AMERICA SUPPORTS FRANCE IN VIETNAM 1800 to WWII France controls
Indochina* Built plantations on peasant land for own profit No
freedom of speech or assemblycauses resentment Ho Chi Minh*
Vietminh*
Slide 3
1940 Japan takes over; Allies force them to give up Vietnam
French send troops to relinquish its colonyland in the South Ho Chi
Minh vowed to fight from the North to liberate the South Domino
theory* Truman and Eisenhower send one billion to Fr. Dien Bien
Phu*
Slide 4
Geneva Accords* THE UNITED STATES STEPS IN Ho Chi Minh earns
support by giving peasants land and for fighting French and
Japanese Ngo Dinh Diem* Eisenhower promises military aid and
training for holding stable govt.
Slide 5
Diems faults: corrupt govt. that got rid of opposition; never
gave land to peasants; restricted Buddhist practices Vietcong* Ho
Chi Minh Trail* Kennedy to continues to send financial aid to Diem
and thousands of military advisers
Slide 6
Diem corruption continued with removal of peasants from
ancestral land Imprisoned and killed hundreds of Buddhist clerics
and burned temples Diems assassination*
Slide 7
PRESIDENT JOHNSON EXPANDS THE CONFLICT Military leaders in
South Vietnam attempt to take control of country Johnson worried
about a communist take over of the South; he did not want to appear
soft August 2 nd, 1964USS Maddox attack* Tonkin Gulf Resolution*
Johnsons failure to explain and Operation Rolling Thunder
Slide 8
Barry McGuire and Eve of Destruction JOHNSON INCREASES U.S.
INVOLVEMENT Most of the nation supported Johnson sending troops in
the beginning Robert McNamara and Dean Rusk* William Westmoreland*
Army of the Republic of Vietnam*
Slide 9
FIGHTING IN THE JUNGLE U.S. enters war believing we had
superior weapons American soldiers not used to guerilla tactics and
unknown terrain Hard to distinguish* Elaborate tunnels*
Slide 10
Terrain laced with traps and mines; some were dismantled Humid
weather and leeches Westmorelands goal* Vietcong had no intention
of giving up*
Slide 11
Another American strategy was to keep the Vietcong from winning
support of S. Vietnam Napalm* Agent Orange* Search-and-Destroy
Missions* Winning the hearts and minds of the South Vietnamese
seemed to be a failure
Slide 12
Morale drops steadily due to mentioned conditions Resort to
alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs Killed superior officers Would
get worse during later years of war*
Slide 13
THE EARLY WAR AT HOME Johnson thought war would end quicklyas
it continues on, he loses support His Great Society program suffers
because he has to spend more on the war Vietnam became first
living-room war* Westmoreland and McNamara lie Creates a
credibility gap* and nations youth rise against the govt.Vietnam
footageVietnam footage
Slide 14
The Beatles and Let It BeLet It Be THE WORKING CLASS GOES TO
WAR Selective Service System calls for a draft* Ways to get out of
draft* Draft dodgers had doctors right fake excuses, moved to
Canada or Mexico, changed residences to find lenient draft boards,
and joined the National Guard or Coast Guard
Slide 15
Disproportionate amt. of African Americans serve as ground
troopsWhy? Racial tension in platoons is extremely high Women not
allowed to serve in combat become nurses and provide hospitality
THE ROOTS OF OPPOSITION New Left* Students for a Democratic
Society*
Slide 16
Free Speech Movement* Ideas of two organizations spread to
college campuses Addresses campus issues such as dorm rules, dress
codes, and curfews Eventually, moves in the direction of the
Vietnam War
Slide 17
PROTEST MOVEMENT EMERGES Colleges host teach- ins to protest
against war; campuses erupt in protests April 1965: march on
Washington D.C. about 20,000 February 1965 increases to 30,000
Slide 18
Johnson changes requirement for deferments* Reasons for
opposition 1. It was THEIR civil war 2. South Vietnamese govt. was
no better than the communist north 3. Cannot police entire globe 4.
Morally unjust
Slide 19
Returning veterans and musicians join the movement 1967 almost
500,000 protestors gather in Central Park* October 1967 around
30,000 protestors locked arms and moved to the Pentagon Broke past
military police and made it to the stepshad to deal with
consequences*
Slide 20
Two different schools of thought with the Vietnam Warpeople
become doves or hawks* Protestors are criticized by others who
believe you should be supporting the troops that are putting their
lives on the line
Slide 21
Edwin Starrs WarWar THE TET OFFENSIVE TURNS THE WAR January 30
th begins the new year festivities (called Tet) Week long truce
proposed Firecrackers, flutes, and coffins* Many villagers were
Vietcong agents
Slide 22
Tet Offensive* Mainstream media shows this offensive to the
American public Goes against govt. lies that the Vietcong were
close to defeat and the favorable counts of dead enemy soldiers
After the offensive, Johnson loses support60 percent disapproved of
his handling of the war
Slide 23
Johnson decides to step down Campus protests continue; MLK and
Robert Kennedy are assassinated Richard Nixon, a Republican, will
inherit the problem of Vietnam
Slide 24
The Byrds and Turn, Turn, TurnTurn, Turn PRESIDENT NIXON AND
VIETNAMIZATION Richard Nixon* When entering the White House,
negotiations are going nowhere Different demands*
Slide 25
Henry Kissenger* Vietnamization* 1969 around 25,000 troops come
home Around next three years, number of troops left will go from
500,000 to 25,000 Yet, Nixon still orders a secret series of
bombing raids in North Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia ( targeted
supply routes)
Slide 26
Silent majority* My Lai* Did not find the enemy and troops
insist that they were following orders 25 charged in some way and
Calley is imprisoned
Slide 27
April 30 th, 1970, Nixon announces to the public that he
invaded Cambodia to attack the enemys supply routes College
students in uproar1.5 million students closed down 1,200 campuses
Kent State University*
Slide 28
Guards fired on the protestors, as they hurled rocks at them
Wounded nine and killed four; two of the victims were not
protestors Nixon angers even more people* Pentagon Papers*
Documents increase anti-war opinions
Slide 29
AMERICAS LONGEST WAR ENDS Middle of 1972Nixon changes his mind
about the negotiation approach due to protests and an upcoming
election January 27 th, 1973Nixon signs an agreement that N.
Vietnamese troops remain in the South; he will attack with full
force if the agreement is violated Sequence of events
afterward*
Slide 30
THE WAR LEAVES A PAINFUL LEGACY 58,000 troops die; 303,000
wounded Two million Vietnamese deaths Unsuccessful war that lead
many to question the govt.
Slide 31
Different than WWII* Fifteen percent of 3.3 million soldiers
dealt with PTSD* Some abuse drugs and alcohol as a form of escape;
several thousand commit suicide MEANWHILE, IN SOUTHEAST ASIA N.
Vietnamese communists imprison more than 400,000 S. Vietnamese in
labor camps
Slide 32
1.5 million fled Vietnam After the war, Cambodia is in a civil
war with the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot 1975wants to make a
peasant society Therefore, professionals, people with an education
or foreign ties are executed (one mill) War Powers Act*