1. The Vietnam War

3. Ho Chi Minh Vietnam declared its independence from France in 1945
Communist leader of Vietnam
Minh forced the French out of Vietnam
US stepped in to prevent all of Vietnam from becoming communist
Containment policy
Domino Theory

4. Published in America Magazine,1950

5. American Involvement Escalates
By 1963 JFK had sent 16,000 “advisors” to help the South Vietnamese
The S. Vietnamese leaders proved to be corrupt
Kept US money to themselves
Persecuted Buddhist monks

7. November 22, 1963
John F. Kennedy assassinated.

10. Gulf of Tonkin Incident
August 1964 US warships attacked by N. Vietnamese in the Gulf of Tonkin
“unprovoked”
Later proven that there was no attack on US ships.
Congress and US public support LBJ and increasing troops in Vietnam

12. The Vietcong Vietcong- communist soldiers in S. Vietnam
Used Guerrilla tactics
Hit & run
Ambushes
Sabotage
Would not fight US troops out in the open
Village peasants kept Vietcong informed of US troop location
US soldiers burnt many villages who they thought were helping Vietcong

15. Two Key Events- 1968 “Tet” Offensive
Jan. 30, 1968
showed that no place in Vietnam was safe
As war drags on more people blame LBJ
Becomes increasingly unpopular and doesn’t run for reelection
My Lai Massacre
March 1968
American soldiers massacred 350 Vietnamese civilians
Public outrage and calls to end the war.

16. “We huddled them up. We made them squat down…I poured about four clips into the group…The mothers was hugging their children…Well, we kept right on firing.”
22 year old Private Paul Meadlo

18. Richard Nixon
Nixon defeated Hubert Humphrey by 1% to win the Presidency in 1968
George Wallace ran on a platform of segregation and picked up 14% of the vote

21. Selective Service (Draft)
Men must register.
College students not eligible for draft.
African Americans serve in high numbers than whites.
Anti-draft & Anti-war sentiments spread through college campuses.
Some young men burn draft cards or flee to Canada.

24. Nixon and The End Nixon has a plan of Vietnamization
US troops slowly leave, S. Vietnamese troops take over.
“Peace with honor”
After My Lai Massacre, American support had dwindled for war.
In 1970, US troops invade Cambodia.
1.5 million students close down 1,200 campuses.
1975 S. Vietnam falls to Communist forces.

26. Legacy of Vietnam Gov’t abolishes military draft.
Now must be ordered by Congress.
President must inform Congress 48 hours before deploying troops.
War and Nixon Watergate Scandal contribute to public cynicism about gov’t and political leaders.

27. Summary
Describe the American public’s attitudes toward the Vietnam War. What were some of the reasons the war was so unpopular to the American people?