Modern U.S. History
The Vietnam War
Chapter 19-1
• A. Colonial Vietnam
• - Take Cornell Notes as you read this section. You should read the section and take notes on the right side of your paper. On the left side you should write 4-5 questions that answer the notes you have taken on the right. You should take notes on the main ideas that are most significant
• B. Vietnam after World War II
• - Create a time-line of the major events that occurred in
Vietnam after World War II. You should list each event, its year, and describe the significance of the event.
• C. Increasing U.S. Involvement
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- Imagine you are a reporter covering the events going on in
Vietnam. Create the dialogue of an interview you would conduct as a field reporter. Make sure you discuss each of the following:
1. The sending of military advisors to Vietnam
2. Diem’s Overthrow
3. Gulf of Tonkin Incident and Resolution
• D. Turn to page 603 in your book. Write a paragraph which completes the activity described for number 6.
• Any work not finished should be completed for homework.

The Vietnam War
Chapter 19-1
Lesson 1: Background to the Vietnam War
• Activity 1: Class Notes

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Activity 1
Overview of the War
• - longest war in American History
• - only war the U.S. has lost
• - Vietnam war exposed the limits of our country’s power
• - U.S. entered the war to prevent the spread of communism in Southeast Asia
• - U.S. supported the government of South Vietnam against the Communist government of North
Vietnam
• - war became unpopular at home, U.S. withdrew its troops Vietnam in 1973
• Costs of the War
• - 57,000 Americans and 4 million Vietnamese were killed
• - 1982, U.S. government unveiled a monument that honored those who had died

• History of Foreign Influence in Vietnam
• - During 1800s France and England competed with each other to control the Far East
• - France gained control of Southeast Asia known as
Indochina (present day Cambodia, Laos, and
Vietnam)
Establishment of the Viet Minh
• - Viet Minh was a resistance force established by a leader named Ho Chi Minh to fight Japan during
World War II and the French after the war
• - Vietminh main objective was to overthrow French rule
• - Ho Chi Minh becomes very popular and declares
Vietnam independent after World War II
• - France disagrees and war breaks out in 1946
• - U.S. decides to support France because of our
WWII alliance and determination to stop the spread of communism

• French Defeat
• - Viet Minh defeat the French in 1954 at the battle of Dien Bien Phu
• - French agree to leave and Vietnam is split into North and South
• - Geneva Accords (temporarily divided 17th parallel)
• - plans agreed upon said that country would be unified by elections in 2 years
• - U.S. never fully supported elections.
Feared Ho Chi Minh and communists would win

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• U.S. Intervention Begins
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- President Eisenhower compared Vietnam to a row of dominoes
- If one falls to communism, the others will fall one right after the other
- U.S. supports the leader of South Vietnam named Diem
- Ironically, Diem’s rule was not very democratic and many in the South came to hate him (no elections, religious persecution)
- National Liberation Front created to fight Diem’s government
- Vietcong created to fight for the NLF (supported by North
Vietnam)
- Eisenhower sends more aid and advisors to South Vietnam
- JFK sends 1,000 military advisors to South
Vietnam in November 1961
- By 1963, 16,000 military personnel were stationed in
Vietnam

• Activity 2: Turn to page 602 in your book.
Write down the five causes of the Vietnam
War under activity 2. Then, pick the two that you feel were most responsible for the war and explain why using many examples.

The Vietnam War
Chapter 19 Section 2
• Lesson 2: Escalation of the Vietnam War
• Activity 1: Notes over handout

• 1. Johnson takes over for JFK
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- Johnson privately thought Vietnam was a “mess that wasn’t worth fighting for” weak
- felt great pressure to win the fight, did not want to appear
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
• - officially pulled the U.S. into the Vietnam War
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• - U.S. planned to eventually attack North by air and sea
• - to prepare, they conducted covert operations in the Gulf of Tonkin (to see level of defenses)
- communist boats clash with U.S. here
- Johnson takes a war resolution to Congress that would allow him to “take all necessary measures” to defend any nation in Southeast Asia threatened by communism

• Johnson Escalates the War
• - regular bombing raids begin in 1965
• - later that year first combat troops arrive
• - By Dec 1965 there were nearly 200,000 troops
• - By end of 1967, America had 500,000 troops in Vietnam

