1. Warm Up – May 4
Grab the handouts and answer the following questions on a post it:
How did the Marshall Plan, Truman Doctrine, and Eisenhower Doctrine illustrate the U.S. policy of containment during the Cold War?
In what ways did the USSR and US compete during the Cold War?
What is the significance of the Korean War? Why is it referred to as the “Forgotten War”?
Significance of following events – Open Skies Proposal, Suez War, Hungarian Crisis, and U-2 Incident

2. Period 6: 1900- Present (Accelerating Global change and Re-alignment)
The Conflict in Vietnam

3. l

4. The Vietnam War (1955-1975): First Indochina War
Before WWII = France controlled Indochina (including Vietnam)
After the Japanese left Indochina following WWII = France wanted to regain control of Vietnam
A Vietnamese nationalist group had developed, however, that wanted an independent Vietnam = called the Vietminh
Leader = Ho Chi Minh
This group = communist
Supported by the Soviet Union and China

5. First Indochina War
Vietminh and France could not agree on how to share power in Vietnam
1946 = Vietminh and France go to war
U.S. sent military and financial aid to help France
French still couldn’t pull out a victory
May 1954 = French forces defeated by the Vietminh in the decisive battle at Dien Bien Phu

6. First Indochina War
One month before this battle = the Vietminh, France, and U.S. met to negotiate a settlement to the Vietnam conflict
Vietnam divided along the 17th parallel
Created a communist North Vietnam and a democratic South Vietnam
Division supposed to last until 1956 = when elections were to be held
Ngo Dinh Diem (leader of South Vietnam) rejected the proposed elections
Diem = weak and unpopular
Ho Chi Minh = VERY popular

7. First Indochina War
Viet Cong = communist guerrillas in South Vietnam  fought Diem in hopes of uniting Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh
Diem = weak and unpopular leader, even with his OWN people
1963 = South Vietnamese military staged a coup in which Diem was killed
Thought that if he continued to be in power, the south would fall to the Communists
U.S. quietly approved of this coup

8. The Vietnam War
By late 1963 = 16,000 American advisors were in Vietnam
1964 = U.S. approved of secret South Vietnamese naval raids against North Vietnam
August 2, 1964 = U.S. President Lyndon Johnson announced that North Vietnam had fired on 2 U.S. ships off the coast of Vietnam
Said there were two attacks, 2nd Incident never confirmed
President Johnson used it to increase American involvement in the war
Feared that if Vietnam fell to communism, all of Southeast Asia would fall – “Domino Theory”
U.S. Advisors in Vietnam

9. The Vietnam War
Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution = gave the President broad war powers
March 1965 = Johnson sent first ground troops to Vietnam
By 1968 = more than 500,000 American troops were in Vietnam
South Vietnamese army = numbered 800,000
North Vietnamese army and the Viet Cong = numbered 300,000
China and Soviet Union sent aid, but no troops, to help North Vietnam

10. The Vietnam War
Despite greater numbers and advanced technology, the Americans could not defeat the Communists
Viet Cong relied on mobility, surprise attacks, and guerilla warfare  avoid open battle
As the war intensified, antiwar attitudes in the U.S. continued to spread

11. US Response to Vietcong Tactics
Napalm – sticky gasoline-based explosive, very difficult to extinguish
Napalm Girl image
Agent Orange – chemical that destroyed the jungle to remove Vietcong coverage
Search-and-destroy missions – US troops would destroy Vietnamese villages looking for Vietcong
Turned Vietnamese peasants against US troops
Road to War video

12. Early War at Home
At first, Americans supported the war, however TV changed public opinions
Johnson told Americans the war was going well BUT TV told a different story with horrific and brutal scenes on the nightly news
Created a credibility gap - a lack of popular confidence in the truth of the claims or public statements made by the federal government

13. A “Manipulatable” Draft
Most soldiers were called to combat under the Selective Service System, or draft – system for requiring citizens to serve in the military
Established during WWI, males 18-26
Draft dodgers were from affluent families  “working class war,” disproportionate number of blacks and people of low socioeconomic levels drafted
Thousands of men found ways around the draft…
Medical exemptions from sympathetic doctors
Changed residences to go before a more lenient board
Joined National Guard or Coast Guard – deferment from draft
Enroll in university for a college deferment

14. Emerging Protest Movement
By the mid 1960s, Americans provided many reasons to oppose the Vietnam War
US shouldn’t be involved in another country’s civil war
The South Vietnamese gov’t was just as corrupt and oppressive as Ho Chi Minh’s North Vietnamese gov’t
US should focus on more pressing international issues (USSR and Cold War)
High cost (lives and money) with low gains
The war was morally unjust
Protest moved beyond college campus as celebrities and musicians spoke out against the war as well.

15. City of Cholon after the Tet Offensive
Early 1968 = the Tet Offensive = when the Viet Cong launched a major military offensive during the Vietnamese New Year holiday (Tet)
Did not capture any major cities
Bitter fighting made even more Americans realize, however, that years of U.S. involvement in Vietnam had failed to weaken the Viet Cong
Opposition to the war intensified  Johnson did not run for reelection in 1968
City of Cholon after the Tet Offensive

16. U.S. troops leaving North Vietnam
Ending the Vietnam War
Under President Richard M. Nixon, the U.S. began to withdraw troops
1973 = South Vietnam, the U.S., and the Communists agreed to a cease-fire
U.S. withdrew the rest of its troops from Vietnam
1975 = the war resumed  North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces defeated the South Vietnamese
U.S. troops leaving North Vietnam

17. Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Ending the Vietnam War
After 20 years of fighting in Vietnam:
Vietnam reunited under the Communists
American soldiers returned home and were blamed for the war – could not find jobs
2 million deaths (58,000 were Americans)
10 million South Vietnamese refugees
Large areas of Vietnam lay devastated
Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.

18. For Each Protest Song… Song title and artist
What issues are being addressed (look for key terms, ideas, etc)?
Who is artist’s target audience?
What was the artist want the audience to do after listening to the song?
Is the song’s message still relevant today? Explain.

19. On a sheet of paper…
Pick a topic in any period that you would like to protest – working with a partner:
Write a protest song – Your song should be:
One Verse – 4 lines
One Chorus – 2 lines
A short explanation of each line (what it means – what world history events is it addressing)
Write down who the song is intended for (target audience)

20. TOD – May 4
Answer the following questions on the same post it as the warm up:
1. What did the US fear would happen if Vietnam fell to communism?
2. Why were the Viet Cong successful when fighting the SV and US troops? What was the Tet Offensive? What effect did this have on the American public?
3. Should the United States have sent troops to assist the South Vietnamese? Make sure you explain your response
4. Did the United States lose the Vietnam War? Make sure you explain your response