THE BIG PICTURE: It was the first war to invade American homes via television. For years TV brought the Vietnam War into American living rooms. Seemingly unwinnable, the US war effort brought down a president and bitterly divided the nation.

CHAPTER 29: THE VIETNAM WAR

MAIN IDEA: Concern about the spread of communism led the United States to become increasingly involved in Vietnam.

CHAPTER 29 SECTION 1: THE WAR DEVELOPS

Colonial Vietnam

• Vietnam had been controlled by China since 200BC (drove them out in the early 1400s)• French took control of

Vietnam in 1883• Nguyen That Thanh hoped to

gain independence for his nation at the conclusion of WWI, but was disappointed…France retained control• Changes his name to Ho Chi Minh and goes to Vietnam to fight for independence

• During WWII, Japan controlled Vietnam, and Ho Chi Minh created the Vietminh to challenge the Japanese• France reasserted control at

the end of the war and the Vietminh began challenging French rule

A Nationalist Leader Changing Rulers

Vietnam after World War II

• After the war, Truman refused to support Ho Chi Minh because he was communist, and the US was pledged to contain the spread of communism• 1949: China becomes

communist, causing more American aid to flow to the French in their fight against the Vietminh• 1950: communist North Korea

invades South Korea and communists revolts break out in Indonesia, Malaya, and the Philippines

• Eisenhower believed that if Vietnam fell to communism, the other nations in Southeast Asia would fall too; this is called the domino theory• US began spending arms,

ammunition, supplies and money to French forces fighting in Vietnam (75% of the cost of the war)

The first Indochina War The Domino Theory

Vietnam after World War II

• Last major battle for the French was Dien Bien Phu• 40,000 Vietminh surround

15,000 French…US refuses to send troops to help• May 7, 1954: French

surrender and agree to leave• Vietminh became experts

at guerrilla war

(hit-and-run, camouflage)

• Warring parties met at the Geneva Conference to workout a peace agreement• Signed in July 1954, the Geneva Accords divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel (North communist, South nationalists) with elections to be held July 1956• US pledged to support the

South, China supported the North

France is defeated The Geneva Conference

Growing Conflict in Vietnam

• North controlled by Ho Chi Minh (very popular with his people, their George Washington)• Minh took land from rich and

gave it to poor peasants making him popular with the people• Leader of South Vietnam was Ngo Dinh Diem and he was not popular with the people (Catholic, anti-communist) and was corrupt and brutal• Cracked down on the Buddhist

majority, gave gov’t jobs to family• Canceled the election in 1956

• By late 1950s, Diem’s opponents were in open revolt and North Vietnam sent supplies to the rebels called the Vietcong• 1955: Eisenhower begins

sending supplies to South Vietnamese government (900 military advisors in the country at end of his term)

Vietnam’s Leaders A Civil War

Increasing US Involvement

• Kennedy supported US involvement (believed in the domino theory) & increased # of military advisors (16,000 by 1963)• Diem’s arrest and killing of

Buddhist protesters led to them setting themselves on fire in public• US public support turned and

the US helped overthrow and assassinate Diem in Nov. 1963

• Johnson wanted an expanded US role in Vietnam, but needed Congressional approval• 1964: Johnson claimed N.

Vietnamese fired on USS Maddox in Gulf of Tonkin• Johnson misrepresented facts

(Maddox was spying and actually fired 1st)• Gulf of Tonkin Resolution:

authorized Johnson to expand the war• President no longer had to get

approval for any military actions

Diem’s Overthrow The Tonkin Gulf Resolution

MAIN IDEA: As the United States sent increasing numbers of troops to defend South Vietnam, some Americans began to question the war.

