The Vietnam War Years30CHAPTER

Overview

Time Lines

Transparencies

Chapter Assessment

Moving Toward Conflict

U.S. Involvement and Escalation

A Nation Divided

1968: A Tumultuous Year

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The End of the War and Its LegacySECTION 5

THEMES IN CHAPTER 30

The Vietnam War Years30CHAPTER

Expanding Democracy

Constitutional Concerns

Civil Rights

“Vietnam is still with us. . . We paid an exorbitant price for the decisions that were made.”

Henry Kissinger, U.S. national security advisor under President Nixon

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Cultural Diversity

The Vietnam War Years30CHAPTER

What do you know?• What do you already know about the Vietnam War, especially its causes and effects both in Vietnam and America?Read the quote above and answer the following:• What might Kissinger have meant by an exorbitant price?

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“Vietnam is still with us. . . We paid an exorbitant price for the decisions that were made.”

Henry Kissinger, U.S. national security advisor under President Nixon

Time Line30CHAPTER

The United States

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1973 U.S. signs cease-fire with North Vietnam and Vietcong, ending U.S. involvement in Vietnam War.

1964 Congress passes Tonkin Gulf Resolution.1965 First U.S. ground troops arrive in Vietnam. U.S. troops quell uprising in Dominican Republic.1968 The Vietcong launch the Tet offensive. President Johnson announces he will not seek reelection.

1955 U.S. begins providing economic aid to South Vietnam.

1969 U.S. troops begin withdrawal from Vietnam.1970 Ohio National Guardsmen shoot and kill four students at Kent State University. President Nixon orders an invasion of Cambodia.

Time Line30CHAPTER

The World

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1972 Ferdinand Marcos declares martial law in the Philippines.

1970 Salvador Allende, a Marxist, is elected president of Chile.

1966 Mao Zedong begins Cultural Revolution in China.

1964 Palestine Liberation Organization forms in the Middle East.

1954 Vietminh defeat French at Dien Bien Phu.

1975 Saigon falls; South Vietnam surrenders to the Communists.

1957 The National Liberation Front, or Vietcong, forms in South Vietnam.1962 The African nation of Uganda becomes independent.

Moving Toward Conflict1

Learn Aboutthe early measures the United States took to stop the spread of communism in Vietnam.

To Understandhow America slowly became involved in a war in Vietnam.

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Moving Toward Conflict1 HOME

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Key Idea

America slowly involves itself in the war in Vietnam as it seeks to halt the spread of communism.

Moving Toward Conflict1

Section Assessment1

What was the Vietnam policy for Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson?

SUMMARIZING

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President Vietnam Policy

Truman

Eisenhower economic and military aid to South Vietnam

Kennedy economic and military aid to South Vietnam

Johnson stepped-up U.S. military involvement

economic aid to France

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Moving Toward Conflict1

Why do you think the Geneva Accords of 1954 failed to bring a lasting peace in Vietnam?

ANALYZING EFFECTS

Assessment1

• the provisions of the Geneva Accords• Ho Chi Minh’s and Ngo Dinh Diem’s goals• the role of the U.S. in Vietnam

THINK ABOUT

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Moving Toward Conflict1

Assessment1

Do you think Congress was justified in passing the Tonkin Gulf Resolution?

FORMING OPINIONS

• the report of torpedo boat attacks on two U.S. destroyers• the powers that the resolution would give the president• the fact that the resolution was not a declaration of war

THINK ABOUT

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U.S. Involvement and Escalation2

Learn Aboutthe reasons for U.S. escalation and the difficulty the United States encountered in fighting the Vietcong.

To Understandwhy the war lasted longer than expected and began to lose support at home.

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U.S. Involvement and Escalation2 HOME

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Key Idea

The United States sends troops to fight in Vietnam, but the war quickly turns into a stalemate.

U.S. Involvement and Escalation2

Section Assessment2

What key military tactics and weapons were used by the Vietcong and the Americans?

SUMMARIZING

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TACTICS:ambushes

hit-and-run attacks

VIETCONG

WEAPONS:booby trapsland mines

TACTICS:large-scale bombing

search-and-destroy missions

WEAPONS:napalm

Agent Orangebombers

U.S.

Military Tactics and Weapons

U.S. Involvement and Escalation2

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Evaluate the U.S. strategy for conducting the Vietnam War.EVALUATING

Assessment2

• the war of attrition• the battle for the “hearts and minds” of the South Vietnamese• the support for South Vietnamese leaders

THINK ABOUT

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U.S. Involvement and Escalation2

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What were the effects of the nightly TV coverage of the Vietnam War?

GENERALIZING

Assessment2

• television images of Americans in body bags• the Johnson administration’s credibility gap

THINK ABOUT

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A Nation Divided3

Learn Aboutthe growing antiwar movement in America.

To Understandhow the war sharply divided the American public.

