Professor Sharon Kay Evanshine

History Web Site

History of the US since 1876

The Vietnam Era

President Kennedy faced foreign crises in the Bay of Pigs fiasco, the erection of the Berlin Wall and the Cuban Missile crisis. In November 1963, Kennedy was assassinated and was succeeded by Lyndon B. Johnson, who launched a war on poverty and worked for the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act.

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution preceded the build up of American forces in Vietnam, the emergence of an antiwar movement and the Tet Offensive. In 1968, both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated. The Election of 1968 brought Nixon to power with a secret plan to end the war in Vietnam.

Despite turmoil in the colleges and universities, the war dragged on. Cambodia was invaded and peace talks were opened. Nixon visited China and negotiated the Salt I treaty with the Soviet Union. The Watergate burglary occurred with little initial notice, and Nixon retained office after the Election of 1972. U.S. forces were withdrawn from Vietnam and the Arabs imposed an oil embargo. In 1974, Nixon resigned and was followed in the presidency by Gerald R. Ford.

Jimmy Carter defeated Ford in the Election of 1976. The Panama Canal treaty and Camp David Accords were signed. American citizens were seized and held hostage in Iran. China and the U.S. restored relations after a long break. The Election of 1980 brought Ronald Reagan to power with a conservative agenda.