The Vietnam War
Day 1: Key Players
Day 2: Vietnam Background
Day 3: The War Escalates
Day 4: Media and the War
Day 5: Turning Point
Day 6: 1968 and the Tumultuous Times
Day 7: Vietnam War Ends
Day 8: Vietnam War Memorial
Day 9: The Nixon Years
Day 10: From Watergate to Ford
Day 11: Carter and the 1970s Culture
Activity
• Research leaders during the Vietnam War
and provide a brief summary.
• Label all countries with capitals
– Color in these countries on your map and
label their capitals:
– China, North Korea, South Korea, Japan,
Philippines, Burma, Thailand, Laos,
Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and
Singapore.
The Vietnam War
Day 1: Key Players
Day 2: Vietnam Background
Day 3: The War Escalates
Day 4: Media and the War
Day 5: Turning Point
Day 6: 1968 and the Tumultuous Times
Day 7: Vietnam War Ends
Day 8: Vietnam War Memorial
Day 9: The Nixon Years
Day 10: From Watergate to Ford
Day 11: Carter and the 1970s Culture
Bell Ringer
• Why does the location of Vietnam have
any significance to the events taking place
at this point in history?
Objectives
• Analyze why China and France wanted to
control Vietnam.
• Explain why the United States refused to
support Vietnamese independence in the
1940s and 1950s.
• Discuss why President Kennedy increased
U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
Background
• Locals know many rulers throughout
history
– Constant suppression by colonial powers
• British (India) 1700-1800s
• French late 1800 through early 1900s
– Locals wanted freedom from outside
leadership – self determination
Vietnam Timeline
• Vietminh challenged French 1945-1954
– Ho Chi Minh organizes Vietminh
– Fear is reinforced by Mao Zedong’s victory in
China
– Domino Theory and Eisenhower – “If one
falls, they all fall.”
Vietnam Timeline
• French defeated at Diem Bien Phu
1954
• Geneva Accords divide the country
North from South at 17th parallel
• Vietnamese Civil War Begins 1958
– People found the benefits in Communism
Vietnam Timeline
• The NFL is established in 1960
– National Front for Liberation
– Vietcong in South do not want Diem as
leader
– Communism shows the people the benefits
of the party
Vietnam Timeline
• United State involvement escalates in
1960
– Kennedy helps train the ARVN
– Diem is overthrown and assassinated by a
coup in 1963
– Buddhists set themselves on fire???
• How does the United States government
react? Would we commit?
ABCs of Vietnam
• With this ABC mini book you will be
choosing a word for each letter of the
alphabet and explain how it relates to the
Vietnam War.
• On each page illustrate one of the words
that you have put down.
Activity
• Pg. 659 (1-4), choose a position you side
with and explain why in one paragraph.
• Imagine you are an adviser to President
Eisenhower in 1959. Based on what you
know at the time prepare a statement
outlining the benefits and drawbacks of
U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Finally,
write a one-paragraph policy
recommendation.
The Vietnam War
Day 1: Key Players
Day 2: Vietnam Background
Day 3: The War Escalates
Day 4: Media and the War
Day 5: Turning Point
Day 6: 1968 and the Tumultuous Times
Day 7: Vietnam War Ends
Day 8: Vietnam War Memorial
Day 9: The Nixon Years
Day 10: From Watergate to Ford
Day 11: Carter and the 1970s Culture
iThink Moment
• Share your policies with one person next
to you.
• What benefits/drawbacks did you find by
going to war in Vietnam?
• Are your policies similar? How are they
different?
• Pg. 659 Questions – What is your
position?
Objectives
• Identify the constitutional issue the
Tonkin Gulf Resolution raised.
• Describe the strategies U.S. forces used in
the Vietnam War.
The Tonkin Gulf Resolution
• Lyndon Johnson
needed Congressional
backing to increase
commitment
• Resolution offered
authority to take “all
necessary measures”
– Call for escalation of
forces
The Tonkin Gulf Resolution
• What message is Lyndon Johnson trying
to portray to Congress?
• What position does he propose America
takes in this war?
• How does Lyndon Johnson’s message
appeal to the American people?
