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Warm up #71 3.25.2014

Warm up #71 3.25.2014. Who should be exempt from the draft? Should people who believe the war is wrong be forced to fight? Should people with special skills be exempt? How can a draft be made fair?. The Vietnam War. 1959 – 1975. History of Vietnam.

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Warm up #71 3.25.2014

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  1. Warm up #713.25.2014 • Who should be exempt from the draft? • Should people who believe the war is wrong be forced to fight? • Should people with special skills be exempt? • How can a draft be made fair?

  2. The Vietnam War 1959 – 1975

  3. History of Vietnam • Indochina – controlled by French since the mid 19th century • Sought independence during early 1900s

  4. History (cont) • Ho Chi Minh led nationalist movement in Vietnam • Formed the Indochinese Communist Party in 1930 • Tried to overthrow the French • Was exiled to the Soviet Union & China

  5. History (cont) • Japan controlled Vietnam when Ho Chi Minh returned in 1941 • Organized Vietminh to force the Japanese out

  6. History (cont) • After WWII, Ho Chi Minh declared independence • France tried to regain control • Asked for U.S. help • U.S. agreed because it did not want another communist nation

  7. Roots of the Conflict • Domino Theory – if Vietnam fell to communism, other nations in Southeast Asia would do the same

  8. Roots (cont) • Vietminh used guerrilla tactics, irregular troops who blend with civilians against French • Difficult to find/fight • Use hit-and-run & ambush tactics

  9. Roots (cont) • North Vietnam – controlled by Ho Chi Minh (communist) • South Vietnam – pro-Western (democratic)

  10. Roots (cont) • Ngo Dinh Diem, leader of the South • Pro-Westerner and anti-Communist • Corrupt Government • Did not want elections

  11. Roots (cont) • Ho Chi Minh forms the Vietcong – new guerrilla army with the goal of unifying Vietnam • Vietcong grew in power

  12. Roots (cont) • Diem assassinated in CIA supported coup d’état– violent overthrow by a small group • 10 different leaders over next 20 months

  13. Roots (cont) • August 2, 1964, Johnson announced N. Vietnamese torpedo boats fired on two American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin • Similar event occurred 2 days later • Congress passed Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which authorized LBJ to use any force necessary

  14. Full-Scale War (cont) • To burn away the jungle and expose the Vietcong, Americans dropped napalm and Agent Orange – a chemical that strips away leaves and shrubs

  15. Agent Orange

  16. http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/cu-chi-tunnels

  17. Full-Scale War (cont) • Fearing China would get involved, LBJ refused to order full-scale invasion of N. Vietnam • Also refused to attack the Vietcong supply line, known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail • Traveled through Laos & Cambodia

  18. Full-Scale War (cont) • At first, many Americans supported the Vietnam War • As the war dragged on, support decreased • Difficult to believe what LBJ admin said about the war • Credibility gap

  19. Full-Scale War (cont) • January 1968, during the Vietnamese New Year, the Vietcong launched a surprise attack known as the Tet offensive • Military disaster for the Communists, but a political victory • LBJ’s approval ratings plummeted

  20. Opposition to the War • College students began to protest the war • Many believed the draft system was unfair & biased against poor & minorities

  21. Hawks & Doves

  22. Opposition (cont) • 1968 - LBJ announced he would not run for reelection • Robert Kennedy entered the race as a “dove” candidate • That year both Kennedy and MLK are assassinated • Violence erupts at the Democratic National Convention

  23. Opposition (cont) • Republican Richard Nixonpromised to regain order and end the war in Vietnam

  24. Election of 1968

  25. The End of the War • Henry Kissinger was Nixon’s National Security Advisory • His job was to find a way to end the war with Vietnam • Linkage – Kissinger’s policy to improve relations with China & the Soviet Union

  26. End of War (cont) • Nixon began Vietnamization– gradual withdrawal of American troops, allowing S. Vietnam to assume more of the fighting • Peace negotiations were started • Nixon continued air strikes on N. Vietnam

  27. End of War (cont) • 1969 – Americans learned of the My Lai massacre, 200 Vietnamese women and children were killed by an American platoon

  28. End of War (cont) • May 1970 – 4 Kent State students killed by National Guard while protesting the invasion of Cambodia

  29. End of War (cont) • Pentagon Papers were leaked by a former Defense Department worker • Govt officials privately questioned the war • The public had been deceived about Vietnam

  30. End of War (cont) • Nixon wins re-election with news of a peace treaty • Peace talks end • Operation Rolling Thunder– new bombing campaign • 1973 – both sides agree to end the war and restore peace

  31. End of War (cont) • March 1975, N. Vietnamese launched invasion of the South • Congress refused to send aid to S. Vietnam • April 30, Saigon is captured and renamed Ho Chi Minh City

  32. The Legacy of Vietnam • War cost over $170 billion • 58,000 deaths • Many returning soldiers faced psychological problems • POWs and MIAs • 26th Amendment– Lowered voting age to 18

  33. The War Powers Act

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