Vietnam War
SSUSH20.D
DESCRIBE THE VIETNAM WAR, THE TET
OFFENSIVE, AND GROWING OPPOSITION TO THE
WAR.
SSUSH20.E
EXPLAIN THE ROLE OF GEOGRAPHY OF THE U.S.
CONTAINMENT POLICY, THE KOREAN WAR, THE
BAY OF PIGS, THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS, AND
THE VIETNAM WAR.
USH24.C
ANALYZE THE ANTI-VIETNAM WAR MOVEMENT.
Why are we there?
A little geography
A little geography: Vietnam
In a nutshell….
• What war are we
• Eisenhower continued
currently in?
this
• Give France $$, Truman
• What does America
Doctrine & domino theory
want to fight against?
• France lost, gave up
• Ho Chi Minh rebels
Vietnam in 1954, divided
against French rule,
th parallel
into
two
on
17
embraces communism.
• Truman wanted France
as a friend so….
• North Vietnam –
communist, Ho Chi Minh
• South Vietnam – anticommunist, Ngo Dinh
Diem
Cold War : Vietnam
• May 5, 1961
President John F. Kennedy announces it may be
necessary to send U.S. troops to Vietnam. In his
inaugural address four months earlier, Kennedy
had declared that Americans will be ready to
"...bear any burden, meet any hardship, support
any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival
and the success of liberty." There were already
800 U.S. advisers in Vietnam; by November 1963
there were 16,700.
December 8, 1961
U.S. State Department publishes a “white
paper” claiming that South Vietnam is
threatened by “clear and present danger” of
Communist aggression.
February 7, 1962
Two U.S. Army air support companies arrive
in Saigon, bringing total of U.S. troops in
South Vietnam to 4,000.
May 1, 1963
• Buddhists gather in the city of Hue to protest a
decree prohibiting them from flying their flag.
Several months of rioting break out.
• Tensions between Buddhists and the Diem
government are further strained as Diem, a
Catholic, removes Buddhists from several key
government positions and replaces them with
Catholics.
• Buddhist monks protest Diem's intolerance for
other religions and the measures he takes to
silence them.
• In a show of protest, Buddhist monks start setting
themselves on fire in public places.
May 8, 1963
Diem’s troops fire on 20,000 Buddhists
gathered in the city of Hue to celebrate
Buddha’s birthday, killing 8 children and 1
woman.
• August 24, 1963
Washington cables Saigon embassy,
recommending that Diem be removed.
• November 1, 1963
With approval from the United States,
operatives within the South Vietnamese
military overthrow Diem.
He and his brother Nhu are shot and killed in
the aftermath. Diem is replaced by Vice
President Nguyen Ngoc Tho and General
Duong Van Minh.
• November 22, 1963
John F. Kennedy is assassinated. Kennedy's
death meant that the problem of how to
proceed in Vietnam fell squarely into the
lap of his vice president, Lyndon Johnson.
January 30, 1964
In a bloodless coup, General Nguyen Khanh
seizes power in Saigon. South Vietnam
junta leader, Major General Duong Van
Minh, is placed under house arrest, but is
allowed to remain as a figurehead chief-ofstate.
August 2, 1964
Three North Vietnamese PT boats allegedly fire
torpedoes at the USS Maddox, a destroyer located
in the international waters of the Tonkin Gulf,
some thirty miles off the coast of North Vietnam.
The attack comes after six months of covert US
and South Vietnamese naval operations. A second,
even more highly disputed attack, is alleged to
have taken place on August 4 against another U.S.
destroyer, the Turner Joy. The U.S. retaliates with
an air strike in North Vietnam.
August 7, 1964
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution authorizes President
Lyndon Johnson to "take all necessary measures to
repel any armed attack against forces of the United
States and to prevent further aggression." The
resolution passes unanimously in the House, and
by a margin of 82-2 in the Senate. The Resolution
allows Johnson to wage all out war against North
Vietnam without ever securing a formal
Declaration of War from Congress.
January 31, 1968
In a show of military might that catches the US
military off guard, North Vietnamese and
Vietcong forces sweep down upon several key
cities and provinces in South Vietnam, including
its capital, Saigon. Within days, American forces
turn back the onslaught and recapture most areas.
From a military point of view, Tet is a huge defeat
for the Communists, but turns out to be a political
and psychological victory. The US military's
assessment of the war is questioned and the "end
of tunnel" seems very far off.
March 16, 1968
As Johnson’s popularity plummets, Sen. Robert Kennedy
announces that he will run for the presidency. On the same
day in Vietnam, Lt. William Calley orders his men to fire
on the village of My Lai, killing nearly 500 villagers. "This
is what you've been waiting for -- search and destroy -- and
you've got it," said their superior officers. When news of
the atrocities surfaced, it sent shockwaves through the US
political establishment, the military's chain of command,
and an already divided American public.
March 31, 1968
With his low approval ratings and dismayed by
Senator Eugene McCarthy's strong showing in the
New Hampshire primary, President Lyndon
Johnson, in a televised address, stuns the nation
and announces that he will not be a candidate for
re-election.
