American Involvement in Vietnam: Causes and Consequences

1. 7 Splash Screen

2. Chapter Introduction Section 1:Going to War in Vietnam Section 2:Vietnam Divides the Nation Section 3:The War Winds Down Visual Summary Chapter Menu

3. Chapter Preview-End

4. Going to War in Vietnam What created the conflict in Vietnam and how did America become involved? Chapter Intro 1

5. American Involvement in Vietnam The Cold War policy of containment led the United States to become increasingly involved in events in Vietnam. Section 1

6. American Involvement in Vietnam(cont.) • One of the leaders of the nationalist movement in Vietnam for almost 30 years was Nguyen Tat Thanh—or Ho Chi Minh. • His proposal for an independent Vietnam after WWI was reject by the imperial states of Europe. • In the 1930’s , he found the Indochinese Communist Party to overthrow French rule. Section 1

7. American Involvement in Vietnam(cont.) • In 1941, Japan seized control of the country, and Ho Chi Minh organized a nationalist group called the Vietminh. • America sent aid to the Vietminh. • (US policy which is a predecessor to Osama Bin Laden????) Section 1

8. American Involvement in Vietnam(cont.) • When Japan surrendered to the Allies in 1945, it gave up control of Indochina; however, French troops returned to Vietnam in 1946. • The Vietminh fought back against the French-dominated regime and slowly gained control of large areas of the countryside. • France asked the United States for help. Section 1

9. American Involvement in Vietnam(cont.) • Two events convinced President Truman to help France: • The fall of China to communism • The outbreak of the Korean War Section 1

10. American Involvement in Vietnam(cont.) • President Eisenhower continued Truman’s policy and defended his decision with what became known as the domino theory—if Vietnam fell to communism, the rest of Southeast Asia would follow. • Despite help from the United States, guerrilla tactics used by the Vietminh consistently frustrated the French. Why Did Vietnam Matter to the United States? Section 1

11. American Involvement in Vietnam(cont.) • The French defeat at Dien Bien Phuconvinced the French to make peace and withdraw from Indochina. • The Geneva Accordsdivided Vietnam along the 17th parallel, with Ho Chi Minh and the Vietminh in control of North Vietnam and a pro-Western regime in control of the South. Vietnam, 1959 Section 1

12. American Involvement in Vietnam(cont.) • The U.S. became the principal protector of the new government in the South, led by a nationalist leader named Ngo Dinh Diem. Vietnam, 1959 Section 1

13. America Becomes Involved in Vietnam Political pressures in the United States led the nation to become deeply involved in the civil war in Vietnam. Section 1

14. America Becomes Involved in Vietnam(cont.) • Ho Chi Minh and the Communists began an armed struggle to reunify the nation after Ngo Dinh Diem refused to hold national elections. • They organized a new and powerful guerrilla army called the Vietcong. • Eisenhower sent hundreds of military advisers to train South Vietnam’s army, but Diem looked increasingly to the United States to keep South Vietnam from collapsing. Section 1

15. America Becomes Involved in Vietnam(cont.) • On taking office in 1961, President Kennedy continued the nation’s policy of support for South Vietnam. • The United States urged Diem to create a more democratic government and to introduce reforms to help Vietnam’s peasants. • Diem introduced some limited reforms, but they had little effect. • How bad was Diem rule???? Section 1

16. America Becomes Involved in Vietnam(cont.) • Several Vietnamese generals seized control of South Vietnam in November 1963, and executed Diem shortly thereafter. • His overthrow made matters worse and the United States became even more deeply involved. Section 1

17. America Becomes Involved in Vietnam(cont.) • On August 2, 1964, President Johnson announced that North Vietnamese torpedo boats had fired on two American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. • On August 7, 1964, the Senate and House passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, authorizing the president to “take all necessary measures … to prevent further aggression.” Section 1