CHAPTER 29 SECTION 2: US SUPPORT OF THE WAR AT HOME AND ABROAD

The Air War• 1st action was Operation Rolling Thunder: a bombing campaign of North Vietnam• A major target was the Ho Chi Minh Trail: the route the North used to send supplies to the Vietcong in the South• Pilots also used Agent Orange (a chemical that killed plants) and napalm (jellied gasoline) to kill and burn the jungle to make the enemy more visible• Bombing backfired- increasing support for the rebels without harming them significantly• By late 1968, 1 million tons of bombs were dropped on Vietnam

The Ground War

• US began sending ground troops commanded by General William Westmoreland• Conducted search-and-

destroy missions to drive enemy forces from their hiding places (made enemies of civilians)• Pacification aimed to win

civilian support (improving infrastructure and economy)– failed

• Troops became frustrated with guerilla attacks• They didn’t know the terrain

and the civilians were uncooperative• They were in constant

danger and despite killing large numbers of the enemy, the fighting did not decline• Troops began to question if

the US could ever win

US Strategy Declining Troop Morale

US Forces Mobilize

• 2.5 million Americans served in Vietnam, they were younger and 80% had high school education or less• As the US committed more

troops, they began relying on the draft• Could get deferment

(postponement) while in college, so enrollment skyrocketed• High numbers of poor and

African American served• 1969- went to a lottery system

with no deferments allowed• Thousands avoided service by

fleeing to Canada

• 10,000 women served in noncombat roles like secretary, nurse, or transportation

The Draft Noncombat Positions

Public Opinion Shifts

• Vietnam was the 1st war where TV crews were with soldiers

• TV coverage profoundly influenced public opinion about the war

• Images on TV contradicted the govt’s positive reports about how the war was going

• US public began dividing into two camps: hawks who supported continuing the war, and doves who wanted the war to end

• Major criticisms: Vietnamese did not want us there, drained resources from Great Society programs, and was being fought by poor and minority

• As the fighting dragged on, the antiwar movement grew• Much of the activity occurred

on college campuses• One of the most vocal groups

was Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) who led the first nationwide protest in 1965• While they were vocal and

visible, antiwar groups were in the minority throughout the 1960s

Media’s Impact/ Hawks and Doves The antiwar movement

MAIN IDEA: As the Vietnam War dragged on and increasingly appeared to be unwinnable, deep divisions developed in American society.

CHAPTER 29 SECTION 3: 1968: A TURNING POINT

The Tet Offensive

• Tet Offensive: a series of coordinated attacks by the Vietcong against the US• US had seen increase in

traffic on Ho Chi Minh Trail• January 1968: Vietcong siege

US base at Khe Sanh; it takes US 77 days to repel the forces• Westmoreland connected

movement on the trail to the attack at Khe Sanh, but it was a diversion

• Main attack started Jan 30, 1968 during the Vietnamese new year (called Tet) during a ceasefire• 84,000 troops attacked 12

US bases and 100 cities throughout South Vietnam• Although the US eventually

put down the attacks, to many Americans, the Tet Offensive indicated that the communists would never give up

Khe SanhThe Main Attacks

Effects of the Tet Offensive

• Feb 1968: respected anchor Walter Cronkite shares his view that the war was a bloody stalemate• Other major news

organizations began expressing doubts that the US could win the war• Public protests grew and

attracted more Americans• People within the Johnson

administration began to express doubts (including Sec. of Defense Robert McNamara)

• By the time Johnson was running for re-election ¾ of Americans opposed the war• Several Democrats began

challenging Johnson, including Eugene McCarthy and Robert Kennedy

Growing Doubts Democratic Challengers

Johnson Seeks a Solution• General Westmoreland continued to insist that the US had won the Tet Offensive and that the war was almost over• March 1968: requested 206,000 more troops; due to public outrage, Johnson denied the request• May 1968: Johnson announces that he will try to negotiate with North Vietnam and that he will not run for re-election• Peace talks quickly stalled and the fighting dragged on

The Election of 1968

• Johnson’s VP Hubert Humphrey enters the race after Johnson’s announcement and defended the administration’s handling of Vietnam• Both McCarthy and Kennedy

advocated a rapid end to the war• Kennedy was an early leader

in the primaries• June 1968: Robert Kennedy is assassinated at a campaign event by Sirhan Sirhan (angry over support of Israel)

• August: Democratic National Convention meets in Chicago• Inside, delegate debated

choosing between McCarthy and Humphrey, outside, Vietnam protests became violent under Chicago mayor Richard Daley• Much of the violence was

broadcast on national TV• In the end, Humphrey became

the nominee, but the incident revealed a growing generation gap between older and younger Americans

