President Lyndon B. Johnson

Richard M. Nixon and Lyndon B. Johnson were presidents during one of the most troubled periods in our American history. Both held on with significant social unrest and the question of whether to continue participation in the Vietnam War. Even though both Nixon and Johnson faced similar problems while in office, their style and approach to problems was profoundly different. Even so, Johnson and Nixon shared a disposition to bluff the public and their fellow colleagues in order to pursue what they wanted to do. No matter if it was wrong. .

Lyndon Baines Johnson, also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States. LBJ was very much involved in the political field as a Democrat, and he is one out of four people who served in all four elected federal offices of the United States (Representative, Senator, Vice President, and President). LBJ became president due to the assassination of John F. Kennedy as he was his running mate for the 1960 presidential election. He designed a piece of legislation called “Great Society” that included decrees that made a significant impact not only then, but today as well. These rights include Medicare, environmental protection, “War on Poverty”, etc.

January 31, 1968 North Vietnamese attacked over 100 cities throughout South Vietnam on thirty-five of forty-four province capitals, thirty-six district towns, and many villages and hamlets. Dubbed the “Tet Offensive” because it coincided with the Vietnamese New Year’s holiday, Tet, was a turning point in the Vietnam War. Most historians agree that the Tet Offensive was the turning point in the Vietnam War as events shifted the role of United States involvement in Southeast Asia as the shock it produced was the catalyst that led to the reevaluation of U.S. policy. While intelligence failure contributed to the shift in the Vietnam War, most historians have disagreed on the role of the media in aiding the American public’s views against the war.

The increasing number of troops and military efforts involved with Vietnam and the seemingly optimistic reports reported by the government were the primary factors that caused the Tet Offensive and Counteroffensive. The American government had become increasingly involved with the Vietnam war. From 1965 to 1967, over 400,000 soldiers were sent to help the South Vietnamese forces. This massive increase in the amount of soldiers was frustrating to the American people. Johnson’s approval rating fell to a mere 40%, half of what it had been in 1965.  (“Vietnam War (1959-1975)” ; Axelrod 1). When the American soldiers returned home from Vietnam, it was often heard that they were spit on, and

In Larry L. King’s, Trapped: Lyndon Johnson and the Nightmare of Vietnam, Larry King makes his assessment of Lyndon Johnson. King states, “His personal history simply permitted him no retreats or failure in testing.” (Portrait of America page 313) What King is trying to say about Lyndon Johnson in this statement is that his past does not allow him to retreat or to fail. King describes Lyndon Johnson’s history by saying, “LBJ’s mother, who smothered him with affection and praise should he perform her pleasure and expectations, refused to acknowledge his presence should displease or disappoint her. His father accused him of being a sleepy head, a slow starter and sometimes said in town had a two hour head start on him.” (Portraits of America

In 1967 the anti-war movement caused Lyndon Johnson to start a major propaganda campaign with the aim of convincing the American people that the war in Vietnam was being won. Johnson never managed to gain public opinion, but neither did the movement. According to Johnson’s white house aide and confidant Doris Kearns the anti-war movement had a “deep personal effect on him” and “drained his self-esteem and energy.” He went on to limit the bombing and not seek re-election with the hope that he would salvage his place in history by making progress in negotiating an end to the war and restoring unity at home. This hope was not fulfilled and Richard Nixon went on to be elected as president.

January 1969, Richard Nixon entered the executive office picking up the pieces Lyndon Johnson who had left while the Vietnam War was still in effect. Many Americans had the expectation that Nixon would be the “peaceful president”, visualizing he would put an end to this war in Southeast Asian and bring back home our troops. A policy Nixon redefined was the American role in the world by suggesting to limit the U.S resources and commitments. Therefore, Nixon’s set his efforts to end the war since the withdrawal from Vietnam was not an immediate option. Also, Nixon had his radar on Moscow and China because according to George C. Herring, they felt that they must release the United States from the war in a way that would uphold United States credibility with their friends and foes alike. During Nixon’s term in office, he tries a number of different strategies in his effort to end the war, but to this day, one can see that Nixon only prolonged the war when it could have ended earlier.

Lyndon B. Johnson became the 36th President of The United States, following the assisantion of John F. Kennedy, who Johnson was vice president too. During his presidency two major events would occur in the United States, that Johnson had to resolve. He first has to deal with the conflict of the Vietnam War which was a major issue in the United States during his presidency, many people argued not to be there any longer since it was seen as a pointless and almost victory was seen as unachievable. Another goal of Johnson’s was to put the United States into to an era of social reform, in this goal he was highly successful. Johnson was reelected by the people as the President in 1964, where he won in a landslide showing how the American people approved of him at the beginning of his presidency.

