The Vietnam War: Origins, Events, and Impact

1. Origins of the Vietnam War French Indochina War (1945-1954) The Vietnamese had been fighting against foreign rulers for a long time. Vietnam was a part of the French colony of Indochina prior to WWII. The Vietnamese never accepted French rule. After WWII the Vietnamese had expected the French to give them their independence. Ho Chi Minh formed the Indochina Communist Party (Viet Minh) to challenge French rule. The U.S. backed the French during this war. Ho Chi Minh Colonial Flag of French Indochina Viet Minh Flag

2. Geneva Peace Accords The division was only to be temporary until elections could be held. The United States and the South Vietnamese government were afraid that they would lose to Ho Chi Minh in the election so they postponed it. As a result, Vietnam remained separated into two countries. At this point a new group called the Viet Cong (South Vietnamese communist) was created to oppose Diem’s government. North Vietnam started to support the Viet Cong and their fight against the South. Origins of the Vietnam War 17th Parallel

3. America and the Vietnam War Geneva Peace Accords The Ho Chi Minh trail was a nickname for a series of trails that ran from North Vietnam to South Vietnam through the countries of Laos and Cambodia. The Geneva Accords forbid either side to cross the DMZ at the 17th parallel, so the North avoid breaking this rule by going around it. They were used by the Communists in the North to supply the Viet Cong in the South. Vietnamese carrying supplies on the Ho Chi Minh Trail

4. Origins of the Vietnam War Cuban Missile Crisis After the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy was reconsidering America’s involvement in Vietnam. He wanted to start scaling back the U.S.’s commitment to South Vietnam. After Kennedy’s death, President Johnson will start to increase American support for the Anti-communist in South Vietnam.

5. America and the Vietnam War Containment/ Domino Theory The U.S. saw communism spreading around the world after WWII. As more countries turned to communism the government’s plan to contain communism seemed to be not working. When the French asked the U.S. for help in their war against the communists in Vietnam the U.S. agreed to help with money and military equipment/training. Under President Eisenhower a new theory emerged called the Domino Theory. This was the idea that if one country in a region fell to communism so would the surround countries.

6. America and the Vietnam War Gulf of Tonkin Resolution The United States claimed that two U.S. Navy warships had been attacked by North Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin. President Lyndon Johnson used this as a reason to ask Congress to give him permission to use greater force in Vietnam. The Congress agreed, and by doing so essentially gave Johnson a “blank check” to fight the war any way he saw fit. This resolution led to an escalation in the number of U.S. forces in Vietnam. USS Maddox fires upon three North Vietnamese torpedo boats Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

7. America and the Vietnam War Tet Offensive America found itself fighting a guerrilla style of war. The jungle terrain of Vietnam was difficult to fight in for soldiers. Most U.S. soldiers were young and inexperienced. U.S. soldiers only served for a short time then went back home. They were going up against the Viet Cong and NVA (North Vietnamese Army) who were used to war. The local people did not support the U.S. U.S. Troops on patrol Viet Cong tunnel complex Viet Cong Soldier

8. America and the Vietnam War Tet Offensive On January 30, 1968, Communist forces launched an offensive on the Vietnamese holiday of Tet. The offensive was stopped, but afterwards public opinion in America started to turn against the war. Many Americans realized that the government reports stating that America was winning the war were not accurate. U.S. Marines advance past a tank during the battle for Hue

9. Vietnam Divides AmericaAnti-War Movement: Why some Americans opposed the Vietnam War Some Americans felt the U.S. had no business becoming involved in another country’s civil war, and that the fight methods used were immoral. Others thought the cost of the war was too high, and that the draft was unfair because it singled out the poor and minorities.

10. Vietnam Divides America Anti-War Movement: Hawks and Doves The war gave rise to the counter-culture movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Young people (Hippies) started to reject the middle- class lifestyle of their parents. The war further divided the country between those who supported the war, Hawks, and those opposed to it, Doves. Hawk=War Dove=Peace

11. Peace Agreement and the Legacy of the War: Peace with Honor Nixon’s administration developed a strategy to withdraw America from the Vietnam War. The basic idea was to turn the war over to South Vietnam (Vietnamization). The U.S. started to bomb and invade Cambodia as part of this new strategy, with the hope of weakening the Viet Cong before America’s withdrawal. This invasion touched off a series of anti-war protest, including the shootings at Kent State University

12. Peace Agreement and the Legacy of the War: Cease-fire in Vietnam January 27, 1973 the U.S. and South Vietnam signed a cease-fire agreement with the North Vietnam and the Viet Cong. It was agreed that the U.S. would withdraw all of its combat forces out of Vietnam.

13. Peace Agreement and the Legacy of the War: The war ends in 1975 with North Vietnam taking over South Vietnam. Vietnam was unified into one Communist controlled country. Saigon(Ho Chi Minh City), the capital of South Vietnam was the last non- Communist strong hold to fall to the Communists. The United States tried to evacuate as many South Vietnamese as possible before the Communists took the city. Vietnamese civilians boarding an America Helicopter during the fall of Saigon. Vietnam War Memorial, Washington DC

14. Peace Agreement and the Legacy of the War: After America’s involvement in Vietnam ends, Congress passes the War Powers Act (1973) limiting a President’s ability to use military force. The President has 48 hours to report to Congress any time they send soldiers into combat. The soldiers can’t stay longer than 90 days unless the president gets approval from Congress. 26th Amendment gave lowered the voting age to 18. The war cost over 1.5 million Vietnamese their lives and over 58,000 Americans are killed. Use of “Agent Orange” caused long term health problems for soldiers and the people of Vietnam