October 31, 1968
Johnson halts bombing of North Vietnam.
Seven days later Richard Nixon, running on
a platform of "law and order," defeats
Hubert H. Humphrey to become U.S.
president.
March 15, 1969
In an effort to destroy Communist supply
routes and base camps in Cambodia,
President Nixon gives the go-ahead to
"Operation Breakfast." The covert bombing
of Viet Cong sanctuaries in Cambodia,
conducted without the knowledge of
Congress or the American public, will
continue for fourteen months.
June 8, 1969
Nixon announces first U.S. troop withdrawal
of 25,000 soldiers.
July 25, 1969
The president announces the “Nixon Doctrine.” He
calls for sending more economic and military aid
to South Vietnam to strengthen the South Vietnam
military. Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird
described the policy of "Vietnamization" when
discussing a diminishing role for the US military
in Vietnam. The objective of the policy was to
shift the burden of defeating the Communists onto
the South Vietnamese Army and away from the
United States.
October 15, 1969
Thousands of Americans participate in
demonstrations against the war. Two weeks
later, Nixon appeals to what he calls the
“silent majority,” Americans who support
the war, claiming that total withdrawal from
Vietnam would harm U.S. interests.
April 29, 1970
U.S. forces invade Cambodia to attack North
Vietnamese and Viet Cong sanctuaries.
June 13, 1971
A legacy of deception concerning US policy in
Vietnam on the part of the military and the
executive branch is revealed as the New York
Times begins publication of leaked portions of the
Pentagon Papers. The Nixon administration,
eager to stop leaks of what they consider sensitive
information, appeals to the Supreme Court to halt
the publication. The Court decides in favor the
Times and allows continued publication.
January 27, 1973
A cease-fire agreement that, in the words of Richard
Nixon, "brings peace with honor in Vietnam and
Southeast Asia," is signed in Paris by Henry
Kissinger and Le Duc Tho. The agreement is to go
into effect on January 28. Later that year the
Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to Kissinger and
Tho. Kissinger accepts the award, while Tho
declines, saying that a true peace does not yet exist
in Vietnam.
March 29, 1973
North Vietnam releases 60 American
prisoners of war, who leave Vietnam along
with the last remaining U.S. forces.
August 8, 1974
Nixon resigns to avoid being impeached for his role
in the Watergate scandal. In May, impeachment
hearings against Nixon had begun by the House
Judiciary Committee. Among the articles of
impeachment introduced was a resolution
condemning Nixon for the secret bombing of
Cambodia
April 23, 1975
Anticipating the fall of Saigon to Communist
forces, President Gerald Ford, speaking in
New Orleans, announces that as far as the
US is concerned, the Vietnam War is
"finished."
April 30, 1975
South Vietnamese President Duong Van Minh
delivers an unconditional surrender to the
Communists in the early hours. North Vietnamese
Colonel Bui Tin accepts the surrender and assures
Minh that, "...Only the Americans have been
beaten. If you are patriots, consider this a moment
of joy." As the few remaining Americans evacuate
Saigon from the roof of the U.S. embassy, the last
two US servicemen to die in Vietnam are killed
when their helicopter crashes.
1975 – Operation Babylift:
Vietnamese orphans transported by
airplanes to America.
January 21, 1977
In a bold and controversial move, newly inaugurated
President Jimmy Carter extends a full and
unconditional pardon to nearly 10,000 men who
evaded the Vietnam War draft.
November 11, 1982
Designed by Maya Ying Lin, a 22 year-old Yale architectural
student, the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial opens in
Washington, DC. The quiet, contemplative structure
consisting of two black granite walls forming a "V", lists
the names of the 58,183 Americans killed in the Vietnam
War. The memorial itself stirred debate as some thought its
presentation was too muted and somber, lacking the
familiar elements of war-time heroics found in most war
memorials.
Extra credit opp.
• Research John McCain’s POW journey.
• Write me 5 original sentences (no copying
and pasting).
• Turn it in tomorrow for a
bonus card.
What else is going on???
• SSUSH24.b
• Describe the National Organization of Women
and the origins and goals of the modern
women's movement.
• SSUSH24.d
• Analyze Cesar Chavez and the United Farm
Workers movement.
• SSUSH24.e
• Explain Rachel Carson and Silent Spring, Earth
Day, the creation of the EPA, and the modern
environmentalist movement.
• SSUSH25.a
• Describe President Richard M. Nixon's opening
of China, his resignation due to the Watergate
scandal, changing attitudes toward government,
and the Presidency of Gerald Ford.
• SSUSH25.b
• Explain the impact of Supreme Court decisions
on ideas about civil liberties and civil rights
including such decisions as Roe v. Wade (1973
and the Bakke decision on affirmative action).
USH24.b
What’s up ladies?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO304aoUAWE
• Feminism
• Goals of the
movement?
• NOW
• ERA (-3)
• Betty Friedan
• Last name
• Ms. Movement
• Gloria Steinem
• Bra burnings
USH24.d
Cesar Chavez and UFW
•
•
•
•
Who is he?
What did he do?
Why?
Was he successful?