• Imagine you are a soldier who is fighting in Vietnam.
Write a one-page letter back to a family member or friend which describes what the war is like for you. Or, one page rapp or news broadcast
• 1. Fighting environment
• 2. Enemy tactics / Challenges to success
• 3. Troop Morale / Commitment to the cause

• With your partner do the following:
• Create two Top 5 lists below :
• Top 5 Challenges
• Faced by soldiers
• and why
Top 5 solutions in your opinion
• Challenge
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• 3.
• 4.
• 5.
Reason
1.
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3.
4.
5.
Solution

The Vietnam War
Chapter 19 Section 2
Lesson 3: On the Vietnam Battlefield
• Activity 1: Use the sections “The Air War” and
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“The Ground War” on pg 604-607 to do the following. Create a chart which identifies the problems or difficulties faced by the U.S. soldiers and the strategies or solutions used by the U.S. to respond to those challenges. Each U.S. tactic or strategies should be explained in detail.
Problem/Challenge
Challenge Reason
U.S. Strategy/Solution
Solution
• (Explain each of above in sentences)

• 1. enemy strength
• - Operation Rolling Thunder-bombing campaign aimed at army bases, airfields,
• Bridges, roads, railways, power plants
• Ho Chi Minh trail
• 2. Lack of visibility- Agent Orange was used to kill vegetation and exposed thick areas of the jungle.
Napalm was used to destroy farms and forests,
• - Carpet bombing destroyed large areas with not specific target
• - By late 1968 more than 1 million tons of bombs had been dropped

• 3. Guerrilla tactics-
• - search and destroy missions to drive enemy forces out of their hideouts, air strikes followed by ground forces
• 4. South Vietnamese against U.S.
• - pacification- win the hearts and minds of the
South Vietnamese people-included construction projects, moving villages to safe camps and given food and housing
• 5. How to measure success?
• - success was measured in body counts

• Use pg 608 under the section “U.S. Forces
Mobilize” to explain how the draft worked.
• Then, discuss your opinion on whether or not you think we should have required military service or a draft today in our country.

• Drafted soldiers became needed as the war continued
• - 25 percent of the young men registered were excused for health reasons
• - Another 30 percent received deferments or postponements of service if they were in college
• Higher-income families were less likely to serve in
Vietnam
• In 1969 the government ended many deferments and implemented a lottery system based on birthdates.
• 1973 the draft ended
• 3 percent of eligible young men escaped the draft by refusing to register or leaving the U.S. Thousands went to Canada to avoid being sent to Vietnam

• Read the Document-Based Investigation on pg 628-629 and complete questions 1-
4 (A and B) in your notebook.

• Lesson 4: Perspectives on the Vietnam War
• Activity 1: Group Notes and 5 Main points about your positions or opinions on the war…..for the debate
• Activity 2: 8-10 Specific questions about an event/battle/issue that you would like to ask another group on the panel to answer.

As we watch the program, take notes using the following:
Notes on the decisions,
Issues, dilemmas faced
By Johnson
Your groups
Perspective on issues

• Write an opening statement that you will read to open our debate/discussion. This statement should be a summary of the main points you wish to communicate about how your group has been impacted by the Vietnam War.

The Vietnam War
Chapter 19 Section 3 & 4
• Lesson 5: The War Under Nixon
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• Political cartoons usually show someone’s opinion on a
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• certain political issue by:
1. Exaggeration of a situation
(Caricature)
2. Showing how a person or a group might say one thing and do another
(Irony)
3. Using humor to praise someone when you really are criticizing them for what they are doing (Satire)

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• Read about each of the below topics in section 3 and 4 and take some basic
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• bullet points notes about each. Then, create two political cartoons which illustrates a particular point of view on that issue. One from the U.S. government viewpoint and the other from North Vietnamese government’s viewpoint Possible issues you could choose include:
1. War Protests
2. The Tet Offensive
3. Johnson’s resignation
4. Nixon’s Peace With Honor
(Vietnamization)
5. The Widening of the War (Attack on
Cambodia)
6. Violent Protests at Kent State University
7. The Pentagon Papers
8. The Election of 1972 (McGovern vs
Nixon)
9. The End of the War (Paris Peace
Accords
10. Consequences of War (Trouble in
Southeast Asia)

• Creating a Visual Metaphor Representing the Role of the United States in the
Vietnam War.doc