TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Escalation of the Vietnam War

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Describe how President Johnson widened the war in Vietnam. Explain how the war in Vietnam was different from any previous war in American history. Describe how the Vietnam War divided Americans at home. Objectives

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Terms and People escalate – step up napalm – a jellylike substance that bursts into flames and sticks to people’s bodies hawks – people who supported the war in Vietnam doves – people who believed the Vietnam War could not be won and was morally wrong conscientious objector – person who refuses to participate in war because of a strong belief that war is wrong

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. However, as the fighting and dying in Vietnam intensified, a growing number of Americans protested against the war. In order to prevent Vietnam from falling to communism, President Johnson was willing to commit more U.S. soldiers to the war. How did the demands of greater involvement in the Vietnam War divide the nation?

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Johnson ordered an increase in economic aid and military advisers to South Vietnam. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union and China sent arms and supplies to the Vietcong. After Diem was assassinated, the South Vietnamese government became increasingly unstable. He also authorized secret actions against North Vietnam.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. The reports said that North Vietnamese torpedo boats had attacked American destroyers. President Johnson decided to retaliate by bombing North Vietnam. Johnson asked Congress for the authority to do whatever was needed to settle the conflict. Johnson increased U.S. involvement in August 1964, after sketchy reports of an attack in the Gulf of Tonkin.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave Johnson the authority to use military force. Johnson began to escalate U.S. involvement in the war, citing the resolution as his authority. Many Americans later questioned the legality of the war. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was not a declaration of war. Under the Constitution, only Congress can declare war.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Through the fall of 1964, Johnson campaigned for reelection, and he promised to not send American soldiers to the war. But, after the election, America’s commitment quickly increased.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. In March 1965, Johnson ordered 3,500 marines—the first American combat troops in Vietnam — to protect the American air base in Da Nang. Johnson then authorized the use of U.S. ground troops for offensive action. By 1968, half a million U.S. soldiers were in Vietnam.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. American entry into the ground war helped the South Vietnamese government. In June 1965, a military leader named Nguyen Cao Ky seized power in South Vietnam. South Vietnam’s government was now able to concentrate on the war against the Vietcong. He stabilized the government using nondemocratic methods.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. The Americans used chemical weapons against the Vietcong, including bombs filled with napalm and phosphorus. The Americans also sprayed the herbicide Agent Orange in order to destroy vegetation where the Vietcong might hide. Later, Agent Orange was blamed for serious health problems. In 1975, the United States said it would never again use herbicides in war, unless an enemy did so first.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Another U.S. tactic was the “search and destroy” mission, the goal of which was not to gain territory but simply to kill as many Vietcong as possible. Despite such brutal tactics, Americans faced many challenges. difficulty distinguishing between friend and foe hit-and-run attacks lack of defined battle lines dense jungle foliage

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. The Vietcong did not have high-tech weapons, but they knew the land. They had large networks of tunnels where they could hide.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. On January 31, 1968, the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese used Tet—their New Year holiday—as cover to launch attacks on every major city in South Vietnam. Although caught by surprise, American and South Vietnamese troops responded quickly.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. On the surface, Tet was a military victory for the Americans, but it actually dealt a major blow to the U.S. mission in Vietnam. Americans were shocked that the enemy was so strong, and many argued that the United States should get out of Vietnam. By now, President Johnson and many of his advisers believed the United States could not win the war.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. A Nation Divided HawksHawks supported the war. They wanted the government to mount an all-out military effort that would decisively win the war. They demonstrated in support of the war. DovesDoves urged withdrawal of U.S. troops. They organized many protests, including petitions, massive marches, and sit-ins. The protests were peaceful at first, but later, violent confrontations with police became common.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. During the Vietnam War, about 1.8 million men were drafted to serve in the military. Many men burned their draft cards. Others sought recognition as conscientious objectors. About 100,000 Americans fled to Canada to avoid the war.

TEKS 8C: Calculate percent composition and empirical and molecular formulas. Meanwhile, television newscasts brought the war into American living rooms. The graphic images shocked viewers. Some believe the bloody newscasts helped turn Americans against the Vietnam War.