Vietnam War
1954-1975
Smart Start: Part One
1. What do we
already know
about Vietnam?
2. What more do
we want to know?
WHY?
3.Why would
Vietnam be
classified as one of
the turning points
in American
History?
North
Vietnam
South
Vietnam
Hanoi
Gulf of
Tonkin
Laos
Cambodia
Thailand
China
Burma
South China
Sea
Let’s talk history
Reading on Background
of Vietnam
Practice Close Reading
 Highlight information that you feel is
important
 In the margins, briefly explain why you
highlighted the information
 Be ready to discuss

Presenter on French
Control
French Control
control Indochina –
Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia from
1893-1941 (Age of Imperialism)
 Japan takes over Indochina during
WWII
 Japan leaves Indochina in 1945
 French want control again: WHY?
 French
The French are back
 After
WWII France assumes
they will get their colonies back
 1946 France sends troops into
Vietnam and gain control of
southern half
 1950 US enters Vietnam
struggle and sends aid to
France-WHY?
Presenter on Ho Chi
Minh
Ho Chi Minh
1930 became leader of the
Indochinese Communist Party
 During WWII was in Russia and China
 1945 Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam
and independent state
 Asked Truman to honor Atlantic
Charter


Read Aloud: Call for the Revolutionary
League for the Independence of
Vietnam (1941)
Declaration of
Independence for
Vietnam
1945
Examine the handout…provide 4
arguments that Ho Chi Minh provides
in allowing Vietnam to have their
independence.
 Explain how this movement for
independence was or was not different
than that of the US in 1776.

Vietminh
 Group
that wants
Vietnam’s
independence
 Formed
in the
North under
Ho Chi Minh
Presenter on Geneva
Accords
Geneva Accords
– July 1954
 France, Great Britain, Soviet
Union, United States, China,
Cambodia, Laos and the Vietminh
 Met in Geneva Switzerland
 Divide Vietnam at 17th Parallel
 North Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh –
Hanoi
 South Vietnam – Ngo Dinh Diem –
Saigon
 Elections to reunite in 1956
 May
Domino Theory
 US
fears if one country falls to
communism after WWII it will be a
domino effect
 One country, then the next and so on
 1954 Pres. Eisenhower explains this
theory on tv (Sends 800 “advisors”)
 1954 French begin to pull out of
Vietnam after a defeat by the Vietminh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP9QDRDLw6c
Presenter on Diem

Handout…further information

Compare and Contrast Diem to Ho Chi
Minh

What are differences you see within
their quest for a united Vietnam?
Diem and Ho Chi Minh
Create a Venn Diagram comparing Diem
and Ho Chi Minh.
Draw in your notebook.
No Elections
 Everyone
realizes the
communists will win the
elections
 Therefore the elections aren’t
held and the country remains
divided
 Question: Can the US
Continue to support S.
Vietnam?
Eisenhower
to Kennedy
Create Chart in Notes
Concepts to listen and look
for in the speech
Tone (Hopeful, Optimistic,
fearful, warning, etc.?)
Message of speech: (Evidence
of specific concepts, topics,
etc.)
Ideology on America’s place in
the world
Similarities
Differences
President Eisenhower’s President Kennedy’s
Farewell speech
Inaugural Speech
Transition of Power
1960

Eisenhower’s farewell address
President Kennedy
Inaugural Speech : “The Torch Is Passed”
President Kennedy
Video

Examine timeline, what other events
are occurring during his presidency
that would at first overshadow
Vietnam, but then bring it to the
forefront of his administration?
Presenter on Buddhist
Monks
Buddhist protests
 Diem
is Catholic and limits rights
of Buddhists
 Most of the South believes in
Buddhism
 Buddhist monks burn themselves
in protest 1963 in the streets of
Saigon
 Diem has hundreds arrested and
Buddhist temples destroyed
President Kennedy and
Vietnam (Historical
Argument)
Clip: Analyzing Kennedy’s Stance on
Vietnam
 Clip Part Two

Kennedy’s Stance on
Vietnam
Press Conference
 Statement
 McNamara interview on Kennedy’s
stance


What is the tone of Kennedy’s voice as
questioned about Vietnam?
Viet Cong
Communist fighters aligned with Ho
Chi Minh and the Viet Minh fighting in
South Vietnam.
 Why was this an advantage for Ho Chi
Minh?
 Viet Cong were members of the
NLF….National Liberation Front.

