Slide 1 Vietnam War Tuesday April 28,2015

Slide 2 Vietnam War Vietnam had been a French colony under the name of French Indochina (along with Cambodia and Laos) Vietnam had been a French colony under the name of French Indochina (along with Cambodia and Laos) Vietnam fought for its independence from Vietnam fought for its independence from Vietnamese revolutionary leader was Ho Chi Minh, a Communist Vietnamese revolutionary leader was Ho Chi Minh, a Communist Admired hero who fought both Japan and France Admired hero who fought both Japan and France

Slide 3 Vietnam War 1954 conference divided Vietnam into a communist North led by Ho and a “democratic” South Vietnam led by Ngo Dinh Diem 1954 conference divided Vietnam into a communist North led by Ho and a “democratic” South Vietnam led by Ngo Dinh Diem US had come to see South Vietnam as a “domino” that they couldn’t afford to lose US had come to see South Vietnam as a “domino” that they couldn’t afford to lose Ho wanted to unite Vietnam under Northern/Communist rule. Ho wanted to unite Vietnam under Northern/Communist rule. Supported by USSR and China. Ho Supported National Liberation Front/Viet Cong Supported by USSR and China. Ho Supported National Liberation Front/Viet Cong U.S. officially involved in 1964 U.S. officially involved in 1964

Slide 4 Ho Chi Minh’s Ideology If we have to fight, we will fight. You will kill ten of our men and we will kill one of yours, and in the end it will be you who tires of it.

Slide 5 Ho Chi Minh’s Weapon in spite of ongoing escalation in spite of ongoing escalation throughout the 1960s, the US experienced a lack of success against the Vietnamese guerrilla forces in South Vietnam (the Viet Cong) as the US Army was unprepared for their tactics and mentality their tactics and mentality  The US was also never entirely successful in shutting down the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a down the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a supply line that ran between supply line that ran between North and South Vietnam via North and South Vietnam via difficult jungle terrain, difficult jungle terrain, often underground and through neighboring nations like Cambodia like Cambodia

Slide 6 Vietnam War Today’s Objective: Analyze why people decided to serve and not serve in Vietnam Wednesday April 29, 2015

Slide Draft Lottery September 14 th Wins!! 850,000 Men affected

Slide 8 Deserters and Objectors Conscientious Objector - Opposed to serving…on the grounds of moral or religious principles. how he arrived at his beliefs; and how he arrived at his beliefs; and the influence his beliefs have had on how he lives his life. the influence his beliefs have had on how he lives his life.

Slide 9 Dodgers and Objectors 250, ,000 refused to register. 70,000 draft evaders and deserters moved to Canada

Slide 10 The Draft Today By law, all males must register with Selective Service within 30 days of 18 th birthday If not: Can’t vote Can’t vote No student loans No student loans Denial of all federal benefit programs… Denial of all federal benefit programs… Including tax refunds Including tax refunds

Slide 11 You’ve Been Drafted!! 1. Are you afraid or excited? 2. What would your friends or family think you should do? 3. What are your reasons to join or not join?

Slide 12 What Did People Do? “A Soldier’s Experience in Vietnam” “I didn’t Want to Go” On index card write: 4. Did you change your mind? 5. Do you feel better about your decision? 6. How do you feel about those who didn’t make the same choice you did?

Slide 13 Vietnam War America’s First TV War Thursday April 30, 2015 Thursday April 30, 2015 Today’s Objective Analyze the impact of media on the Vietnam war

Slide 14 Depicting War With Pictures

Slide 15 America’s TV War By 1967, 90 percent of the evening news was devoted to the war and roughly 50 million people watched television news each night

Slide 16 Media’s Impact in Vietnam Journalists could follow the military into combat and report what they saw without formal censorship. Is that right to do? As journalists saw more grisly combat, they presented the public with more graphic images. Is this unbiased? Also, for the first time, interviewed soldiers expressed their frustration with the progress of the war. Would that impact the public?

Slide 17 Reporting on Vietnam See? Hear?

Slide 18 Cronkite’s Personal View After Tet

Slide 19 Media Responsibility

Slide 20 Cronkite on His Impact 2006

Slide 21 Reporters in Vietnam 4E 4E Walter Cronkite 1968 on Vietnam TyE TyE Critique of media’s impact on Vietnam uY#t=122 uY#t=122 Walter Cronkite 2006 on Vietnam and his effect on Vietnam IU IU

Slide 22 Examples of how the media portrayed the events leading up to and during the Vietnam War. Questions to Consider: How was the war depicted in photographs? How was the war depicted in photographs? What effect, if any, does this have on your opinion on the Vietnam War? What effect, if any, does this have on your opinion on the Vietnam War?

