We will explain reasons why the United
States got involved in the Vietnam War.
Sub-Objective
We will describe the impact of events such as the
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and the War Powers Act.

SEs: 2B, 8D, 8E, 8F, 20A

8d (r) Explain reasons and outcomes for U.S. involvement in foreign countries and their relationship to the
Domino Theory, including the Vietnam War.
20a (s) Describe the impact of events such as the Gulf of
Tonkin Resolution and the War Powers Act on the relationship between the legislative and executive branches of government.
8f (r) Describe the responses to the Vietnam War such as the draft, the 26th Amendment, the role of the media, the credibility gap, the silent majority, and the antiwar movement.

Create a flow map that identifies and analyzes the events leading to the U.S. involvement in the
Vietnam conflict.

Key figures in the Vietnam War
Robert McNamara William Westmoreland
U.S. Secretary of
Defense during the
Vietnam War who made the American
American commander in Vietnam who told
American people that we were close to public feel like we were winning the war winning the war, even though we weren’t
Ho Chi Minh
Communist leader of North Vietnam who led the efforts to unify Vietnam, he was a hero to most Vietnamese

Key figures in the Vietnam War
John F. Kennedy
President of U.S. during the beginning of the Vietnam War who sent advisors to help the South
Vietnamese
Lyndon B. Johnson
President during much of Vietnam
War; greatly escalated the U.S. soldier involvement in the conflict
Richard Nixon
President of the
U.S. during the latter part of the
Vietnam War; he expanded the war into Cambodia

For most of the 20 th century, southeast Asia -
- including Vietnam -- was a possession of
France and was known as French Indochina.

After hundreds of years of colonial rule, Vietnam won its independence when it defeated the
French in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954.

The person who led the Vietnamese to victory was a revolutionary by the name of Ho Chi Minh who led a group of freedom fighters called the Vietminh.

Vietnam was divided into North and South Vietnam at the 17 th parallel at the Geneva Convention of
1954. South Vietnam was a democracy while North
Vietnam established a communist government.

For the next decade,
North and South
Vietnam fought each other for control of the government.

N. Vietnam becoming a communist state made the
U.S. fear that all of Southeast Asia would fall to communism and we needed to intervene to stop it.
The Domino Theory was the belief that if one country fell to communism, other nations around it would eventually fall as well.

The U.S. gave its support to South Vietnam, a democracy, and its leader, Ngo Dinh Diem

Many South Vietnamese hated Ngo because he was corrupt, he was westernized, and he did not govern in the best interest of the citizens.

Ngo’s harsh treatment of Vietnamese
Buddhists led to some Buddhist monks setting themselves on fire in protest of Ngo’s rule.

Critics said the United States was worried about Vietnam only for imperialist purposes and called Ngo a puppet of the U.S.

Until 1964, the United States did not have any direct military involvement in Vietnam. We only acted as advisors to the South Vietnamese.

In August 1964, North Vietnam was accused of firing on two U.S. warships in the Gulf of Tonkin, which is off the coast of Vietnam.

Johnson responded by ordering U.S. airplanes to attack North Vietnam, marking the first time the U.S. used military force in the conflict.

Just as in Korea, many Americans believed the
Chinese were behind the North Vietnamese effort to spread communism throughout southeast Asia.

Johnson asked
Congress authorize the use force to defend American forces
With the Gulf of
Tonkin Resolution
Congress handed over war powers to the president
The President had the power to send U.S. troops into battle without a declaration of war

The U.S. Constitution says that the president must ask for Congress to declare war in order to send U.S. troops into battle.
Is this still necessary today?
Discuss with a partner and be prepared to share your thoughts.

The Vietnam Conflict was a war of guerrilla warfare , which is a type of warfare when unconventional methods such as sabotage and ambushes are performed by armed civilians.

The Vietcong (also known as the NLF) was the guerrilla army that used hit-and-run tactics against the U.S. and the South Vietnamese.

The Vietcong were South Vietnamese
Communists who fought on the side of the North
Vietnamese for Vietnam’s unification.

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They were familiar with the landscape (rivers, lakes, etc.)
They could find a safe haven in Cambodia,
Laos or South Vietnam
They could often count on the support of the local population

Red line indicates Ho Chi Minh
Trail through Laos and Cambodia
The path that ran from North
Vietnam to South Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia that was a supply line for the Vietcong.

U.S. bombing campaign against the North
Vietnam from 1965-1968 that was intended to get North Vietnam to stop supporting South Vietnamese guerrillas.

Operation Rolling Thunder was the most intense air/ground battle waged during the
Cold War

Heading into 1968, most Americans were led to believe that victory in
Vietnam was just a short time away.
But on the Vietnamese New Year, known as Tet, the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese launched a surprise attack on the South.