18. America Becomes Involved in Vietnam(cont.) • After the resolution was passed, the Vietcong began to attack bases where American advisers were stationed in South Vietnam. • Less than 14 hours after the attack that killed 8 Americans and wounded more than 100, American aircraft bombed North Vietnam. • Most of the advisers who surrounded Johnson firmly believed the nation had a duty to halt communism in Vietnam. Section 1

19. America Becomes Involved in Vietnam(cont.) • In March 1965, Johnson expanded American involvement by beginning a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam. • The same month, he ordered the first combat troops into Vietnam. Section 1

20. A Bloody Stalemate The failure of United States forces to defeat the Vietcong and the deaths of thousands of American soldiers led many Americans to question the nation’s involvement in Vietnam. Section 1

21. A Bloody Stalemate(cont.) • To counter the Vietcong’s guerrilla tactics, American troops went on “search and destroy” missions. • To take away the Vietcong’s ability to hide, American forces literally destroyed the landscape by dropping napalmandAgent Orange. The Vietnam War, 1965–1973 Section 1

22. A Bloody Stalemate(cont.) • The guerrillas, however, had no intention of surrendering, and they were willing to accept huge losses to achieve their goals. • North Vietnam sent arms and supplies south by way of a network of jungle paths known as the Ho Chi Minh trail. The Ho Chi Minh Trail Section 1

23. A Bloody Stalemate(cont.) • One of the main reasons President Johnson refused to order a full-scale invasion of North Vietnam was his fear that such an attack would bring China into the war. • However, placing limits on the war made it hard to win. • American troops were forced to fight a war of attrition. Section 1

24. A B C D North Vietnam received military weapons and other support from which two countries? A.The Soviet Union and China B.Korea and Japan C.The Soviet Union and Japan D.Germany and Japan Section 1

25. Vietnam Divides the Nation How did Americans protest the war in Vietnam? Chapter Intro 2

26. A B C Is it acceptable for Americans to protest wars? A. Always B. Sometimes C. Never Section 2-Polling Question

27. An Antiwar Movement Emerges The Vietnam War produced sharp divisions between Americans who supported the war and those who did not, and the resulting political turmoil led President Johnson to decide not to run again for president. Section 2

28. An Antiwar Movement Emerges(cont.) • As the war dragged on, people became suspicious of the government’s truthfulness about Vietnam. • American commander in South Vietnam, General William Westmoreland, reported that the enemy was on the brink of defeat throughout the early years of the war. • However, media reports were less optimistic. Opposition to the Vietnam War Section 2

29. An Antiwar Movement Emerges(cont.) • In the view of many, a credibility gaphad developed. • Congress soon grew uncertain about the war as well. Opposition to the Vietnam War Section 2

30. An Antiwar Movement Emerges(cont.) • In March 1965, a group of faculty members and students who opposed the war at the University of Michigan abandoned their classes and joined together in a teach-in. • The gathering inspired teach-ins at many campuses. • Young protesters especially focused on what they saw as an unfair draft system. Opposition to the Vietnam War Section 2

31. An Antiwar Movement Emerges(cont.) • Young people from working-class families were more likely to be drafted and sent to Vietnam because they were unable to afford college (draft deferment). • The treatment of African Americans also came under scrutiny. • An estimated 500,000 draftees refused to go, and more than 3,300 Americans were prosecuted for refusing to serve. Opposition to the Vietnam War Section 2

32. An Antiwar Movement Emerges(cont.) • By 1968, the nation seemed to be divided into two camps: • Doves—thosewho disagreed with the war • Hawks—thosewho supported the war Opposition to the Vietnam War Section 2

33. A B C D Anger over the draft fueled discussions about changing the voting age to 18, which led to which amendment? A.First B.Fifth C.Fourteenth D.Twenty-sixth Section 2

34. 1968: The Pivotal Year The Tet Offensive increased doubt that the United States could win in Vietnam. Section 2

