DO NOW
The 1960’s is known for being a historic era of protests throughout the country.
Civil Rights Protests as well as Vietnam War Protests showed that there was
growing discontent between the people and the government. Many people also
say these protests played a major role in shaping US policy for years to come.
1) Was protesting (Civil Rights or Vietnam) an effective way for the
American people to have their voices heard? Why or why not…?
2) Do you think that the 2010’s is the second coming of the protest culture
in the United States (Iraq War Protests, Ferguson, Women’s March/Climate
Change March) ? Why or why not?
CHAPTER 22: THE VIETNAM
WAR YEARS
The United States becomes
locked in a military stalemate in
Southeast Asia. U.S. forces
withdraw after a decade of
heavy war casualties abroad
and assassinations and antiwar
demonstrations at home.
VIDEO QUESTIONS: WHAT IS DOMINO
THEORY?
1) What is the Domino Theory?
2) How did the Domino Theory help shape US foreign policy during the Cold War?
3) Do you think the Domino Theory (and policies based off this theory) is an example
of “good” foreign policy? Explain your answer….
CHAPTER 22-1: MOVING
TOWARD CONFLICT
To stop the spread of
communism in Southeast Asia,
the United States uses its
military to support South
Vietnam.
AMERICA SUPPORTS FRANCE IN
VIETNAM
French Rule in Vietnam
• Late 1800s–WW II, France rules most of
Indochina
• Ho Chi Minh —leader of Vietnamese
independence movement
• helps create Indochinese Communist Party
• 1940, Japanese take control of Vietnam
• Vietminhn —organization that aims to rid
Vietnam of foreign rule
• Sept. 1945, Ho Chi Minh declares Vietnam an
independent nation
AMERICA SUPPORTS FRANCE IN VIETNAM
France Battles the Vietminh
• French troops move into Vietnam; French fight, regain cities,
South
• 1950, U.S. begins economic aid to France to stop communism
The Vietminh Drive Out the French
• Domino theory —countries can fall to communism like row of
dominoes
• 1954, Vietminh overrun French at Dien Bien Phu; France
surrenders
• Geneva Accords divide Vietnam at 17th parallel;
Communists get north
• Election to unify country called for in 1956
THE UNITED STATES STEPS IN
Diem Cancels Elections
• Ho has brutal, repressive regime but is popular for land distribution
• S. Vietnam’s anti-Communist president Ngo Dinh Diem refuses election
• U.S. promises military aid for stable, reform government in South
• Diem corrupt, stifles opposition, restricts Buddhism
• Vietcong (Communist opposition group in South) kills officials
• Ho sends arms to Vietcong along Ho Chi Minh Trail
Kennedy and Vietnam
• Like Eisenhower, JFK backs Diem financially; sends military advisers
• Diem’s popularity plummets from corruption, lack of land reform
• Diem starts strategic hamlet program to fight Vietcong
• villagers resent being moved from ancestral homes
• Diem presses attacks on Buddhism; monks burn themselves in protest
• U.S.-supported military coup topples government; Diem assassinated
PRESIDENT JOHNSON EXPANDS THE CONFLICT
The South Grows More Unstable
• Succession of military leaders rule S. Vietnam;
country unstable
• LBJ thinks U.S. can lose international prestige if
communists win
•
•
•
•
The Tonkin Gulf Resolution
Alleged attack in Gulf of Tonkin; LBJ asks for power
to repel enemy
1964 Tonkin Gulf Resolution gives him broad
military powers
1965 8 Americans killed, LBJ orders sustained
bombing of North
U.S. combat troops sent to S. Vietnam to battle
Vietcong
VIDEO QUESTIONS: TED-ED: THE INFAMOUS
AND INGENIOUS HO CHI MINH TRAIL
1) The key to victory for North Vietnam was a “dirt trail”. What is meant by this?
2) Describe what it was like for a person on the Ho Chih Min Trail in it’s early days.
3) What caused most of the deaths in the early days of the Ho Chih Min Trail.
4) How did the experience on the trail change between 1959 and 1964?
