1. Vietnam War Subtitle

2. Why did the United States become involved in Vietnam? Essential Question

3. Indochina

4. French Indochina ▪ Interest in Rubber Plantations ▪ Converted minority to Catholic faith: gave them positions of privilege ▪ Forced labor system for peasants ▪ Export rice crop in times of starvation ▪ 1930’s rebellion against French

5. Japanese Occupation of Indochina 1940-45 ▪ After fall of France in June 1940, Japan invaded Indochina ▪ French Colonial Gov’t Cooperated with Japanese (Vichy France) ▪ Ho Chi Minh led Nationalist forces against Japanese ▪ U.S. provided him with aid ▪ At end of War, France took back Indochina ▪ Vietnamese resistance to French rule

6. French Defeated in Indochina Dien Bien Phu 1954

7. Geneva Conference, 1954 ▪ Vietnam divided along 17 th parallel, pending nationwide elections in ‘55

8. U.S. Involvement Began ▪ Ngo Dinh Diem, South Vietnam, rejected nationwide elections ▪ Eisenhower provided military aid to Diem ▪ Ho Chi Minh accepted Soviet aid

9. Viet Cong ▪ National Liberation Front ▪ South Vietnamese Communist rebels ▪ Fought in armed forces and guerrilla groups

10. Buddhist Revolt, 1961 ▪ Diem repression of Buddhism ▪ Buddhist anti-government demonstrations JFK sent military advisors to Vietnam

11. Assassination of Diem, 1963 ▪ JFK approved S.V. generals plan to stage coup ▪ Generals Assassinate Diem & his brother Nhu

12. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution USS Maddox fired on by North Vietnamese in Gulf of Tonkin Congress authorized use of American troops in Vietnam

13. Our Troops: the Infantry ▪ 53% blue collar families ▪ Median Age 19 ▪ By 1968 ▪ 54% drafted ▪ 58% of dead drafted

14. Controversies of the Vietnam War

15. Why were we going to war in Vietnam? ▪ Our Government: Containment of Communism ▪ Vietnamese People: Why did we want their country?

16. The Draft ▪ Old enough to die, but not to vote. ▪ Deferments for marriage & college. ▪ Fortunate Sons serve in the Reserve>Don’t go to the War

17. What would Kennedy have done?

18. Search & Destroy ▪ How do you find and defeat the enemy?

19. Who is the enemy?

20. Agent Orange & Napalm

21. Operation Rolling Thunder ▪ 7 million tons of bombs dropped on Indochina ▪ 24.6 tons per square mile ▪ 8.8 tons of bombs per person

22. Tet Offensive, 1968 ▪ Turning Point In Vietnam War ▪ Surprise attack on Vietnamese New Year on 41 S. V. cities ▪ Proved war far from over ▪ Johnson Decided not to run for re-election

23. 19701970 Nixon bombed CambodiaNixon bombed Cambodia Student Protests IncreaseStudent Protests Increase

24. Government Secrets & Lies ▪ Special Forces sent in 1958 ▪ Bombing of Laos from 1957-1962 ▪ Lies about Gulf of Tonkin ▪ The Spin on the War ▪ Pentagon Papers

25. U.S. Negotiations with North Vietnam, 1969-72 ▪ Henry Kissinger began secret talks with Vietnam ▪ Nixon bombed Hanoi & Haiphong ▪ My Lai Massacre

26. End of Vietnam War ▪ 73 - U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam 75 – End of Vietnam War75 – End of Vietnam War

27. What lessons can we learn from Vietnam?