35. 1968: The Pivotal Year(cont.) • On January 30, 1968, during Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, the Vietcong and North Vietnamese launched a massive surprise attack. • In this Tet Offensive, guerrilla fighters attacked most American airbases in South Vietnam and most of the South’s major cities. • Although a strategic failure, the North Vietnamese had scored a major political victory. Section 2

36. 1968: The Pivotal Year(cont.) • Eugene McCarthy became the first dove to declare that he would challenge Johnson for the Democratic presidential nomination. • Senator Robert Kennedy also entered the race for the Democratic nomination. • Johnson announced he would not run again. Presidential Election of 1968 Section 2

37. 1968: The Pivotal Year(cont.) • Violent events of 1968: • In April, James Earl Ray was arrested for assassinating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. • Two months later, Robert Kennedy was gunned down. • A chaotic and well-publicized clash between antiwar protesters and police happened at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Section 2

38. A B C Who won the 1968 presidential election? A.Republican Richard Nixon B.Democrat Hubert Humphrey C.Independent George Wallace Section 2

39. The War Winds Down How did the war end and how did it affect Americans? Chapter Intro 3

40. A B Do you believe everything the government tells you? A. Yes B. No Section 3-Polling Question

41. Nixon Moves to End the War While unrest and suspicion of the government grew, the United States finally withdrew its troops from Vietnam. Section 3

42. Nixon Moves to End the War (cont.) • Nixon appointed Harvard professor Henry Kissingeras special assistant for national security affairs and gave him wide authority to use diplomacy to end the Vietnam War. • Kissinger embarked upon a policy he called linkage. • He also rekindled peace talks with the North Vietnamese. Section 3

43. Nixon Moves to End the War (cont.) • Nixon reduced the number of American troops in Vietnam, known as Vietnamization. • In late 1969, Americans learned that, in the spring of 1968, an American platoon under the command of Lieutenant William Calley had massacred unarmed South Vietnamese civilians, mostly old men, women, and children. U.S. Troops in Vietnam, 1964–1974 Section 3

44. Nixon Moves to End the War (cont.) • The actions of Calley convinced many that the war was brutal and senseless. • During protests against the invasion of Cambodia, Ohio National Guard soldiers killed four students at Kent State University in Ohio. • Ten days later, police killed two African American students during a demonstration at Jackson State College in Mississippi. Section 3

45. Nixon Moves to End the War (cont.) • In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg leaked what became known as the Pentagon Papersto the New York Times. • These papers confirmed that the government had not been honest with the public about the war in Vietnam. • Just weeks after Nixon was reelected, peace negotiations with North Vietnam and South Vietnam broke down. Section 3

46. Nixon Moves to End the War (cont.) • To force North Vietnam to resume negotiations, the Nixon administration began the most destructive air raids of the entire war, known as the “Christmas bombings.” • After 8 years of war, the warring sides signed a peace agreement on January 27, 1973. • Two years after the United States pulled its troops out of Vietnam, the North Vietnamese army launched a full-scale invasion of the South. Section 3

47. Nixon Moves to End the War (cont.) • Without American assistance, the North Vietnamese united Vietnam under Communist rule. Section 3

48. The Legacy of Vietnam The Vietnam War made a negative impact on the way in which Americans viewed international conflicts, as well as their own government. Section 3

49. The Legacy of Vietnam (cont.) • Approximately 58,000 young Americans died and more than 300,000 were injured in Vietnam. • Around 1 million North and South Vietnamese soldiers died, as did countless civilians. • Many soldiers found it hard to escape the war’s psychological impact. Section 3

50. The Legacy of Vietnam (cont.) • The war also remained unresolved for the American families whose relatives and friends were classified as prisoners of war (POWs) or missing in action (MIA). • In 1973, Congress passed the War Powers Actas a way to reestablish some limits on executive power. • Together with the Watergate scandal,Vietnam made Americans more wary of their leaders. The War Powers Act Section 3