1. Warm up #
Who should be exempt from the draft?
Should people who believe the war is wrong be forced to fight?
Should people with special skills be exempt?
How can a draft be made fair?

2. The Vietnam War
1959 – 1975

3. History of Vietnam
Indochina – controlled by French since the mid 19th century
Sought independence during early 1900s

4. History (cont) Ho Chi Minh led nationalist movement in Vietnam
Formed the Indochinese Communist Party in 1930
Tried to overthrow the French
Was exiled to the Soviet Union & China

5. History (cont)
Japan controlled Vietnam when Ho Chi Minh returned in 1941
Organized Vietminh to force the Japanese out

6. History (cont) After WWII, Ho Chi Minh declared independence
France tried to regain control
Asked for U.S. help
U.S. agreed because it did not want another communist nation

7. Roots of the Conflict
Domino Theory – if Vietnam fell to communism, other nations in Southeast Asia would do the same

8. Roots (cont)
Vietminh used guerrilla tactics, irregular troops who blend with civilians against French
Difficult to find/fight
Use hit-and-run & ambush tactics

9. Roots (cont) North Vietnam – controlled by Ho Chi Minh (communist)
South Vietnam – pro-Western (democratic)

10. Roots (cont) Ngo Dinh Diem, leader of the South
Pro-Westerner and anti-Communist
Corrupt Government
Did not want elections

11. Roots (cont)
Ho Chi Minh forms the Vietcong – new guerrilla army with the goal of unifying Vietnam
Vietcong grew in power

12. Roots (cont)
Diem assassinated in CIA supported coup d’état – violent overthrow by a small group
10 different leaders over next 20 months

13. Roots (cont)
August 2, 1964, Johnson announced N. Vietnamese torpedo boats fired on two American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin
Similar event occurred 2 days later
Congress passed Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which authorized LBJ to use any force necessary

14. Full-Scale War (cont)
To burn away the jungle and expose the Vietcong, Americans dropped napalm and Agent Orange – a chemical that strips away leaves and shrubs

15. Agent Orange

17. Full-Scale War (cont)
Fearing China would get involved, LBJ refused to order full-scale invasion of N. Vietnam
Also refused to attack the Vietcong supply line, known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail
Traveled through Laos & Cambodia

18. Full-Scale War (cont)
At first, many Americans supported the Vietnam War
As the war dragged on, support decreased
Difficult to believe what LBJ admin said about the war
Credibility gap

19. Full-Scale War (cont)
January 1968, during the Vietnamese New Year, the Vietcong launched a surprise attack known as the Tet offensive
Military disaster for the Communists, but a political victory
LBJ’s approval ratings plummeted

21. Opposition to the War College students began to protest the war
Many believed the draft system was unfair & biased against poor & minorities

22. Hawks & Doves

23. Opposition (cont) 1968 - LBJ announced he would not run for reelection
Robert Kennedy entered the race as a “dove” candidate
That year both Kennedy and MLK are assassinated
Violence erupts at the Democratic National Convention

24. Opposition (cont)
Republican Richard Nixon promised to regain order and end the war in Vietnam

25. Election of 1968

26. The End of the War
Henry Kissinger was Nixon’s National Security Advisory
His job was to find a way to end the war with Vietnam
Linkage – Kissinger’s policy to improve relations with China & the Soviet Union

27. End of War (cont)
Nixon began Vietnamization – gradual withdrawal of American troops, allowing S. Vietnam to assume more of the fighting
Peace negotiations were started
Nixon continued air strikes on N. Vietnam

28. End of War (cont)
1969 – Americans learned of the My Lai massacre, 200 Vietnamese women and children were killed by an American platoon

29. End of War (cont)
May 1970 – 4 Kent State students killed by National Guard while protesting the invasion of Cambodia

30. End of War (cont)
Pentagon Papers were leaked by a former Defense Department worker
Govt officials privately questioned the war
The public had been deceived about Vietnam

31. End of War (cont) Nixon wins re-election with news of a peace treaty
Peace talks end
Operation Rolling Thunder – new bombing campaign
1973 – both sides agree to end the war and restore peace

32. End of War (cont)
March 1975, N. Vietnamese launched invasion of the South
Congress refused to send aid to S. Vietnam
April 30, Saigon is captured and renamed Ho Chi Minh City

33. The Legacy of Vietnam War cost over $170 billion 58,000 deaths
Many returning soldiers faced psychological problems
POWs and MIAs
26th Amendment – Lowered voting age to 18

35. The War Powers Act