US can no longer
support Diem
 Kennedy
sends in military “advisors” to
South Vietnam
 First 800 “advisors”
 Then 16,000 “advisors”(Early 1960’s)
 November 1, 1963
 US supports a coup
 Overthrow Diem
 Diem is executed against Pres
Kennedy’s wishes
Death of a President
and its impact on the
nation
Exit Slip: prep for the
assessment tomorrow

Summarize your learning of Vietnam
and US involvement thus far. (Time
period= 1954-1960) as well to include
other descriptions of events/concepts
of the time period 1950s and early
1960s that would contribute to defining
the era.
Reflection

In your own words and opinion, explain
the impact of Kennedy’s death on both
the “baby boom” generation and our
current generation.

Be sure to identify the change in
sentiments and understanding of how
we view our presidents
Reading from textbook

Conflict Deepens and fighting the war

Frustration grows

Class Discussion
Presenter on Pres.
Johnson
Video on Pres. Johnson

Reaction so far…Is it fair to placed the
entire blame on Vietnam on Johnson?

If you were Johnson, what would you
have done?

Be sure to explain your response to
both questions.
Presenter on Gulf of
Tonkin
Gulf of Tonkin
 Johnson
fears losing Vietnam
 South Vietnam is even more
unstable after Diems
assassination
 August 4, 1964 Pres announces
North Vietnamese torpedo boats
attached a US destroyer – NV say
US ship was conducting a naval
raid
 US allege a second incident
Gulf of Tonkin
Resolution
 August
7, 1964 Pres Johnson
gets the support of Congress
 Without having a formal
declaration of war
 Congress gives Pres Johnson
broad military powers in
Vietnam
 Operation Rolling Thunder –
bombing raids of NV begin
Presenter on Robert
McNamara
Presenter on Gen.
Westmoreland
General William
Westmoreland
 US
commander in South Vietnam
 Continued to request more troops
 Work with ARVIN (Army of the
Republic of Vietnam) South
Vietnamese soldiers
 War of attrition – gradual wearing
down of the enemy by continuous
harassment
Johnson’s “Peace
without Conquest”
Speech
 Questions
1.
2.
3.
What is the tone of the speech?
Why did Pres. Johnson give this
speech? (Provide specific evidence
from the speech)
Going back to our chart in the
beginning, why must we go to war?
Presenter on Weapons
and Tactics
North Vietnamese
Tactics
 Hit
and run
 Ambush
 Booby traps
 Land mines
 Elaborate tunnel system
connecting villages
US tactics
 War
of attrition
 Napalm – gasoline based
bomb set fire to jungle
 Agent Orange – leaf killing
toxic chemical
 Search and Destroy
Presenter on Agent
Orange and Napalm
Presenter on
Landscape

Video clip from Forest Gump

List what Forrest Gump encountered
when they arrived in Vietnam
Living Room War
 Footage
of combat appeared
on the nightly news
 What people saw was not what
they were hearing from the
government
 Youth begin to protest
March on Washington
April 1965
 20,000 protestors
 1966 Pres Johnson changed college
deferments – had to be in good
academic standing
 Small number of Vietnam vets
protested the war as well

Presenter on Draft and
Youth Protests
Presenter on Draft and
Deferments
Draft
 18-26
– medical, join
National Guard, college, marriage
 80 % of US soldiers were from
lower economic levels
 African Americans accounted for
20% of deaths in Vietnam but only
made up 10 % of US population
 Deferments
Women
 Still
non combat
 7500 army and navy nurses
 Red Cross
 USO – United States
Organization – hospitality and
entertainment of troops
Protests
 College
campuses
 Sit-ins
 Marches
 Doves
= people that think the
US should withdraw
 Hawks = use all US military
power to defeat North Vietnam
How does music play a
role in shaping public
opinion on a
controversial issue
such as war?
Presenter on the Music

Credence Clear Revival “Fortunate Son”

Country Joe McDonald “We all gonna die”

Protests Songs

For What its Worth

Edward Stanton “War”

Bryds: Turn, Turn, Turn.

Gotta Get out of this place

8th of November (Big and Rich)
What is the
tone
of the song?
What is the
message?
Reaction?
Present Songs…..

Lenny Kravitz “Back in Vietnam”

Green Day “American Idiot”

John Williams “War makes War”

Dixie Chicks “Not Ready to Make Nice”
Written Reflection

What is your opinion on the influence
of music in the ability to persuade an
individual’s opinion on a concept such
as war?

Provide two pieces of evidence to
support your opinion.
Presenter on the Tet
Offensive
Tet Offensive
 January
30, 1968 Vietnamese New
Year Festival known as the Tet
 Part of celebration are funeral
processions with firecrackers, flutes
 Viet Cong hid weapons in coffins
 100 South Vietnam cities were
surprise attached and 12 US air
bases
 Went on for over one month
 VC = 32,000 ARVIN and US = 3000
Nation turns on
Johnson
 After
Tet Offensive Johnson’s
popularity plummeted
 Pres Johnson chooses not to
run for reelection March 1968
1968: The year that
changed everything
Violence in the US
 April
4, 1968 MLK, Jr
assassinated
 100 cities across the US erupted
in violence
 June 4, 1968 Robert Kennedy
assassinate
 College campuses continued to
have protests
US Democratic Primary
in Chicago
 Delegates
and protesters in Chicago
 Mayor Daily worried about violence
 Mobilized 12000 police and 5000
National Guard
 Protestors put in a park – chaos
erupted
 Police beat protesters with
nightsticks and sprayed them with
Mace
 The whole world watched on TV
Reflect: What do we
know so far about
Vietnam?