The Democratic Primary Fight

The Democratic Convention

The Election of 1968

• Republicans nominate Richard Nixon appealing to mainstream Americans and calling for ‘law and order’• He claimed to have a secret

plan to win the war with honor• George Wallace ran as an

independent who opposed integration and war protesters• Most of his supporters were

conservative, Southern Democrats & working class whites

• Nixon led the polls for much of the race, but the gap narrowed in November, especially when peace talks with the Vietnamese showed progress• The popular vote was very

close, but Nixon had a clear majority in the electoral college (301 votes)

Nixon and Wallace The Election Campaign and Results

MAIN IDEA: President Nixon eventually ended US involvement in Vietnam, but the war had lasting effects on the United States and Southeast Asia.

CHAPTER 29 SECTION 4: THE WAR ENDS

Widening the War

• Nixon gets National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger to conduct secret peace talks in 1969• Nixon’s ‘peace with honor’ plan

also included Vietnamization: gradually turning over the fighting to Vietnamese troops while pulling out US soldiers• War protesters wanted all

troops out immediately; Nixon appealed to the silent majority: middle class Americans who he believed supported Vietnamization but were not as vocal

• While withdrawing troops, Nixon also secretly expanded the war by bombing Cambodia and Laos to disrupt the Ho Chi Minh Trail (goal was also to win concessions in the peace talks)• Nixon called it the ‘Madman

Theory’- trying to convince the North Vietnamese he would do anything to win…it did not work• 1972 North Vietnam invaded

South Vietnam again

Vietnamization

Laos and Cambodia

Increasing Protests

• 1970: Nixon announces an invasion of Cambodia sparking protest on campuses nationwide• May 4, 1970: National Guard

called out to end protest on Kent State campus– fire into the crowd killing 4 (more violence on other campuses)…several shut down• Protest groups were joined

by more mainstream, middle class Americans (over 250,000 marched in DC)

• 1969: America learns of massacre of civilians by US troops at My Lai• 1971: New York Times

publishes Pentagon Papers revealing that the US gov’t had been misleading the public about the war for years• Nixon tried to stop

publication in US v. New York Times but Supreme Court sided with free speech claims

Campus Violence and Growing ProtestRadical Protests and Troubling Revelations

End of US Involvement

• Nixon ran against George McGovern, who insisted on an immediate end to the war• 1971: Congress ratifies 26th Amendment changing voting age from 21 to 18• Nixon stressed law an order

and promised an end to the war• Weeks before the election,

Kissinger announced a breakthrough in peace talks• Nixon wins in a landslide

• Peace talks stall, so Nixon begins a new round of bombing (called the Christmas Bombings)• Peace agreement reached

January 1973• US agreed to withdraw all

troops and help rebuild Vietnam• Both sides released all

prisoners of war (POWs)• Agreement did not address

what would happen to South Vietnam

The 1972 ElectionA Peace Agreement

The Legacy of Vietnam

• 1975: North invades South, Saigon surrenders April 30th

• Communist forces called the Khmer Rouge gain control of Cambodia in 1975• Vietnam War devastated

Southeast Asia: 185,000 soldiers and 450,000 civilians in South Vietnam died (1 million in the North)• Over 700,000 refugees fled

to the US

• 58,000 Americans killed in the war• 300,000 were wounded and

2,500 were reported missing• Other soldiers suffered from

post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or suffered from exposure to chemicals • Many soldiers were the

target for American anger and shame

Cambodia and Southeast Asia

Effects on Veterans

The Legacy of Vietnam

• US spent $150 billion fighting the war in Vietnam, greatly adding to the debt and fueling inflation• Many Americans were angry at

the federal government by how they were misled• To prevent another Vietnam,

Congress passed the War Powers Act: set a 60-day limit on presidential commitment of US troops with out authorization from Congress• Americans also became more

reluctant to get involved in other foreign conflicts

• 1982: Vietnam War Memorial was unveiled in DC• It lists all 58,000 Americans

who were killed or listed as missing in the conflict• The US resumed relations

with Vietnam in 1995

The war’s political impact

Healing from the war