Slide 23 Vietnam War Friday May 1, 2015

Slide 24 Counterculture Strongly opposed widely accepted beliefs or values. 1960’s. Hippies and students questioned authority, pushed social boundaries, religion and philosophies. New attitudes reflected in music, art, fashion and 

Slide 25 Anti-war protests

Slide 26 sd8 sd8 sd8 sd8

Slide 27 Kent State Massacre May 1970 Do you think the National Guard overreacted? Did they act in self-defense? Did the students go too far in their protests? Who is more at fault?

Slide 28 Extra slides not used (below)

Slide 29 PHASE 2 – AMERICAN ESCALATION AND MILITARY INVOLVEMENT this phase originated with this phase originated with “Ike” and JFK but was intensified under Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ), who assumed the presidency afterJFK’s assassination afterJFK’s assassination The U.S. never formally The U.S. never formally issued a declaration of war, but after the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, after the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, where 2 American destroyers were apparently fired upon by the North Vietnamese, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolutions (August 1964) - here Congress gave LBJ their support in sending American personnel and materiel

Slide 30 the war definitely turned against the US in 1968, when the NVA’s General Giap began the Tet the war definitely turned against the US in 1968, when the NVA’s General Giap began the Tet Offensive, a surprise offensive on a major Vietnamese holiday that saw attacks all over the country, including in Saigon itself ongoing US casualties and losses saw an increase in antiwar sentiment on the American Home Front, ongoing US casualties and losses saw an increase in antiwar sentiment on the American Home Front, in large part because Vietnam was a TV War where American audiences saw the brutality of war firsthand

Slide 31 this included American atrocities at My Lai (Lieutenant Calley) this included American atrocities at My Lai (Lieutenant Calley) they also witnessed the usage of weapons like napalm and Agent Orange, which devastated the environment they also witnessed the usage of weapons like napalm and Agent Orange, which devastated the environment

Slide 32 as the Counterculture gathered momentum (Hippies, Flower Children, etc.), protests became widespread and began to polarize the nation as the Counterculture gathered momentum (Hippies, Flower Children, etc.), protests became widespread and began to polarize the nation this was intensified after the Kent State Massacre this was intensified after the Kent State Massacre –National Guardsmen opened fire on student protestors in Ohio, killing four, and by Senator William Fulbright’s (Chairman of the Senate Armed Forces Committee) admission that the war was a “mess”

Slide 33 increasingly the American people came to perceive the “Credibility Gap”, i.e. they no longer increasingly the American people came to perceive the “Credibility Gap”, i.e. they no longer believed that LBJ was telling them the truth about events in the war  in 1968, LBJ chose not to run for president, and Republican Richard M. Nixon was elected on a platform of “Peace with Honour”

Slide 34 Nixon wanted the South Vietnamese to play a greater role in the war, a policy he labeled Vietnamization Nixon wanted the South Vietnamese to play a greater role in the war, a policy he labeled Vietnamization in spite of that, he continues carpet bombing Hanoi and orders a secret invasion of Cambodia in spite of that, he continues carpet bombing Hanoi and orders a secret invasion of Cambodia He relied on the diplomacy of Henry Kissinger to achieve peace and/or an American withdrawal He relied on the diplomacy of Henry Kissinger to achieve peace and/or an American withdrawal the US does manage to extricate itself by Jan. 27, 1973 the US does manage to extricate itself by Jan. 27, 1973

Slide 35 PHASE 3 – VIETNAMESE CIVIL WAR, the NVA easily defeated the South by 1975; the South had appealed to Nixon for aid, which had been promised, but by 1975 Nixon was embroiled in the domestic Watergate Crisis, and he was in essence a “lame duck” the NVA easily defeated the South by 1975; the South had appealed to Nixon for aid, which had been promised, but by 1975 Nixon was embroiled in the domestic Watergate Crisis, and he was in essence a “lame duck” 1975 – the US abandoned its embassy in Saigon, which was renamed 1975 – the US abandoned its embassy in Saigon, which was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in the newly unified and communist Vietnam