• Chicano Movement–
Mexican American
USH24.e
Environmental Mvt.
• The “Rights Revolution”
• Right to a clean/safe
environment
• Rachel Carson
• “Silent Spring”
• DDT & toxic waste
• Environmentalist Nixon
• EPA, Clean Air, Clean
Water, Endangered Species
• Earth Day
• Modern movement?
Gay Rights Movement
• Stone Wall Riots, 6/28/69
• NY – no homosexuality in
public
• Stonewall Inn, NY
• Harvey Milk
• 1st openly gay man elected
to public office
• Assassinated 1978.
• Matthew Shepard
• Hurting a gay person is a
hate crime.
• Massachusetts 2003
• Today…
http://www.newnownext.com
/war-horse-star-jeremyirvine-cast-in-rolandemmerichs-stonewall-riotsmovie/04/2014/
• Gay brothers and sisters,… You must come out. Come
out… to your parents… I know that it is hard and will
hurt them but think about how they will hurt you in the
voting booth! Come out to your relatives… come out to
your friends… if indeed they are your friends. Come
out to your neighbors… to your fellow workers… to
the people who work where you eat and shop… come
out only to the people you know, and who know you.
Not to anyone else. But once and for all, break down
the myths, destroy the lies and distortions. For your
sake. For their sake. For the sake of the youngsters who
are becoming scared by the votes from Dade to
Eugene.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04 14/ohio-gay-marriage-court/7691313/
• What do we know already?
• Lost to JFK, Vietnam,
Environment
• New Federalism
• Help Middle America
• Gov’t give $$ to states
• Growing gov’t:
• EPA, DEA, FAP (family
assistance plan)
• China – officially
recognized (ping pong)
USH25.a
Richard Nixon
President Nixon trying to use chopsticks
while visiting China in 1972.
Watergate – page 1050-1
• 1972 botched burglary of
Democratic National HQ.
• 1973 trail – top
administration officials
named as being involved
• Got back to Nixon
•
•
•
•
“I am not a crook”
Deep Throat
25th amendment
Certain impeachment ->
resignation 8/8/74
USH25.a – Gerald Ford
• Only President….
• Controversial pardon
• Environmentalist:
• Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, 1974
• Inflation – WIN (whip
inflation now)
• Beaten by Carter in 76.
USH25.b
Roe v. Wade
• Background…
• Ruling
• Women have the
right to privacy (9th
amendment)
• Including the right to
an abortion in the
first trimester
USH25.b
Bakke Decision
• 1970’s affirmative action
• Increase # of women and
minorities in college &
high-paying jobs.
• Why?
• Bakke – white, smart, 14th
amendment
• 5-4 vote:
• Racial quotas violated
Bakke’s rights
pg. 1062
President #39 James Earl Carter, Jr.
1977-1981
SSUSH25.c
Explain the Carter administrations efforts in the Middle
East including the Camp David Accords, his response to
the 1979 Iranian Revolution and Iranian hostage crisis.
Jimmy Carter’s Administration
• Excellent presidential candidate
• Preached openness and decency
• People believed him
• From Plain, Georgia.
• Unfortunately, the President Carter’s term
saw many unforgivable issues.
Jimmy Carter’s Administration
• Raging Inflation (interest rates of 18%)
• Stagnant Economic Growth
• Main focus: human rights
• Continued to try and soothe relations with the
Soviet Union.
• SALT II (strategic arms limitations treaty) signed –
attempt for arms control
• But then the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan
• So… US boycotted Moscow olympics
More trouble in the Middle East
• Helped Egypt and Israel agree to peace
• Camp David Accords
• Egypt became the first Arab nation to recognize
Israel & Israel withdrew troops from Sinai Peninsula
• Iran
• USA supports Shah Gov’t since 1950’s
• 1970’s opposition in Iran grows
– Fled in 1979 to USA for cancer treatment
The Iran Hostage Crisis
• Islamic revolutionaries in Iran led by the Ayatolla
Khomeini toppled the U.S. supported gov’t of Shah
Pahlevi.
• In Nov of 1979, a mob attacked the U.S. embassy in
Teheran, taking ninety people hostage.
• “People felt that Carter had not been tough enough in
foregin policy… some bunch of students could seize
American diplomat officials and hold them prison and
thumb their nose at the United States.”
Iranian Hostage Crisis
• The Iranians demanded that the Shah be returned
to Iran in exchange for the hostage’s release.
• Shortly after the standoff began, the Iranians released
twenty-four non-American hostages and fourteen
others, including several ill hostages, women, and
blacks.
• The fifty-two embassy workers who remained in
captivity were repeatedly blindfolded and paraded
in front of TV cameras.
• Carter first tried to free the hostages through
diplomatic efforts, all of which failed.
The Iran Hostage Crisis continues
• In April 1980, approved a military rescue mission,
but this also failed when helicopter problems led
to a crash and the death of eight servicemen.
• Carter finally obtained the hostages’ release on
January 19, 1981, his last full day in office
• The hostage would be released during the
Inauguration of Ronald Reagan the next day.
They had been held hostage for 444 days.
A little geography
Geography continued: Middle East