U.S. Forces in Vietnam
• Demand for soldiers
led to the draft
– Younger, poorer, less
educated
– Deferment: health,
postponement,
college
– Women face
increasing challenges
U.S. Forces in Vietnam
• Humanitarian
organizations
volunteer
• Operation Rolling
Thunder
– Target: Ho Chi Minh
Trail
– Underground
facilities established
by Vietcong
U.S. Forces in Vietnam
• Commonly used
weapons
– Napalm, “cluster
bombs”, defoliants
(Agent Orange)
– Bombing led many
SV to join Vietcong
Vietnam Video – Maring Hunt
• What is Lyndon Johnson trying to do with
his educational video?
• How do the men describe Vietnam?
• Why were men and women willing to join
the Vietcong? (mins. 17-19 skip)
• Why did American soldiers have a difficult
time trusting the Vietnamese?
• Stop movie at 21 mins.
The Vietnam War
Day 1: Key Players
Day 2: Vietnam Background
Day 3: The War Escalates
Day 4: Media and the War
Day 5: Turning Point
Day 6: 1968 and the Tumultuous Times
Day 7: Vietnam War Ends
Day 8: Vietnam War Memorial
Day 9: The Nixon Years
Day 10: From Watergate to Ford
Day 11: Carter and the 1970s Culture
Bell Ringer
• Pg. 666 – Why do you think these folks
are protesting? Why do people typically
protest during war? What are different
forms of protest? Are we protected under
the US Constitution to protest?
Are you a conscientious
objector?
• Read the materials provided for you,
answer the questions associated with the
reading and make a decision on what you
would do if you oppose the war but your
government wants you to fight.
Objectives
• List factors that frustrated U.S. military
efforts in Vietnam.
• Explain why some Americans opposed
the war, and describe how the
government responded.
The Media and the War
• What was considered
a victory?
– Total dead
• Gruesome images
displayed
• Americans split
– Go all out or come
home
• Coverage on a daily
basis – images
contradict reports
The Antiwar Movement
• Doves = opposed
• Yippies = Youth
Int’l Party
• Students for a
Democratic Society
– protest the draft,
ROTC, and the CIA
– Criticize government
for discrimination
• Hawks = supported
– Found acts of protest
upsetting
Protest Commercial
• Take a position on the Vietnam
“Conflict” as either a hawk or a dove.
• Develop a commercial, using iMovie,
with 1-2 other classmates that states your
position on this war.
• Cite evidence from this war that proves
why you hold the position that you do.
The Vietnam War
Day 1: Key Players
Day 2: Vietnam Background
Day 3: The War Escalates
Day 4: Media and the War
Day 5: Turning Point
Day 6: 1968 and the Tumultuous Times
Day 7: Vietnam War Ends
Day 8: Vietnam War Memorial
Day 9: The Nixon Years
Day 10: From Watergate to Ford
Day 11: Carter and the 1970s Culture
Bell Ringer
• Protest commercials
• 15 Question Quiz
Objectives
• Explain why the Tet Offensive weakened
American’s confidence about the war.
• List the key events of the 1968
presidential election.
The Tet Offensive
• Opportunity to strike
when least expected
• Victory also shows
the weaknesses in the
South
• Johnson – “If I’ve
lost Cronkite, I’ve
lost America.”
The Election of 1968
• Johnson decides
against reelection
• Contenders for the
Democratic seat
– Eugene McCarthy
– Robert Kennedy
– Hubert Humphrey
• Republican
– Richard Nixon
• Independent
– George Wallace
The Vietnam War
Day 1: Key Players
Day 2: Vietnam Background
Day 3: The War Escalates
Day 4: Media and the War
Day 5: Turning Point
Day 6: 1968 and the Tumultuous Times
Day 7: Vietnam War Ends
Day 8: Vietnam War Memorial
Day 9: The Nixon Years
Day 10: From Watergate to Ford
Day 11: Carter and the 1970s Culture
Voices of the Vietnam Era
• Video: 1968 with Tom Brokaw
• Obtain at least 5 quotes from these people and
explain, based on what you see, what it was like
to live through this period.
– What do you believe would be the most challenging
thing for you to overcome during this period in
history? Describe the emotion of the times in one
paragraph along with the quotations.
