1. U.S. History

2.  Vietnam is located in Southeast Asia.  Rich in natural resources such as rubber, rice, tin, and minerals.  The French colonized Vietnam and controlled both its resources and people.  Some wealthy Vietnamese benefited from colonialism, but most grew more impoverished.

4.  Following WWII, France tried to regain control over Vietnam, but…  Colonialism was dying worldwide  Led by Ho Chi Minh, many Vietnamese demanded their independence from France.  The U.S. faced a difficult decision: It supported decolonization but was against communism (Minh was a communist).

6.  The U.S. supported France in its effort to control Vietnam and resist Minh’s communist movement.  Preventing the spread of communism is more important than promoting independence.  $2.6 billion in military aid to France between 1950 and 1954  The U.S. felt that if Vietnam fell to communists, then other nearby nations would also fall. This is known as the domino theory.  In 1954, the French lost control of Vietnam.

8.  Following French control, Vietnam was divided into communist North Vietnam (led by Minh) and anti-communist South Vietnam (led by Diem).  Diem was unpopular with the people of Vietnam and only remained in power because of the support of the U.S.  Under the leadership of President Kennedy, the U.S. began sending “advisers” to Vietnam in 1961.  Under President Johnson, the U.S. began to send large numbers of troops to Vietnam.

10.  August 2 nd, 1964  Navy claims that N. Vietnamese ships are firing torpedoes at the USS Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin.  Congress gives President Lyndon B Johnson the power to “repel any armed attack against the United States to prevent further aggression.”  Later is revealed that the U.S. fired on the Vietnamese ships first.

11.  By 1965, the U.S. was involved in a full-scale war against North Vietnam and the Vietcong (guerilla soldiers in S. Vietnam)  Many Americans questioned why the U.S. was involved in this war.  Our examination of the Vietnam War will focus on resistance to the war as well as the impact of media on public perception of the Vietnam war.