Colonial Vietnam In 1883 France gained control of Vietnam,
making it part of French Indochina One of the leaders of the
nationalist movement in Vietnam that wanted to regain independence
was Ho Chi Minh, who eventually became a follower of communism
During WWII Japan took control of Vietnam. In 1941 Ho Chi Minh and
others created a group called the Vietminh to resist Japanese
occupation When the Japanese surrendered in WWII the Vietnamese
declared independence, but the French retook control.
Slide 3
Vietnam After WWII Ho Chi Minh believed that the US would
support the Vietnamese independence movement, but President Truman
supported the French control, believing that the French would stop
the spread of communism. In 1953 President Eisenhower pledged
continued support to the French, believing in the domino theory
that communism would continue to spread throughout Southeast Asia
like dominoes falling in a row In 1954 the French surrendered to
the Vietminh at Dien Bien Phu and Vietnam was divided into 2 parts:
North Vietnam controlled by Ho Chi Minh, and South Vietnam led by
Ngo Dinh Diem.
Slide 4
Growing Conflict in Vietnam In 1955 there was an election in
South Vietnam and Diem supposedly won more than 98% of the vote,
leading American officials to become disappointed in his corrupt
and brutal leadership. However, American leaders still preferred
Diems corrupt government over a communist takeover By 1959 the
Vietminh was providing weapons to rebels in the South, a group that
became known as the Vietcong a group united in overthrowing
Diem
Slide 5
Increasing US Involvement In 1955 President Eisenhower began
supplying South Vietnam with money, weapons, and military advisors
in their fight against the North In December 1961 President Kennedy
sent 3000 advisors to Vietnam, and by 1963 that number was up to
16,000. Meanwhile Buddhists in South Vietnam were protesting
against the Diem government, many by setting themselves on fire.
These photos led to public opinion around the world turning against
Diem. In November 1963 US leaders supported the overthrow of Diem,
and later that month he was assassinated (not something the US
supported).
Slide 6
Increasing US Involvement By 1964 President Johnson was
convinced that only expanded US military involvement would keep
Vietnam from becoming completely communist On August 2, 1964 the
USS Maddox was attacked by North Vietnamese forces in the Gulf of
Tonkin The President claimed that the Maddox had been attacked
unprovoked and that other American ships had been targeted, but the
Maddox had been on a spying mission and had fired first, and there
was no evidence of additional attacks by North Vietnam. Gulf of
Tonkin Resolution enabled the President to take all necessary
measures to repel any armed attack against forces of the United
States SHEG Gulf of Tonkin
Slide 7
The Air War Operation Rolling Thunder a bombing campaign over
North Vietnam in March 1965, designed to take out military bases,
airfields, and even bridges, roads, and power plants One of the
main targets was the Ho Chi Minh trail a network of paths that the
North Vietnamese used to send weapons, soldiers, and food to the
Vietcong in South Vietnam Much of the Ho Chi Minh trail was jungle
so the American forces began using chemicals like Agent Orange and
Napalm to clear the jungles. However, Operation Rolling Thunder did
not weaken the North Vietnamese The Vietcong made quick repairs,
used underground bunkers The North Vietnamese received massive
support from the Chinese and the Soviet Union
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The Ground War By 1967 there were 486,000 American troops in
Vietnam General William Westmoreland ordered thousands of search
and destroy missions to drive the enemy forces out of their
hideouts. Search and Destroy American soldiers faced constant
danger of ambush, mines, and booby traps, and the terrible
conditions of the jungles of Vietnam
Slide 11
US Forces Mobilize The US military began drafting soldiers
early on, but increased the draft in 1969 A lottery system was
created and men were chosen based on birth dates chosen at random.