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A Nation Divided3 HOME

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Key Idea

An antiwar movement emerges in the United States, pitting those who oppose the government’s war policy against those who support it.

Student Organizations

•Students for a Democratic Society•Free Speech Movement

Issues

•opposition to Vietnam War•abolition of college deferments•campus issues

Demonstrations

•march on Washington (April 1965)•protest rally in Washington (November 1965)•civil disobedience at Selective Service centers

A Nation Divided3

Section Assessment3

What were examples of student organizations, issues, and demonstrations of the New Left?

SUMMARIZING

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The New Left

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A Nation Divided3

What choices did war draftees make during the Vietnam era?MAKING DECISIONS

Assessment33

• university students• antiwar demonstrators• economically underprivileged whites and minorities

THINK ABOUT

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A Nation Divided3

Do you agree, as many did, that antiwar protests were “acts of disloyalty”? Why or why not?

FORMING OPINIONS

Assessment33

• why protestors staged antiwar demonstrations• comments that the protestors “didn’t really love this country”• the right to dissent in a democratic society

THINK ABOUT

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1968: A Tumultuous Year4

Learn Aboutthe Tet offensive, the assassination of two national leaders, and the rioting at the Democratic national Convention.

To Understandwhy 1968 stands out as the most explosive year of the 1960s.

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1968: A Tumultuous Year4 HOME

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Key Idea

A shocking enemy attack in Vietnam, two assassinations, and a chaotic political convention help make 1968 the most explosive year of the decade.

1968: A Tumultuous Year4

Section Assessment4

What major events occurred in 1968?SUMMARIZING

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JanuaryTet offensive.

MarchJohnson’s withdrawalfrom presidential race.

AprilKing’s assassination;urban riots.

JuneRobert Kennedy’s assassination.

AugustClash between police and protestors at Democratic National Convention.

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1968: A Tumultuous Year4

Why do you think the Tet offensive might be considered the turning point of the Vietnam War?

ANALYZING

Assessment4

• its effects on the Johnson administration’s credibility• its effects on public opinion• Johnson’s response to the split within the Democratic Party

THINK ABOUT

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1968: A Tumultuous Year4

Assessment4

Do you think there might have been a relationship between the violence of the Vietnam War and the growing climate of violence in the United States during 1968? Why or why not?

COMPARING AND CONTRASTING

• the heavy casualties during the month-long Tet offensive• peak U.S. involvement in Vietnam in 1968

THINK ABOUT

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The End of the War and Its Legacy5

Learn AboutPresident Richard Nixon’s Vietnamization policy and the end of the war.

To Understandhow the war had a lasting affect on America.

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The End of the War and Its Legacy5 HOME

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Key Idea

The nation’s longest war ends after nearly ten years and leaves a lasting impact on U.S. policy and American society.

The End of the War and Its Legacy5

Section Assessment5

What are some possible newspaper headlines that summarize the historical significance of each of the dates listed below?

SUMMARIZING

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Date Headline

Massacre at My Lai

Kent State Tragedy

Two Students Killed at Jackson State

December 31, 1970 Congress Repeals Tonkin Gulf Resolution

January 27, 1973 U.S. Signs Agreement to End Vietnam War

Last U.S. Combat Troops Leave VietnamMarch 29, 1973

Nixon Announces Invasion of Cambodia

March 16, 1968

April 30, 1970

May 4, 1970

May 14, 1970

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The End of the War and Its Legacy5

In your opinion, what was the effect of the U.S. government’s deception about its policies and military conduct in Vietnam?

SYNTHESIZING

Assessment5

• the release of information surrounding the My Lai massacre• the contents of the Pentagon Papers• Nixon’s secrecy in authorizing military maneuvers

THINK ABOUT

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The End of the War and Its Legacy5

Assessment5

How would you account for the cold homecoming American soldiers received when they returned from Vietnam?

DRAWING CONCLUSIONS

• how the Vietnam War ended• America’s divisiveness over its role in Vietnam• the media coverage of the My Lai massacre

THINK ABOUT

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Chapter 30 Assessment

1. How did the Tonkin Gulf Resolution lead to greater U.S. involvement in Vietnam?

2. What was President Eisenhower’s explanation of the domino theory?

3. Why did much of the American public and many in the Johnson administration support U.S. escalation in Vietnam?

4. Name three factors that contributed to the sinking morale among U.S. troops fighting in Vietnam.

5. What race-related problems existed for African American soldiers who served in the Vietnam War?

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Chapter 30 Assessment

6. What evidence was there that the country was sharply divided between hawks and doves?

7. What circumstances set the stage for President Johnson’s public announcement that he would not seek another term as president?

8. What acts of violence occurred in the United States during 1968 that dramatically altered the mood of the country?

9. Briefly describe the military conflict in Vietnam soon after the last U.S. combat troops departed in 1973.

10. What were the immediate effects and more lasting legacies of the Vietnam War within America?

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