North Vietnam had long established that Communist forces would prevail; however, military reports led Americans to believe that the United States forces were successfully fighting against the Communists and a victory was on the horizon (Doc H). Through daily televised broadcasts of the Tet Offensive, the American people no longer believed that the Vietnam War would be a quick win. The United States forces were able to push back Communist advances, but not without heavy casualties on both sides. Citizens were weary of continuing a war if it meant that sons, husbands, and neighbors would be returning home in caskets. Many were doubtful that the US could even win the war at all. Television reporter Walter Cronkite commented on the Tet Offensive by asking America, “What the hell is going on? I thought we were winning this war,” to which President Johnson indirectly replied, “If I’ve lost Walter Cronkite, I’ve lost Middle America.” Lyndon B Johnson understood that public support for his war efforts were quickly diminishing, but to stay in the war left him in a quagmire. With the possibility of looking weak, President Johnson opted to continue the war, but at the expense of the public’s approval. Afraid of defeat, he did not campaign for reelection the following

On 11/22/1963, following the association of President John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in as President and serves the remainder of JFK’s presidential term as Commander in Chief. In 1964, LBJ campaigns for the presidency and becomes the 36th President of the United States. LBJ plans to use his presidential term to continue to support legislation introduced under JFK’s administration to fight the War on Poverty and enforce his vision of a “Great Society”.

When you review history, it always look as if to repeat itself. For example, in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson brought about the first change for a health care system that required help. He signed into law a bill that would provide health care for retirees, the disabled and the poor. The health coverage led to Medicare and Medicaid under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide health insurance, (CMS. Gov., 2015). Likewise on March 23, 2010, President Barrack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law. Although it was a victory to some, it too would not only provide health care coverage to people who did not or were unable to afford health care, but it would also provide expansions in the health care coverage, the bill would also work to controlled health care cost and improve the delivery of health care to the public. This is would appear to be a success. Yet, to others that oppose the bill, it was an injustice because it forces changes in how health care was provided in the past year. This new system would force people to purchase coverage, it did not give people options. If one did not purchase health insurance, they would have to pay a penalty. In addition, it required much more documentation from physicians and it held health care facilities to a higher standard of health care delivery

Throughout history, there is a common trend that can be seen: political figures can “change” to gain more political control. Lyndon Baines Johnson (L.B.J.) was a man hailing from Stonewall, Texas, a hardcore Texan who went on to be a senator with his southern political bonds. Integration was highly opposed in the South, and the question remains: Why did L.B.J. sign the Civil Rights Act of 1964, eliminating segregation nationally? Political decisions often benefits those who have or want high power, and so the Public Opinion Polls, the Sincerity Question, and the 1957 Stumbling Block depiction, believably, influenced to L.B.J. to sign the Civil Rights Act for his own political gain.

Preceding Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination was North Vietnam’s Tet Offensive against the United States which “signified the beginning of the end of U.S involvement in the Vietnam War” (CNN). Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, “was a holiday during which the North and South had previously observed an informal truce” (CNN). However, on January 31st, 1968, a “coordinated attack by Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese targeted 36 major cities and towns in South Vietnam” (CNN). Despite the heavy casualties, “North Vietnam achieved a strategic victory with the Tet Offensive, as the attacks marked a turning point in the Vietnam War and the beginning of the slow, painful American withdrawal from the region” (“Tet Offensive”). This attack was a crucial turning point in the war because the ambush resulted in Americans withdrawing their support of the war. Before the offensive, the U.S.

Then, on January 31, 1968, the North Vietnamese Army, supported by the Vietcong, launched the Tet Offensive, a series of surprise attacks on cities and towns throughout South Vietnam. Militarily, American forces repelled the attacks and retook the cities initially occupied by the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong. However, television portrayed the attack as an appalling defeat for the United States. In addition, the Tet Offensive made the brutality of the war very visible to Americans as the viewing public watched graphic footage of a prisoner being shot through the head by a South Vietnamese general.

The Tet Offensive was unquestionably the biggest occurrence of the Vietnam War. While the military success of the Viet Cong in mounting a sustained revolt in cities across South Vietnam was virtually non-existent, the psychological impact it had on the American public was quite simply phenomenal. This effect was partially due to the reporting of the war by the media. To completely understand the impacts of Tet, we must first understand the goals of Tet. The execution of Tet was a failure on the battlefield; however, it proved to be an astounding success on college campuses across America.