1. The Vietnam War 1959-1975

2. Prior knowledge  What do you already know about Vietnam?  Was this a popular war?  How did Americans at home feel about it?  How did it contribute to a new counter-culture? (HIPPIES!)

3. General info, continued  Casualties  South Vietnam – 195-430,000 civilians; 171, 331-220,357 military dead  North Vietnam & Viet Cong – 50,000- 65,000 civilians; 400,000-1,100,000 military dead/missing  United States – 58,220 dead; 303, 644 wounded

4. Illustrated Timeline Activity  Using the following dates, create a timeline (12 dates):  1859, 1874, 1940, 1945, 1946, 1950, **1954, 1956, 1960, **1968, 1973, **1975  All dates must have a caption describing what important event(s) occurred in that year  You must illustrate AT LEAST 2 events in addition to the starred events (everyone must illustrate this)  Due for a grade!

5. General Info: Vietnam  Fought in S.Vietnam, N. Vietnam, Cambodia, & Laos  Victory: North Vietnam  Withdrawal of American forces  Communist gov’t takes power in S. Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos

6. Review… Why did the US get involved?  Containment:  The idea that we wanted to CONTAIN the spread of communism  Domino Theory:  Refers mostly to Asia  Idea that if one country in a region became communist, then the rest would fall

7. The Vietnam War in Forrest Gump  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1eB S8avHrg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1eB S8avHrg

8. Americanizing the War  U.S. becomes more involved in the war  1 st sustained bombing campaign in Vietnam: Operation Rolling Thunder (video)

9. Americanizing the War Leading U.S. officials during the war were:  Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and  U.S. commander General William Westmoreland

10. Americanizing the War  U.S. dropped thousands of bombs on North Vietnam, some which had:  Napalm  Jellied gasoline that exploded and left larges areas in flames  Agent Orange  Herbicide used to kill plants & the enemy’s food supply, but was later found to cause cancer

11. An Elusive Enemy  North Vietnamese used guerrilla warfare  Fight small engagements  Traveled light  Hide in tunnels at night  Ambushed U.S. soldiers Used traps and explosives

13. What was the state of the war by 1967?  Half a million US troops, thousands of lives lost  War seemed to be stalemate Effect on morale:  Morale dropping, US cannot win the war outright  Soldiers fought bravely, but Americans began to question US involvement

14. Effects of the War at Home  What is President Johnson’s domestic program?  Great Society; what is its goal?  How did the war affect the economy & the Great Society?  Massive government spending  Led to inflation and a raise in taxes  Had to cut back on Great Society programs

15. Americans most divided since the Civil War  Hawks  Supported LBJ & the war  Doves  Against the war, believed it was a civil war only

16. Vietnam War Protests and Turning Points

18. The Draft  Deferments  Some people could avoid the draft depending on their background  Unfairness of the draft  High number of working-class, African Americans & poor are drafted

19. Protests increase on the home front (video)  College protests  College organizations, like the Students for a Democratic Society, protest the war  “Credibility Gap”  American public did not trust what President Johnson was saying about the war

20. 1968…  A time of desperaioin in the war  High casualties, low morale…

21. Turning Points  Tet Offensive (1968)  Major offensive assault on S. Vietnamese cities; US realizes the war is far from over  LBJ:  Does not run for re-election in 1968; US begins to push for peace in Vietnam

22. Tet Offensive  http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam- war/videos#tet-offensive http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam- war/videos#tet-offensive

23. Controversy & Violence in 1968 1968  Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Democratic candidate Robert Kennedy are assassinated Democratic National Convention – Chicago  Anti-war protests turned violent outside the convention; protesters & police attack each other

24. The End of the Vietnam War EQ – How did the Vietnam War end, and what were its lasting effects?

25. Richard Nixon Elected President  “Peace with honor”:  US will exit Vietnam, but on honorable peace terms  “Vietnamization”:  Give more fighting responsibility to S. Vietnam

26.  (1969) Some US troops go home & Nixon orders secret bombing of Cambodia along the Ho Chi Minh Trail

27. The War Expands  Peace negotiations are moving very slowly  Then, in 1970, Nixon orders American ground troops to attack Vietcong bases in Cambodia  How do the American people react?

28. Protests Increase  Many Americans protest, believe Nixon is expanding the war, not ending it  Kent State Shootings  College protest turns violent, four killed by National Guardsmen

29. From Bad to Worse My Lai Massacre  American forces killed over 400 unarmed civilians in this village in South Vietnam (1968) New York Times prints the Pentagon Papers (1971)  Documents reveal that officials misled the people and Congress about US involvement in Vietnam

30. The War Ends  Paris Peace Accords  January, 1973, all sides agreed to a cease-fire and US troops leave S Vietnam  North and South Vietnam did not honor the treaty  1975 – North Vietnam invaded and took over South Vietnam

31. Effects of the War  Over 58,000 Americans died  Veterans return home, little appreciation from the American public  War Powers Act  Restricted the President’s war powers  Vietnam = first televised war and the longest war  Led to increased distrust in government