The Vietnam War
Day 1: Key Players
Day 2: Vietnam Background
Day 3: The War Escalates
Day 4: Media and the War
Day 5: Turning Point
Day 6: 1968 and the Tumultuous Times
Day 7: Vietnam War Ends
Day 8: Vietnam War Memorial
Day 9: The Nixon Years
Day 10: From Watergate to Ford
Day 11: Carter and the 1970s Culture
iThink Moment
• Read the first three paragraphs on page
670 of your text.
• What was Richard Nixon’s plan to get
American troops out of Vietnam?
Objectives
• Summarize how President Nixon
attempted to end the war.
• Describe how Americans reacted to
President Nixon’s plan to end the war.
Nixon, Vietnamization and
Cambodia
• Henry Kissinger
encourages a plan to
hand over fighting to
the South
• Nixon starts a secret
bombing in
Cambodia
Nixon, Vietnamization and
Cambodia
• Bombing in Cambodia
provokes outrage
• My Lai Massacre
• Protests were taking place
– ROTC buildings
– Kent State, Jackson
State shootings
• Congress reacts, journalists
present the Pentagon
Papers
• Bad choices see a backlash
Nixon’s Re-election
• Nixon vs. the antiwar candidate,
George McGovern
• 26th Amendment
lowers voting age
from 21 to 18
• Nixon promises the
war would end soon
A Cease Fire at Last
• Le Duct Tho and
Kissinger plan
negotiations, Paris
1969
• Talks resume at the
end of 1972
• April 30, 1975 South
Vietnamese surrender
unconditionally
• Domino Theory
never occurs
The Vietnam War
Day 1: Key Players
Day 2: Vietnam Background
Day 3: The War Escalates
Day 4: Media and the War
Day 5: Turning Point
Day 6: 1968 and the Tumultuous Times
Day 7: Vietnam War Ends
Day 8: Vietnam War Memorial
Day 9: The Nixon Years
Day 10: From Watergate to Ford
Day 11: Carter and the 1970s Culture
Objectives
• Evaluate the war’s long-term effect on the
American people.
Effects of the War
• Total number of
victims is uncertain
• Refugees flee postwar
conditions
• Most visible tragedy
of the veterans was
their fate
• War Powers Act of
1973 provides a limit
on commitment
The Vietnam War Memorial
• Maya Ying Lin designs the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial
• Video: The Wall at 25
The Vietnam War
Day 1: Key Players
Day 2: Vietnam Background
Day 3: The War Escalates
Day 4: Media and the War
Day 5: Turning Point
Day 6: 1968 and the Tumultuous Times
Day 7: Vietnam War Ends
Day 8: Vietnam War Memorial
Day 9: The Nixon Years
Day 10: From Watergate to Ford
Day 11: Carter and the 1970s Culture
Bell Ringer – America: The
Story of Us – Millennium
• Many historians debate whether or not the
U.S. has seen continual progress
throughout its history, or if there have
been moments of back-peddling or
regression. How do you define progress
in history? Do you think the U.S. has
always progressed? Justify your answer
based on what you see.
Objectives
• Discuss how President Nixon’s domestic
policies differed from those of Presidents
Johnson and Kennedy.
• Describe how Nixon responded to
economic problems.
• Identify the causes and effects of the
energy crisis.
The Forgotten Americans
• Support comes from
the “Silent Majority”
• Highest priority is
welfare reform
– Family Assistance
Program
– New Federalism
• Nixon uses the
Southern Strategy
for civil rights issues
Nixon’s Economy
• 1960s brings a
recession =
stagflation
• Use of “Robin Hood
in Reverse”
Energy Crisis
• Support for Israeli
war leads to price
hike with OPEC
• Speed limit reduction
intended to save gas
• Environmental issues
confronted by Nixon
– Oil spills
– First Earth Day, 1970
– Endangered Species
Act
Foreign Affairs
• Improving relations
with other nations is
necessary, realpolitik
• Intentions are present
to divide the
communist world
• Talks with the USSR
lead to SALT talks
and détente
• The Six-Day War
The Vietnam War
Day 1: Key Players
Day 2: Vietnam Background
Day 3: The War Escalates
Day 4: Media and the War
Day 5: Turning Point
Day 6: 1968 and the Tumultuous Times
Day 7: Vietnam War Ends
Day 8: Vietnam War Memorial
Day 9: The Nixon Years
Day 10: From Watergate to Ford
Day 11: Carter and the 1970s Culture
Bell Ringer
•
•
•
•
Review Nixon Policies
Court Case
Timeline
Files
iThink Moment
• Once the “Confidential Materials” have
been distributed regarding the Watergate
Scandal, pass out Parts 1,2,3 within your
group and summarize what you have read
about this case.