PRESIDENTIAL WAR POWERS: AN ANALYSIS
For this activity we are going to take a critical look at the power of the Executive Branch, and
specifically, the Power of the President when it comes to military conflict. In groups of 3-4 you are
going to read and analyze the following historical documents
Article II Section 2 of the US Constitution
Article I Section 8 of the US Constitution
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
The Legality of United States in the Defense of Viet-nam (Memo)
The War Powers Resolution
Based off of these documents, you should fill out the graphic organizer provided. In your group discuss
on the following questions and reflect on them in your notebook (should be at least 1 paragraph for
each question)
1) What is the power of the President in times of war?
2) How did the power of the Presidency change during the Vietnam War era? Do those changes
still apply to President’s today? Explain your answer
HOMEWORK
Finish Graphic Organizer/Reflection Questions in Notebook
Read/Take Notes: Chapter 22-3: A Nation Divided (Different from
Reading Schedule) We will do 22-2 in class Wednesday
DO NOW: CHEMICAL WARFARE
This picture, titled “Napalm Girl” (taken on June 2nd,
1972) was said by many people to be one of the single
most important pieces of photojournalism in the Vietnam
War. The picture was taken after a US Air Force mission,
which was supposed to be targeting Vietcong fighter
villages, mistakenly dropped a load of Napalm on a
Vietnamese village outside Saigon.
1) What do you see in this photo? What types of
emotions and ideas are conveyed?
2) Why do you think this photo was so monumental?
What type of dialogue does it provide for US
intervention in Vietnam?
VIDEO QUESTIONS: NAPALM GIRL
1) What is the photographer’s story behind his Napalm Girl photo?
2) What is significant about the statement “I hope to take a picture that stops the war
one day”?
3)What happened to the photographer after his time in Vietnam? What happened to
Napalm Girl?
4) What can we learn about the role that photojournalism played in the Vietnam
War from this story (and this specific photo)?
CHAPTER 22-2: US INVOLVEMENT
AND ESCALATION
The United States sends troops to
fight in Vietnam, but the war
quickly turns into a stalemate.
JOHNSON INCREASES US INVOLVEMENT
Strong Support for Containment
• LBJ hesitates breaking promise to keep troops out; works with:
• Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, Secretary of State
Dean Rusk
• Congress, majority of public support sending troops
The Troop Buildup Accelerates
• General William Westmoreland —U.S. commander in South
Vietnam
• Thinks southern Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)
ineffective
• Requests increasing numbers; by 1967 500,000 U.S. troops
FIGHTING IN THE JUNGLE
An Elusive Enemy
• Vietcong use hit-and-run, ambush tactics, move
among civilians
• Tunnels help withstand airstrikes, launch attacks,
connect villages
• Terrain laced with booby traps, land mines laid by
U.S., Vietcong
A Frustrating War of Attrition
• Westmoreland tries to destroy Vietcong morale
through attrition
• Vietcong receive supplies from China, U.S.S.R.;
remain defiant
• U.S. sees war as military struggle; Vietcong as
battle for survival
FIGHTING IN THE JUNGLE (CONTINUED)
The Battle for “Hearts and Minds”
• U.S. wants to stop Vietcong from winning support
of rural population
• Weapons for exposing tunnels often wound
civilians, destroy villages
• napalm: gasoline-based bomb that sets fire to
jungle
• Agent Orange: leaf-killing, toxic chemical
• Search-and-destroy missions move civilian
suspects, destroy property
• Villagers go to cities, refugee camps; 1967, over
3 million refugees
FIGHTING IN THE JUNGLE (CONTINUED)
Sinking Morale
• Guerrilla warfare, jungle conditions, lack of
progress lower morale
• Many soldiers turn to alcohol, drugs; some
kill superior officers
• Government corruption, instability lead S.
Vietnam to demonstrate
Fulfilling a Duty
• Most U.S. soldiers believe in justice of
halting communism
• Fight courageously, take patriotic pride in
fulfilling their duty
THE EARLY WAR AT HOME
The Great Society Suffers
• War grows more costly with more troops; inflation rate
rising
• LBJ gets tax increase to pay for war, check inflation
• has to accept $6 billion funding cut for Great Society
The Living-Room War
• Combat footage on nightly TV news shows stark picture
of war
• Critics say credibility gap between administration
reports and events
• Senator J. William Fulbright’s hearings add to doubts
about war
VIDEO QUESTIONS: AGENT ORANGE
1) How many “Rainbow Chemicals” were deployed to and used on Vietnam during
the war?