Create a mind map to display and
categorize information you have
learned about Vietnam so far.
Presenter on Nixon
Republican Nixon Wins
 During
election campaign promised
to end the war in Vietnam
 By summer 1969, announced the
1st US troops would withdraw from
Vietnam
 Vietnamization – plan to gradually
withdraw US troops and the South
Vietnamese take on the combat
role
Ads for Nixon’s
election

Clip
Video Clip of Nixon
President Nixon addresses the nation
Clip

Presenter on Secret
War and Hmong
Secret War
 Nixon
ordered massive
bombing raids against supply
lines and bases on North
Vietnam
 Bombed neighboring countries
of Laos and Cambodia that
had Viet Cong in the area
Presenter on Hmong

If not presenter: Read Article on the
Hmong in the Secret War

Reflection
Hmong
 In
mountains of Laos
 Some side with Viet Cong
 Some side with US CIA
 US allies help rescue downed
pilots, plant mines on Ho Chi
Minh Trail, set up US air base
in Northern Laos, and were
pilots themselves
Presenter on Mai Lai
Massacre
Mai Lai Massacre
 March
of 1969 Massacre in the
paper in November 1969
 Mai Lai small village in North
Vietnam
 No signs of Viet Cong
 US military rounded up villagers
and shot them – 100 innocent
women and children
 We were following orders
 25 officers charged with massacre
and cover-up
Invasion of Cambodia
 April
30, 1970 Nixon reports US
troops had invaded Cambodia to
clear out supplies for Viet Cong
 College students erupted in
protest
 1.5 million on 1,200 campuses
Presenter on Kent
State and Youth
Protests
Kent State
 In
Ohio
 May 4, 1970
 National Guard fired on a
crowd of student protestors
throwing rocks at them
 9 wounded 4 killed
Presenter on Pentagon
Papers
Pentagon Papers
 Nixon
had not told Congress
about Cambodia invasion
 Nixon lost support
 December 31, 1970 Congress
repealed the Gulf of Tonkin
Resolution
 June 1971 – former defense
employee 7000 pages – plans that
US govt never planned to end the
war
Nixon’s re-election
 1972
– unknown at the time
 US and Vietnam had been
meeting
 Talks ended in December 1972
 Nixon ordered Christmas
bombings
 100,000 bombs 11 days 2 cities –
Hanoi and Haiphong
 Watergate
“Peace with Honor”

Be ready to discuss your perspective
of the speech
War is over
 January
27, 1973
 US signed and agreement
ending war
 Nixon promised the use full
force if peace agreement was
not kept
 March 29, 1973 last US
combat troops left for US
Nixon leaves office
 August
8, 1974 Nixon goes on
tv and says he will resign
 Nixon admitted no guilt
 Gerald Ford becomes the 38th
Pres of the USA
Fall of Saigon
 Within
two months the 1973
cease fire between N and S
was broken
 March 1975 NV launched full
scale invasion of SV
 America provided money but
would not send troops
 April 30, 1975 NV capture
Saigon and SV surrenders
Presenter on Paris
Peace Accords
Presenter on Legacy of
the War
Impact of War
 US
58000 killed 365000 wounded
 SV 1.5 million killed
 War in Cambodia
 Hmong that helped US no longer
safe in Laos flee to Thailand
 3.3 million soldiers PTSD
 1975 First Hmong refugees arrive in
US
 1982 Vietnam Wall

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http://www.diethelmtravel.com/upload/image/Live/P616L1/Indochina_map1.jpg
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/Gallery/parlt-hist/images/grounds-protest-modern.jpg
http://www.cannabisculture.com/library/images/uploads/3302-Draft-dogers.jpg
http://www.americanheritage.com/xml/2003/3/localassets/innews.jpg
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/.../ intro.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1290000/images/_1293925_apnapalm300.jpg
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2003/111-3/agentorange.jpg
http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1525000/images/_1527055_protest1963_150ap.jpg
http://www.swisscastles.ch/vietnam/photos/cuchi0771-75.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngo_Dinh_Diem
http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/history/vietnam_diagram.jpg
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en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Vietnam_War
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http://www.uiowa.edu/~policult/assets/VietNam/KentState.jpg
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