Many American men escaped the draft by refusing to register (under
threat of jail time) or by fleeing to Canada. Many Americans,
including women, served in non-combat roles in Vietnam
Slide 12
US Force Mobilize As the war dragged on many Americans began to
question American involvement in Vietnam, thanks in part to the
television coverage of the war. Vietnam War Footage Doves people
opposed to the war for many reasons Vietnam was not crucial to
national security People believed that the majority of people in
Vietnam wanted to unite under a communist government
African-Americans who found it unfair to fight for freedom in a
foreign country when their own freedom was being denied Concern
that the war was draining resources from the Great Society Hawks
people who supported the wars goals
Slide 13
Protest Music Project
Slide 14
The Tet Offensive On January 31, 1968 several Vietcong fighters
attacked the US Embassy in Saigon (South Vietnam) This attack
marked the beginning of the Tet Offensive a series of massive
attacks by the Vietcong in South Vietnam, named for the Vietnamese
New Year The Tet Offensive was a failure for the Communists because
the cities and bases captured were quickly recaptured by American
troops. However, the Tet Offensive shattered the belief held by
many Americans that the war was nearing an end and that the
Communist forces were weakening. Walter Cronkite on Vietnam Public
criticism of the war and of LBJ grew louder and more intense Even
Johnsons Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara began openly looking
for ways to begin peace negotiations to end the war
Slide 15
Johnson Seeks a Solution In 1968 General Westmoreland asked LBJ
for 206,000 more troops, which outraged many Americans LBJ knew
that more troops would not end the war so he called for peace talks
between the US and North Vietnam. However, the talks fell apart
over 2 issues 1) The US wanted all NV troops out of SV 2) NV would
not accept a temporary SV government that included a leader hand
picked by the US
Slide 16
Election of 1968 Even though he was eligible to run again for
president, LBJ decided not to run. Several Democrats emerged to run
including Robert Kennedy, the brother of JFK. Kennedy was the
favorite to win the nomination and won the California primary. RFK
Assassinated At the Democratic Convention in Chicago the delegates
chose LBJs Vice President Hubert Humphrey as their candidate, but
outside protestors from across the country gathered to demand an
immediate end to the Vietnam War 1968 Chicago Riots
Slide 17
Election of 1968 Democrat: Hubert Humphrey defended LBJ and his
policies in Vietnam Republican: Richard Nixon (again) promised law
and order and claimed to have a secret plan to end the war that he
could not share because he didnt want to interfere with Johnsons
efforts. Independent: George Wallace opposed to the Civil rights
movement and against war protestors. While the popular vote was
close, Nixon won the electoral college, despite Wallace becoming
one of the most successful third party candidates ever, getting 14%
of the vote.
Slide 18
Widening the War After winning election, Nixon set out to end
the war in Vietnam Vietnamization Nixons hope to turn over more of
the fighting to the South Vietnamese soldiers while gradually
bringing American troops home. When Nixon took office in 1969 there
were 540,000 US troops in Vietnam. By 1972 the number was 24,000.
Antiwar activists opposed Vietnamization and demanded an immediate
end to the war While decreasing troop involvement in Vietnam Nixon
actually expanded the war into Cambodia in 1969, and Laos in 1970
to try to disrupt the Ho Chi Minh trail.
Slide 19
Increasing Protests When the public discovered Nixon had
expanded the war into Cambodia protests intensified throughout the
nation In May 1970 students set fire to the campus ROTC building at
Kent State University in Ohio. Two days later students gathered for
an antiwar rally and federal troops intervened after students threw
rocks at the soldiers. The soldiers fired, killing four students.
These and other protests on college campuses shocked Americans and
caused temporary shut downs of schools across the nation. Other
more violent protestors included the Weathermen, a group that set
off more than 5000 bombs in places like the Pentagon, the Capitol,
and the NYPD
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Troubling Revelations In 1969 Americans learned about the My
Lai massacre US troops entered the village of My Lai on a search
and destroy mission and soldiers killed at least 450 women,
children, and elderly men. The government had worked to keep My Lai
a secret but when Americans found out public opinion of the war
continued to plummet. In 1971 the NY Times released the Pentagon
Papers documents that revealed that the government had been
misleading the American people about the war. The documents were
leaked by Daniel Ellsberg, a former official at the Department of
Defense who had come to be against the war.
Slide 23
Election of 1972 Republican Richard Nixon, who argued that he
was close to achieving peace in Vietnam Democrat George McGovern,
insisted that the Vietnam War end immediately. 26 th Amendment
lowered the voting age to 18. McGovern thought this would increase
his chances of winning since many young people supported the end of
the war A few weeks before the election, Nixons National Security
Advisor Henry Kissinger announced that the US and NV had come to an
agreement on peace terms, propelling Nixon to a huge win.
Slide 24
Peace Agreement Despite Kissingers announcement, peace talks
stalled until January 1973 when the US agreed to withdraw all
troops from Vietnam and help rebuild Vietnam Both sides agreed to
release all prisoners of war (POWs) Missing from the agreement: the
political future of South Vietnam.
Slide 25
Legacy of Vietnam 1) North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam in
April 1975 The US government rushed Americans that were still
working in Saigon out of the city On April 30, 1975, South Vietnam
surrendered and a communist government was set up for all of
Vietnam 2) Cambodia erupts in violence In 1975 commuinst forces
known as the Khmer Rouge took control. The Khmer Rouge killed over
1.5 million Cambodians to subdue the government and ruled until a
1979 invasion by Vietnam.
Slide 26
Legacy of Vietnam 3) Lives lost 185,000 SV soldiers 450,000 SV
civilains 1 million Vietcong and NV soldiers 58,000 American
soldiers 4) Effects on American veterans Thousands of paralyzed and
disabled veterans Cancer and birth defects from exposure to Agent
Orange Welcomed back to the US with protests, abuse, and anger
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Slide 27
Legacy of Vietnam 5) Damage to the American economy $150
billion spent on the war, which led to an increase in the national
debt and inflation 6) War Powers Act of 1973 Reaffirmed right of
Congress to declare war and sets a 60 day limit on the presidential
commitment of US troops 7) Increased distrust of the American
government 8) Changed the way Americans view conflicts in foreign
nations