1) What is Operation “Ranch Hand”? What arguments were used to defend using
chemical warfare in Vietnam?
2) What were some of the side effects that the North Vietnamese and US Veterans
experienced from Agent Orange?
3) What struggles did Vietnam Veterans face when attempting to get compensation
for Agent Orange?
4) Why do you think US media and government are so hesistant to talk about the use
of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War?
ACTIVITY: VIETNAM WAR PROTEST
SONGS
We are going to listen to a series of war protest songs from the Vietnam War era. Listen closely to
each song and answer the questions that accompany each song in your notebook. Each set of questions
will appear on a following Slide. At the end you will be asked to write a reflection paragraph in your
notebook
The List of songs are as follows:
1) “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixing-to-Die Rag”- Country Joe and the Fish
2) Lyndon Johnson Told a Nation- Tom Paxton
3) The Ballad of the Green Beret- Sargent Barry Sadler
4) Eve of Destruction- Barry McGuire
5) I Ain’t Marching Anymore- Phil Ochs
I-FEEL-LIKE-I’M-FIXING-TO-DIE RAG BY COUNTRY
JOE AND THE FISH
1) Listen to the chorus of this song. What are the words?
2) What is meant by “pearly gates”?
3) Do you think the lyrics of this song should be taken seriously? Is this really what the group means about Vietnam?
Why or why not?
4) Listen to background music, its beat, its noisemakers. How does all of this reinforce your answer in #3?
5) What is the attitude of Country Joe and the Fish towards war? Provide a one word answer that identifies his TONE.
6) Is the song Pro-war or Anti-war? What evidence do you have to prove this statement?
LYNDON JOHNSON TOLD A NATION- BY TOM
PAXTON
1)What is escalation mean as used in this song?
2) The chorus has the line “Help save Vietnam for the Vietnamese”. What is meant by this line?
How does this line help you better convey Tom Paxon’s attitude towards the Vietnam War?
3) Pay attention to the background music. Does it fit the words of the song? Explain.
4) Is this song Pro-war or Anti-War? What evidence do you have to prove this statement
THE BALLAD OF THE GREEN BERET- BY SARGENT BARRY
SADLER
1)What does the rank or title of the singer of this song suggest about his possible position on the
war in Vietnam?
2) This song is a “Ballad” which is a musical “story” being sung. What is the story told by this
song?
3) In one word, what is Sadler’s attitude towards the US conflict in Vietnam
4) How does the music (instrumentals, pace, tone) help convey Sadler’s attitude?
5) Is this song Pro-war or Anti-war? What evidence do you have to prove this statement?
EVE OF DESTRUCTION-BARRY MCGUIRE
1) What do you think is meant by the title of this song?
2) What is meant by the following lyrical allusions:





Old enough to kill but not for voting” :
Eastern world:
Button is pushed:
Marches themselves can’t bring integration:
Look at all the hate there is in Red China, but then take a look around at Selma, Alabama:
3) What do you feel is the most powerful line in this song?
4) What is McGuire’s attitude towards the war (and other events in the 1960’s)? Summarize this in ONE
WORD.
5) Is this song Pro-war or Anti-war? What evidence do you have to prove this statement
I AIN’T MARCHING ANYMORE-PHIL OCHS
1) According to the song, how does someone get out of going to Vietnam?
2) Is this song only about Vietnam? Provide 3 references from the song lyrics to
support or refute your claim.
3) What is Ochs’ attitude towards the Vietnam War?
4. Is song PRO-WAR or ANTI-WAR? What evidence do you have to support this
claim?
HOMEWORK
CHAPTER 22-3: A NATION
DIVIDED
An antiwar movement in the
U.S. pits supporters of the
government’s war policy
against those who oppose it.
