CHAPTER 19Vietnam
KEY IDEA To understand the Vietnam War, you must
remember that the Vietnamese have a VERY STRONG SENSE OF NATIONALISM!
For 2,000 years, Vietnamese fought off the Chinese In the 1800s, the French created a colony in
Vietnam After WWII, Ho Chi Minh led an independence
movementViet Minh: Umbrella group of all nationalist movement
groups The US only saw Ho as a communist and therefore
an enemy
Background In 1954, The French lost to the Vietnamese Ho Chi Minh, Bao Dai, Cambodia, Laos,
France, USA, USSR, China, Britain met to discuss the situation: GENEVA CONFERENCE
At the Geneva Conference they decided to divide Vietnam into two separate nations
NORTH: Ho Chi Minh SOUTH: Ngo Dinh Diem
Diem declares South Vietnam a REPUBLIC
Background The USA gets involved to keep South
Vietnam from becoming COMMUNIST The US and Vietnam refuse to hold
ELECTIONS agreed on at Geneva They were afraid Diem would be
REMOVED from power
HO CHI MINH Communist Groups:
Vietminh (Independence movement)
NVA: North Vietnamese Army
Viet Cong: Guerilla fighters Ho supports
NGO DINH DIEM Republic (people
choose leader) Backed by USA
NORTH VIETNAM SOUTH VIETNAM
American Involvement DOMINO THEORY: if a Southeast Asian
country fell, others would soon follow Eisenhower pledged support, sent in 675
military advisors Kennedy was determined to prevent
spread of communism, sent 16,000 “advisors” by 1963
Diem Diem had military power, but not the
support of his people He imprisoned people who criticized his
government Filled government positions with members of
his family Took US money and paid corrupt officials Moved peasants from ancestral lands to
government-run communities Forced Buddhist country to follow Catholic rules Buddhist monks burned themselves to death to
protest
Diem’s Downfall Kennedy realized the struggle against
communism couldn’t be won with Diem Supported a military coup to throw out Diem Surprised when Diem was assassinated while
trying to flee Kennedy was assassinated three weeks later Communist guerillas, “Viet Cong” gained
more territory, control, and loyalty in South Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh aided the Viet Cong throughout war
“Charlie”
Johnson’s war “I am not going to lose Vietnam, I am not going to
be the President who saw Southeast Asia go the way China went.”
Gulf of Tonkin Incident: August 1964, The President said: North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked the US destroyers in the international waters of the Gulf of Tonkin
Evidence was sketchy, many believed it was fake Johnson asked congress for authority to protect the
US against any more attacks Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: gave President
complete control over what the US did in Vietnam without a declaration of war
Johnson’s war After winning the election of 1964, Johnson
began a gradual escalation of the war, devoting more money and people to the conflict
Advisors propping up South Vietnam’s government
By 1965 the Viet Cong were expanding in South Vietnam
North Vietnamese had troops and supplies brought in via Ho Chi Minh Trail: supply route that passed through Laos and Cambodia
1965 February: Viet Cong attack at Pleiku killed 8
Americans and wounded 126 Operation Rolling Thunder: bombing
campaign over North Vietnam, March 1965 General Westmoreland requested more soldiers
Answer is the DRAFT Beginning of 1965: 25,000 End of 1965: 184,000 End of 1966: 385,000 End of 1967: 485,000 End of 1968: 536,000
How do I think American Escalation will Affect North Vietnam’s strategy?
I know that there are hundreds of thousands of soldiers going every year
I know that We have the best weapons I think the NVA and Viet Cong will have
“hand me down” weapons from the USSR and China
I know that the Vietnamese have always used guerilla tactics
I also know that in WWI, to get away from fire power soldiers went into the ground
Go to youngshistory.com Open AMC, Files, Viet Cong Link Click on images to view in greater detail Assess WHAT Viet Cong tunnels were,
how they worked, and why they might be a tricky foe
Open “Viet Cong Tunnel System” document and answer the questions
US Strategy General William Westmoreland (US ground troop
commander) ordered thousands of search-and-destroy missions to drive enemies out of their hideouts
Pacification: to win the hearts and minds of South Vietnamese people (to pacify, or calm)
Peaceful by day, Treacherous at night Declining troop morale Ambush, mines, booby traps
Napalm: incendiary device that shoots liquid fire
Read “Should the US Discontinue Involvement…” and answer questions
Hawk: Support the War Dove: Against the War
Collins Type III Was American Involvement in Vietnam
Appropriate (Why I am a Hawk or a Dove) FCA1- Content, strong central statement with at
least 2 paragraphs backing it up FCA2- Conventions, spelling, grammar,
capitalization FCA3- Organization, Three paragraphs
Introduction to Vietnam War, Answer to first question
Justification 1, with concrete examples Justification 2, with concrete examples
Tet Offensive: 1968
Tet: Vietnamese New Year, January 30 Viet Cong & North Vietnamese launch major
offensive Surprise attacks on major cities and military bases Attack American Embassy in Saigon Turned back with HEAVY losses, Viet Cong won
psychological victory Demonstrates that Viet Cong could launch
major attacks on South Pictures on News in US makes some question
war
1968 Election LBJ: “I will not seek, nor will I accept my party’s nomination” Bobby Kennedy runs for Democrats Richard Nixon: The war must end with honor, I have a
secret plan to end it! Bobby Kennedy killed after giving victory speech in
California Sirhan Sirhan, Palestinian killed him
Nixon Wins VIETNAMIZATION: TURNING OVER FIGHTING TO
SOUTH VIETNAM, GRADUALLY BRING TROOPS HOME Secretly bombed Cambodia – thought escalating the war
would bring it to an end
My Lai Massacre US troops entered My Lai on search-and-
destroy mission to find Vietcong Killed at least 450 women, children, and elderly Initially kept quiet, but soldiers eventually
began to talk “We weren’t in My Lai to kill human beings,
really,” said Lieutenant William Calley, “we were there to kill ideology that is carried by- I don’t know – pawns.”
Calley convicted to life in prison
Pentagon Papers 1971 Revealed the history of US involvement
in Vietnam since the Truman years Government officials had been
misleading the American people about the war for years
Americans React Kent State University
Demonstrators set fire to campus ROTC building
National Guard sent in to control demonstrations
May 4: students gathered on grassy area for antiwar rally
Threw rocks and shouted at soldiers Soldiers began to fire into the crowd, killing
four students
1972 – Nixon promises “peace is at hand”
Around the clock bombings of North Vietnam to force them to talk peace
Settlement reached in 1973: US withdraw all its troops, help rebuild South Vietnam
1975: North Vietnamese invaded South Vietnam, by April they were in Saigon
US military rushed to evacuate 130,000 evacuated April 30, 1975: South Vietnam surrendered
Vietnam’s Legacy 58,000 Americans dead 2,500 Americans missing 300,000 Americans wounded Veterans were not given parades, instead
targets of anger
26th Amendment: 18 to vote War Powers Act: President can only
commit troops for 60 days
Read 18 Year Olds Get the Vote 1. Why didn’t politicians want to lower
the voting age? 2. What three wars changed voting laws
– and for whom? 3. How do Amendments get passed? 4. How long did it take to get the 26th
amendment passed? 5. What years (since 1972) has had the
largest voter turnout for ages 18-24