The Vietnam WarGoal 11

Essential Idea■ The Vietnam War aimed to contain the

spread of communism but quickly became unpopular.

5.3. Cite specific textual and visual evidence to analyze the series of events and long term foreign and domestic consequences of the United States’ military involvement in Vietnam including the Domino Theory, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, the Tet Offensive, the presidential election of 1968, university student protests, expanded television coverage of the war, the War Powers Act, and the 26th Amendment.

Domino Theory■ Domino Theory:■ China’s fall to communism

threatened containment■ Domino Theory – the idea

that if Vietnam fell, the rest of East Asia would follow

Dividing Vietnam■ Geneva Accords:■ In 1954, Vietnam won

independence from France■ Geneva Accords – Vietnam

was divided into North and South Vietnam at the 17th Parallel

North and South Vietnam■ North Vietnam:■ Leader: Ho Chi Minh■ Government: Communist■ Events: Minh wanted to

make South Vietnam communist

■ Vietcong – group of South Vietnamese communists that Minh armed

Diem is Unpopular■ South Vietnam■ Leader: Ngo Dinh Diem■ Government: Anti-communist■ Events: Diem used oppressive

rule to stop communism■ Diem outlawed Buddhism,

leading to famous protests by Buddhist monks

The Vietcong, Buddhist Protests

Diem Killed■ JFK used CIA “advisors”

to overthrow and execute Diem

■ South Vietnam became unstable and vulnerable to communism

■ When Lyndon Johnson became president, he wanted to show strength against communism

Gulf of Tonkin ■ Gulf of Tonkin

Resolution:■ Johnson (LBJ)

reported that the North Vietnamese had attacked two American ships in the Gulf of Tonkin

Gulf of Tonkin■ LBJ did not reveal that the

American ships were helping the South Vietnamese

■ Gulf of Tonkin Resolution – Congress gave LBJ authority to take “all necessary measures”

■ The Result:■ The Vietnam War began

■ Causes of Vietnam War

Fighting Begins

■ Operation Rolling Thunder – this was a sustained bombing campaign on North Vietnam

Fighting Begins■ Johnson sent in over 350,000 troops to fight with the South Vietnamese■ American and Vietcong forces became locked in bloody stalemate

Vietcong Tactics■ Fighting took place in

dense jungle, which the Vietcong knew well

■ Vietcong used guerilla attacks, booby traps, and ambushes against Americans

■ Vietcong could blend in with civilians, and fighting became very frustrating for Americans

American Tactics■ America used

“search and destroy” missions to destroy the landscape and expose hiding Vietcong

■ Napalm – a jellied gasoline used to burn down jungles

■ Agent Orange – a chemical used on jungles that had terrible side-effects on humans

Effects of Agent Orange

Vietnam Divides the Nation■ Issue #1: The “TV” War■ General William Westmoreland told Americans that the war was

successful■ However, TV showed images of many dead or injured soldiers

Media vs. Government?■ Distrust in

American government grew

Anger at the Draft■ Issue #2: The Draft■ Many citizens burned their draft cards in protest

Opposing the Draft■ Many opposed 18

year olds being drafted when they could not vote

■ 26th Amendment – lowered the voting age from 21 to 18

Hawks and Doves■ Who: Hawks■ Position: favored

the Vietnam War■ Who: Doves■ Position:

opposed the Vietnam War

The Tet Offensive■ 1. The Tet Offensive■ The American government had

led the public to believe that they were winning

■ Tet Offensive – Vietcong launched a surprise attack on American airbases and major cities (in South Vietnam)

■ It was a political victory for the Vietcong because it showed they could mount a massive attack

Trust in Government Declines More■ General

Westmoreland requested more troops, making it seem that America was losing

■ Public opinion turned against the war

“Are we losing?”

LBJ Steps Down■ 2. The Election of 1968■ LBJ decided not to run

for reelection■ Robert Kennedy, JFK’s

brother, ran for election, and opposed the war

Another Kennedy is Assassinated■ Kennedy was

assassinated, and Democrats called for another anti-war candidate

The 1968 Democratic National Convention and Chicago Riot

■ At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, thousands of anti-war protesters gathered

■ Chicago Riot – violence erupted between police and protesters

Nixon Wins the Election■ Republican Richard

Nixon, promising to end the Vietnam War, easily won the election

The Massacre at My Lai

■ 3. My Lai Massacre■ At My Lai, Americans

massacred a village of women, children, and elderly

■ The My Lai Massacre is a dark spot on the Vietnam War

Troops Withdraw, Nixon Bombs Cambodia

■ 4. Cambodia ■ Vietnamization –

process of gradual withdrawal of troops from Vietnam

■ However, Nixon secretly began bombing of Cambodia

Kent State Massacre■ 5. Kent State

Massacre■ Many people accused

Nixon of expanding the war

■ Many student protesters gathered at Kent State University

■ Kent State Massacre – the National Guard shot and killed four protesters

The Fall of Saigon ■ 6. Fall of Saigon■ Two years after leaving

Vietnam, Gerald Ford was president

■ North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam and captured the capital, Saigon

■ South Vietnam fell to communism

■ Fall of Saigon

Legacy of Vietnam■ 7. Legacy of the Vietnam War■ The Vietnam War, along with the Watergate Scandal, made Americans

distrust the government■ Many Vietnam veterans felt unappreciated, and many people felt that

America had lost

■ Ken Burns discusses legacy■ of Vietnam

War Powers Act■ War Powers Act –

limited the power of the executive branch during war