Power Presentations
CHAPTER 30
America in the World
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You are a young person in 1969. Your country is at war
to stop Communists from taking over South Vietnam.
College students have organized huge protests against the
war and the draft. Many people think such protests are
unpatriotic and an insult to the soldiers who are fighting.
Would you support the war?
• Should the United States try to stop the
spread of communism in Vietnam?
• Why are so many people against the war?
• Is it unpatriotic to criticize the government?
1954 United States gives economic aid to South Vietnam.
1960 John F. Kennedy is elected president.
1963 Lyndon B. Johnson becomes president
after Kennedy’s assassination.
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1964 Johnson is reelected president. Tonkin Gulf
Resolution is passed.
1965 First U.S. ground troops go to Vietnam.
1968 Richard M. Nixon is elected president.
1969 President Nixon begins troop withdrawals
from Vietnam.
To World
1970 Nixon orders invasion of Cambodia. Four students are
killed during an antiwar protest at Kent State University.
1973 U.S. involvement in war ends.
1954 Vietnam is divided into North and South.
1960 National Liberation Front (Viet Cong) organizes
in South Vietnam.
1962 Soviet Union places nuclear missiles in Cuba.
1966 Communist leader Mao Zedong begins Cultural
Revolution in China.
1968 Viet Cong launch Tet offensive. Soviets invade
Czechoslavakia to stop reforms.
1975 South Vietnam surrenders to Communists.
Back to U.S.
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Main Idea
The United States entered the Vietnam War to
stop the spread of Communism.
Why It Matters Now
The United States still becomes involved in
foreign struggles for political reasons.
What important events shaped relations
between the United States and Vietnam?
Map
1930 Indochinese Communist Party forms
1940 Japan takes over Indochina
1945 Vietnam declares independence
1946 Viet Minh and France at war
1950 U.S. offers military aid to France
1954 France surrenders, Vietnam divides
1960 Viet Cong organizes
1963 Diem overthrown
• What were Ho Chi Minh’s goals for Vietnam?
• How did the Cold War affect American decisions
regarding Vietnam?
• What level of involvement did the Truman,
Eisenhower, and Kennedy administrations have
in Vietnam?
Evaluating
How did U.S. support of the Diem
government involve a conflict of values?
Think About
• American beliefs in democracy and individual
rights
• the actions of the Diem government
Back to Home
Main Idea
America sent ground troops to Vietnam
expecting victory, but soldiers soon grew
frustrated.
Why It Matters Now
The Vietnam War taught Americans that
superior military strength does not always
ensure victory.
How did the Vietnam War affect Vietnamese villagers and
U.S. soldiers?
Villagers
U.S. Soldiers
harmed by chemicals that
destroyed landscape and
food supplies
frustrated by limits on their
attacks and by Viet Cong
dedication
left homeless
vulnerable to surprise
attacks and booby traps
killed by soldiers
demoralized by difficult
physical conditions
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• How did President Johnson escalate U.S.
involvement in the Vietnam War?
• What made fighting the war so frustrating for
American soldiers?
• How was the Tet offensive a turning
point in the war?
Map
Analyzing Points of View
Were the Viet Cong right to see the
Americans “merely as successors to
the French”?
Think About
• the goals of the French in Vietnam
• the goals of the Americans in Vietnam
• the actions of the French and the Americans
Back to Home
Main Idea
The Vietnam War divided Americans and
had lasting effects in the United States and
Southeast Asia.
Why It Matters Now
Lessons of the Vietnam War still influence the
United States whenever it gets involved in a
foreign conflict.
What groups were involved in the antiwar movement? Why
did they protest the war? What did they do to show their beliefs?
Groups
Reasons
Events
religious leaders
it was a civil war
demonstrations
civil rights leaders
it was immoral
draft card burnings
teachers and
college students
the costs were
too high
speeches
journalists
it took money away
from social programs
editorials
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• Why did more and more Americans oppose the
war after 1968?
• How did the Vietnam War end?
• In what major ways did the war affect Southeast
Asia and the United States?
Forming and Supporting Opinions
What is your opinion of the way the
United States ended its involvement in
the Vietnam War?
Think About
• what happened to South Vietnam
• what options the United States had
Back to Home
REVIEW QUESTIONS
ANSWERS: READ AND TAKE NOTES
1 Why did the United States decide to support France in its
fight against the Viet Minh?
2 What decisions about Vietnam were laid out in the 1954
Geneva Accords?
3 What Cold War crises made President Kennedy continue
to aid Ngo Dinh Diem’s government in South Vietnam?
4 How was President Johnson’s Vietnam policy different
than President Kennedy’s?
5 What kept U.S. troops from defeating the Viet Cong
quickly?
6 How did American war tactics affect Vietnamese
villagers?
7 How was the Tet offensive both a defeat and a victory
for the Communists?
8 Why did many Americans protest against the war?
9 What policies did President Nixon pursue in Vietnam?
10 What long-term political effects did the Vietnam War
have on the United States?
Analyzing Points of View
REASONS FOR INVOLVEMENT
IN VIETNAM
REASONS AGAINST INVOLVEMENT
IN VIETNAM
French alliance: If the United States does not
aid France, France may not aid in opposing
the Soviets in Europe.
U.S. interests: The war is a civil war that
does not directly threaten the United States.
Domino theory: If South Vietnam falls to
communism, other Asian countries may fall
as well.
Draft: The draft to select soldiers is unfair.
Nation-building: The United States can
help South Vietnam establish a democratic
government.
Social programs: The war takes away
money from social programs.
Back to Home
Analyzing Points of View
REASONS FOR INVOLVEMENT
IN VIETNAM
REASONS AGAINST INVOLVEMENT
IN VIETNAM
Cold War crises: The United States fears the
growth of communist power.
Vietnamese civilians: The war harms
Vietnamese civilians.
U.S. weaponry: Superior U.S. weaponry can
easily defeat the Viet Cong.
Domestic unrest: The war causes too much
domestic unrest.
Back to Home
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