Silent Majority Speech Reading Copy
11/3/1969
Add to Favorites:
Add all page(s) of this document to activity:
Add only page 1 to activity:
Add only page 2 to activity:
During the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon's presidential campaign led many to conclude he had a "secret plan to end the war." Some historians believe he was actually determined to win the war. Others say he planned a negotiated withdrawal from the beginning. We do know he had a secret. He sabotaged President Johnson's peace talks to prevent an agreement from threatening his election.
To counter protests against his failure to make significant progress toward his campaign promise, Nixon gave what has become known as the "Silent Majority" speech. He announced his plans for "Vietnamization" (increasingly turning the war over to the South Vietnamese) and portrayed dissenters as the noisy, unpatriotic few. He then asked "the great silent majority of [his] fellow Americans" for their support. He got it. According to a Gallup poll, the speech catapulted his approval rating from around 50 percent to 77 percent.
The war continued for four years under Nixon. During that time, 21,041 Americans and over two million Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians were killed.
To counter protests against his failure to make significant progress toward his campaign promise, Nixon gave what has become known as the "Silent Majority" speech. He announced his plans for "Vietnamization" (increasingly turning the war over to the South Vietnamese) and portrayed dissenters as the noisy, unpatriotic few. He then asked "the great silent majority of [his] fellow Americans" for their support. He got it. According to a Gallup poll, the speech catapulted his approval rating from around 50 percent to 77 percent.
The war continued for four years under Nixon. During that time, 21,041 Americans and over two million Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians were killed.
This primary source comes from the Collection RN-SMOF: White House Staff Member and Office Files (Nixon Administration).
Full Citation: Silent Majority Speech Reading Copy; 11/3/1969; President's Speech File, 1969-74: November 3, 1969, Vietnam Speech; President's Personal Files, 1/20/1969 - 8/9/1974; Collection RN-SMOF: White House Staff Member and Office Files (Nixon Administration); Richard Nixon Library, Yorba Linda, CA. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/silent-majority-speech, April 28, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.