THE WORKING CLASS GOES TO WAR
A “Manipulatable” Draft
• Selective Service System, draft,
calls men 18–26 to military
service
• Thousands look for ways to avoid
the draft
• Many—mostly white, affluent—
get college deferment
• 80% of U.S. soldiers come from
lower economic levels
THE WORKING CLASS GOES TO WAR
African Americans in Vietnam
• African Americans serve in disproportionate
numbers in ground combat
• Defense Dept. corrects problem by instituting
draft lottery in 1969
• Racial tensions high in many platoons; add to
low troop morale
Women Join the Ranks
• 10,000 women serve, mostly as military nurses
• Thousands volunteer: American Red Cross,
United Services Organization
THE ROOTS OF OPPOSITION
The New Left
• New Left —youth movement of 1960s, demand
sweeping changes
• Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Free
Speech Movement (FSM):
• criticize big business, government; want greater
individual freedom
Campus Activism
• New Left ideas spread across colleges
• Students protest campus issues, Vietnam war
THE PROTEST MOVEMENT EMERGES
The Movement Grows
• In 1965, protest marches, rallies draw tens of
thousands
• 1966, student deferments require good academic
standing
• SDS calls for civil disobedience; counsels students to
go abroad
• Small numbers of returning veterans protest; protest
songs popular
From Protest to Resistance
• Antiwar demonstrations, protests increase, some
become violent
• Some men burn draft cards; some refuse to serve;
some flee to Canada
THE PROTEST MOVEMENT EMERGES
(CONTINUED)
War Divides the Nation
• Doves strongly oppose war, believe U.S. should
withdraw
• Hawks favor sending greater forces to win the war
• 1967 majority of Americans support war, consider
protesters disloyal
Johnson Remains Determined
• LBJ continues slow escalation, is criticized by both
hawks and doves
• Combat stalemate leads Defense Secretary
McNamara to resign
CHAPTER 22-4: 1968 A
TUMULTUOUS YEAR
An enemy attack in Vietnam, two
assassinations, and a chaotic
political convention make 1968
an explosive year.
THE TET OFFENSIVE TURNS THE WAR
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
A Surprise Attack
1968 villagers go to cities to celebrate Tet (Vietnamese new
year)
Vietcong among crowd attack over 100 towns, 12 U.S. air bases
Tet offensive lasts 1 month before U.S., S. Vietnam regain control
Westmoreland declares attacks are military defeat for Vietcong
Tet Changes Public Opinion
Before Tet, most Americans hawks; after Tet, hawks, doves both
40%
Mainstream media openly criticizes war
LBJ appoints Clark Clifford as new Secretary of Defense
After studying situation, Clifford concludes war is unwinnable
LBJ’s popularity drops; 60% disapprove his handling of the war
DAYS OF LOSS AND RAGE
Johnson Withdraws
• Senator Eugene McCarthy runs for Democratic nomination
as dove
• Senator Robert Kennedy enters race after LBJ’s poor
showing in NH
• LBJ announces will seek peace talks, will not run for reelection
Violence and Protest Grip the Nation
• Riots rock over 100 cities after Martin Luther King, Jr. is
killed
• Kennedy wins CA primary; is fatally shot for supporting
Israel
• Major demonstrations on over 100 college campuses
A TURBULENT RACE FOR PRESIDENT
•
•
•
•
•
Turmoil in Chicago
Vice-president Hubert Humphrey wins Democratic nomination
Over 10,000 demonstrators go to Chicago
Mayor Richard J. Daley mobilizes police, National Guard
Protesters try to march to convention; police beat them; rioting
Delegates to convention bitterly debate antiwar plank
•
•
•
•
•
Nixon Triumphs
Nixon works for party for years, wins 1968 Republican nomination
Campaign promises: restore law and order, end war in Vietnam
Governor George Wallace is third-party candidate
Champions segregation, states’ rights; attracts protest-weary whites
Nixon wins presidency
AMERICA’S LONGEST WAR ENDS
“Peace is at Hand”
• 1971, 60% think U.S. should withdraw from
Vietnam by end of year
• 1972 N. Vietnamese attack; U.S. bombs cities,
mines Haiphong harbor
• Kissinger agrees to complete withdrawal of U.S.:
“Peace is at hand”
The Final Push
• S. Vietnam rejects Kissinger plan; talks break off;
bombing resumes
• Congress calls for end to war; peace signed
January 1973
The Fall of Saigon
• Cease-fire breaks down; South surrenders after
North invades 1975