in South Vietnam. The attacks ended in U.S and Southern Vietnamese victory and marked a turning point in the war, but there were several unintended consequences of the attacks. General Westmoreland saw the end of the war near and described it as “The light at the end of the tunnel.” In an attempt to close out the war, Westmoreland requested 206,000 more troops be sent to ensure American victory. Mass protests erupted as many Americans were already at odds with the effort in Vietnam. The depictions of purposeless violence in the media shook the faith of the U.S society. Even Walter Kronkite commented on the senseless and unwinnable nature of the war, “more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate.” Media coverage of the war intensified, and Americans gained a glimpse into Vietnam. Media outlets captured the execution of an unarmed man by the Southern Vietnamese chief of police and countless other scenes of violence. These images were seared into the minds of Americans and bred a vehement disapproval of the war by many. Tens of thousands of anti-war protestors flocked to the democratic convention in Chicago during a peace march. Police intervention in the protest divulged into violence, and the entire event was broadcast on national television. The police action against
The Civil Rights Movement did not produce a unanimous course of action. Many different activists held drastically different ideals and visions of what American society should look like. One of the larger activism groups was the Black power movement that sought to bring greater representation of blacks in all sectors of society such as politics or the economy. The movement largely wanted to give blacks a voice in society. A series of riots broke out in large part due to this feeling of powerlessness among the African American community. In response to these riots in Watts, Detroit, and Newark, Lyndon Johnson tasked the Kerner Commission with figuring out why these events happened and how to fix them. The commission found fundamental societal inequalities towards blacks and called for a complete restructuring of U.S society. They recommended the spending of millions of dollars to aid unemployment, housing, and education in black communities. The report generated massive popularity as many awaited Johnson’s response, but he barely acknowledged the report. An example of the black community’s largest grievance, when the report called for change Johnson quickly discredited it and chose to take no action at all. All hope for change seemingly was lost. Americans were powerless, and any hope of creating the society they envisioned was