Page 1
Name:________________________________________________ Date:_____________ Class:____________
President Johnson and the Vietnam War
Tension in Vietnam
- In the 1950s, France tried to establish control over their former colony, French Indo-China.
America sent money and aid in hopes that French control would prevent the spread of
Communism to the area.
- ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
- In 1954, France abandoned Vietnam and the Communist Party took control above the 17 th
Parallel. President Eisenhower claimed a “domino theory” was unfolding in which nations in Asia
were falling to Communism.
The USA and Vietnam
- ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
- Ngo Dinh Diem led South Vietnam and claimed to be Anti-Communist. Yet, he was very corrupt
and removed rights from Buddhists in the area.
- An opposition group, called the Vietcong, began attacking Diem’s government. Ho Chi Minh
armed the Vietcong.
The USS Maddox Attack
- ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
- President Lyndon Baines Johnson then started bombing North Vietnam. The Gulf of Tonkin
Resolution gave LBJ increased military powers to attack North Vietnam.
- Operation Rolling Thunder was the first sustained bombing of North Vietnam. This was no
longer a French War, it was now an American war.
The War Intensifies
- By 1965, LBJ had sent over 180,000 Americans to fight in the Vietnam War. The Vietcong
utilized their knowledge of the jungle and guerrilla warfare against the USA.
- ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
- LBJ began to lose support for his social programs because of the unpopular war. Television
helped to diminish the popularity of the war as well; citizens could see how how devastating the
war was for all involved.
Americans Drafted to War
- The Selective Service System Draft was implemented to provide more soldiers in the Vietnam
War, ages 18 to 26. By 1967, there were over 500,000 Americans at war.
- ____________________________________________________________________________
- Therefore, lower class minorities constituted a large portion of the soldiers who were sent to
war. Many viewed this as discriminatory.
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Page 2
Americans Protest Vietnam
- The nation was divided between Doves who supported ending the war and Hawks who wanted
to keep fighting until victory was achieved.
- ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
- The government changed the rules for the draft so that you needed good academic standing to
stay in college. People began burning their draft cards and refused to participate in the war.
The Tet Offensive
- In 1968, The Vietcong and North Vietnam launched The Tet Offensive. Tet, the Vietnam “New
Year’s Eve” was when this occurred.
- Over 100 areas were attacked and it took a month to push the Vietcong back. Over 30,000
Vietcong died and over 3,000 USA and South Vietnam Soldiers were killed.
- ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
The Close of the LBJ Era
- Johnson announced he would not run again for the presidency in 1968.
- On April 4th, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray. On June
5th,1968, Robert Kennedy, JFK’s younger brother, was assassinated by a Palestinian named
Sirhan. Robert Kennedy was campaigning for the Presidency when he was shot.
- ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
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All Rights Reserved.
Page 3
Name:________________________________________________ Date:_____________ Class:____________
FULL NOTES:
President Johnson and the Vietnam War
Tension in Vietnam
- In the 1950s, France tried to establish control over their former colony, French Indo-China.
America sent money and aid in hopes that French control would prevent the spread of
Communism to the area.
- Ho Chi Minh led the Communist Party in Vietnam and pursued independence from foreign
control.
- In 1954, France abandoned Vietnam and the Communist Party took control above the 17 th
Parallel. President Eisenhower claimed a “domino theory” was unfolding in which nations in Asia
were falling to Communism.
The USA and Vietnam
- Eisenhower and JFK both supported South Vietnam with aid to prevent Communism from
spreading South.
- Ngo Dinh Diem led South Vietnam and claimed to be Anti-Communist. Yet, he was very corrupt
and removed rights from Buddhists in the area.
- An opposition group, called the Vietcong, began attacking Diem’s government. Ho Chi Minh
armed the Vietcong.
The USS Maddox Attack
- In 1964, an American ship, the USS Maddox was attacked by North Vietnam in the Gulf of
Tonkin.
- President Lyndon Baines Johnson then started bombing North Vietnam. The Gulf of Tonkin
Resolution gave LBJ increased military powers to attack North Vietnam.
- Operation Rolling Thunder was the first sustained bombing of North Vietnam. This was no
longer a French War, it was now an American war.
The War Intensifies
- By 1965, LBJ had sent over 180,000 Americans to fight in the Vietnam War. The Vietcong
utilized their knowledge of the jungle and guerrilla warfare against the USA.
- America persistently bombed the area with napalm. Yet, this also killed civilians and created a
negative opinion of America’s strategy back in the USA.
- LBJ began to lose support for his social programs because of the unpopular war. Television
helped to diminish the popularity of the war as well; citizens could see how how devastating the
war was for all involved.
Americans Drafted to War
- The Selective Service System Draft was implemented to provide more soldiers in the Vietnam
War, ages 18 to 26. By 1967, there were over 500,000 Americans at war.
- Going to college also got one out of the draft.
- Therefore, lower class minorities constituted a large portion of the soldiers who were sent to
war. Many viewed this as discriminatory.
Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com
All Rights Reserved.
Page 4
Americans Protest Vietnam
- The nation was divided between Doves who supported ending the war and Hawks who wanted
to keep fighting until victory was achieved.
- Students for a Democratic Society organized many protest demonstrations and encouraged
others to dodge the draft and flee to Canada.
- The government changed the rules for the draft so that you needed good academic standing to
stay in college. People began burning their draft cards and refused to participate in the war.
The Tet Offensive
- In 1968, The Vietcong and North Vietnam launched The Tet Offensive. Tet, the Vietnam “New
Year’s Eve” was when this occurred.
- Over 100 areas were attacked and it took a month to push the Vietcong back. Over 30,000
Vietcong died and over 3,000 USA and South Vietnam Soldiers were killed.
- Johnson’s popularity fell dramatically and many more wanted the war to end.
The Close of the LBJ Era
- Johnson announced he would not run again for the presidency in 1968.
- On April 4th, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray. On June
5th,1968, Robert Kennedy, JFK’s younger brother, was assassinated by a Palestinian named
Sirhan. Robert Kennedy was campaigning for the Presidency when he was shot.
- While LBJ’s involvement in Vietnam was controversial, his social programs, such as Medicare
(government insurance for the elderly) and Medicaid (government insurance for the poor)
continue to today.
Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com
All Rights Reserved.