Vietnam An Overview

Location of Kent State

Preview Assignment You are going to work with your table to discuss a part of the song “Ohio” by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. Then we will come together as a class to talk about you table discussion.

Lyrics Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, Gotta get down to it Soldiers are cutting us down What if you knew her And found her dead on the ground How can you run when you know? Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, We're finally on our own. This summer I hear the drumming, Four dead in Ohio. Gotta get down to it Soldiers are cutting us down Should have been done long ago. What if you knew her And found her dead on the ground How can you run when you know? Gotta get down to it Soldiers are cutting us down Should have been done long ago. What if you knew her And found her dead on the ground How can you run when you know? Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, We're finally on our own. This summer I hear the drumming, Four dead in Ohio.

The Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive In 1968, the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong launched a massive campaign called the Tet Offensive. U.S. public support for the war plummeted. Morale among U.S. troops also hit an all‐time low, manifesting itself tragically in the 1968 My Lai Massacre, in which frustrated U.S. soldiers killed hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese civilians in a small village.

The Anti-War Movement Meanwhile, the antiwar movement within the United States gained momentum as student protesters, countercultural hippies, and even many mainstream Americans denounced the war. Protests against the war and the selective service system ‐‐ military draft ‐‐ grew increasingly violent, resulting in police brutality outside the Democratic National Convention in 1968.

Kent State Massacre Page 6 timeline book. Four students were killed at Kent State University in 1970 when Ohio National Guardsmen fired on a crowd.

Kent State Massacre The guardsmen fired 67 rounds over a period of 13 seconds, killing four students and wounding nine others.

Nixon’s Secret War Page 5 timeline book. President Nixon illegally expanded the geographic scope of the war by authorizing the bombing of Viet Cong sites in the neutral nations of Cambodia and Laos, all without the knowledge or consent of the U.S. Congress.

Nixon’s Secret War The invasion was under the pretext of disrupting the North Vietnamese supply lines. They also invaded in order to bomb and destroy the Viet Cong base camps, that were backing up the other operations in South Vietnam.

Pentagon Papers Page 11 timeline books. Revealed that the Johnson Administration had systematically lied to the American public concerning Vietnam. Revealed that the Vietnam War had expanded into neighboring Cambodia and Laos. People began to dramatically lose trust in their government.

Pentagon Papers The revelation of these illegal actions, along with the publication of the secret Pentagon Papers in US newspapers in 1971, caused an enormous scandal in the United States and forced Nixon to push for a peace settlement.

Pol Pot A Cambodian revolutionary who led the Khmer Rouge. Through forced labor camps, executions, and malnutrition, 25% of all Cambodians died during his regime. Estimated 1 to 3 million people died of a population of 8 million.

War Powers Resolution The resolution restricted presidential powers during wartime by requiring the president to notify Congress upon launching any U.S. military action abroad.

Vietnamization and U.S. Withdrawal Page 23 timeline book. Nixon promoted a policy of Vietnamization of the war, promising to withdraw U.S. troops gradually and hand over management of the war effort to the South Vietnamese.

Ending the War Page 23 timeline books. The Paris Peace Accords were finally signed in January 1973, and the last U.S. military personnel left Vietnam in March 1973.

Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival Some folks are born, made to wave the flag Ooo, their red, white and blue And when the band plays "Hail to the Chief" Ooo, they point the cannon at you, Lord It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no Some folks are born, silver spoon in hand Lord, don't they help themselves, y'all But when the taxman comes to the door Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yeah It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no, no It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no. Yeah, yeah Some folks inherit star spangled eyes Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord And when you ask 'em, "How much should we give?" Ooh, they only answer "More! More! More!", y'all It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, one It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no, no, no It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son, no, no, no