Objectives
• Summarize the issues surrounding the
Watergate scandal.
• Discuss the role that the White House
tapes played in President Nixon’s
resignation.
Crisis in the Presidency
• Nixon believed in a
limitless presidency
• Nixon’s secret unit =
the plumbers
• Evidence is provided
by Deep Throat
• Senate leads an
investigation known
as Watergate
Herblock Political Cartoons
Strange, they all seem to have
a connection with this place!
Mugging.
Herblock Political Cartoons
The Case Against Nixon
• Truth is revealed in
secret tapes
– Spiro Agnew resigns
– Gerald Ford is new
VP
– Nixon responds to
the Saturday Night
Massacre
• Avoiding
impeachment, Nixon
resigns
Discussion Questions – First
Amendment
• Do Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein
have the constitutional right to publish the
story of the Watergate scandal?
• How do you think people might have
reacted to these articles?
• Were the reporters justified in writing
their articles?
• How might things have been different if
they didn’t?
Discussion Questions –
Interview with Frost
• Should the president have the right to more
power and/or authority in a time of war or
domestic crisis? Explain your answer.
• Why did President Nixon want to use various
government agencies to spy on opposition
groups and individuals? Was he right or wrong
for doing so? Explain your answer.
Discussion Questions –
Interview with Frost
• President Nixon said "When the President does
it that means it is not illegal." Discuss whether
there should be a time when an action or
decision by the president, otherwise illegal,
would be legal.
• Is political intelligence an acceptable way to
operate a political campaign? Describe examples
of the use of political intelligence in today's
political campaigns.
The Vietnam War
Day 1: Key Players
Day 2: Vietnam Background
Day 3: The War Escalates
Day 4: Media and the War
Day 5: Turning Point
Day 6: 1968 and the Tumultuous Times
Day 7: Vietnam War Ends
Day 8: Vietnam War Memorial
Day 9: The Nixon Years
Day 10: From Watergate to Ford
Day 11: Carter and the 1970s Culture
Bell Ringer
• While reading the article from TIME
magazine, identify the differences that
exist between the generations and how
they are perceived in history.
Objectives
• Explain why President Ford was unable to
achieve his domestic-policy goals.
• Explain how President Carter’s handling
of domestic issues caused some
Americans to lose faith in his
administration.
Ford Tries to Reunite the
Nation
• Ford pardons Nixon
while the country
questions his
intentions
• Ford provides
clemency to draft
evaders
• Power abuse leads to
rejection of plans
Ford’s Foreign Policy
• Attempts to increase
popularity are all but
successful
• Détente suffers as a
result of actions in
Angola, Africa
• National Front vs.
Popular Front
– Relations are strained
Jimmy Carter as President
• Ford and Dole (R)
vs. Carter and
Mondale (D)
• Walk symbolizes a
government open to
public view
– Use of radio,
television, call-ins to
keep in touch
Domestic Policies
• Unconditional
pardon for draft
evaders
• Cuts in federal gov’t
spending = more
unemployment
• Another energy crisis
= adopting other
measures
• Losing faith with lack
of leadership
Foreign Policy
• Rejects realpolitik
• Apartheid in Africa,
solving their own
problems
• U.S.-Soviet relations
get worse in 1979
• Camp David
Accords led to peace
in the Middle East
Culture of the 1970s
Counterculture – 1960s
• Peace, love and equality
– Sexual identity, women’s
rights
– Summer of Love
– Woodstock
• Jimmy Hendrix
– Long Hair Rebels
– Bra Burning
– Flower Power
– Drugs
Me Decade – 1970s
•
•
•
•
Voting Rights Act of 1975
Development of the Sunbelt
Self-improvement
Steven Spielberg produces
classics
– Jaws, Close Encounters of the
Third Kind, E.T.
• Disco and punk rock
becomes popular music
• Apollo 11 and Skylab
advance space program
Technology
•
•
•
•
•
Apple Computer
PC’s
Atari
VCR
Answering Machines