Unit 9 – The Sixties:
“The Times They are a-Changin”
Gateway Chapter 15
Unit 9-4 Chapter
&
Answer A-E and A-E
I.
A Divided Home Front
A. As the war dragged on, the home front became
divided.
1. “Doves” thought the war was immoral and
wanted the US to withdraw.
2. “Hawks” wanted to continue the war to stop
Communism.
Arlo Guthrie
(Son of Woody Guthrie)
Performing at
Woodstock
B. The Vietnam War was the first televised war.
1. The media covered it closely, but the government
sometimes twisted the facts to impress the public.
2. This led to a “credibility gap.” The media had a great
impact
3. Distrust in government grew, especially when Nixon
tried to conceal the Pentagon Papers, a secret
government war study.
C. The “Baby Boom” generation created a new, anticonformist Youth Culture in the 60s.
1. Some created radical groups like SDS
2. Many became “hippies” and openly
experimented with marijuana and LSD
D. Many students became politically active
1. They resented the draft and the war.
2. In 1968, a protest at the Democratic National
Convention turned violent.
3. In 1970, National Guardsmen killed students at
Kent State University.
4. Government and police violence only increased
resistance.
II. Consequences of the
Vietnam War
A. Vietnam suffered the
most from the war.
1. more than a million
Vietnamese were
killed
2. villages, cities, and
farmlands were
destroyed.
B. The Communist
Vietnamese regime was
repressive, and many
fled. Almost two million
came to the U.S.
C. 58,000 American were killed. Others were badly
injured and/or suffered psychological trauma.
D. In Cambodia, the “Khmer Rouge” won power and
committed acts of genocide.
E. In America, war expenses ended many of the “Great
Society” programs.
F. Congress passed the War Powers Act in 1973, limiting the
President’s power to commit troops overseas without
Congressional approval.