Modern U.S. History The Vietnam War Chapter 19-1

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Modern U.S. HistoryThe Vietnam WarChapter 19-1

• A. Colonial Vietnam
• - Take Cornell Notes as you read this section.
  You should read the section and take notes on the
  right side of your paper. On the left side you
  should write 4-5 questions that answer the notes
  you have taken on the right. You should take
  notes on the main ideas that are most significant
• B. Vietnam after World War II
• - Create a time-line of the major events that
  occurred in Vietnam after World War II. You
  should list each event, its year, and describe
  the significance of the event.
• C. Increasing U.S. Involvement
• - Imagine you are a reporter covering the
  events going on in Vietnam. Create the dialogue
  of an interview you would conduct as a field
  reporter. Make sure you discuss each of the
  following
• 1. The sending of military advisors to Vietnam
• 2. Diems Overthrow
• 3. Gulf of Tonkin Incident and Resolution
• D. Turn to page 603 in your book. Write a
  paragraph which completes the activity described
  for number 6.
• Any work not finished should be completed for
  homework.

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The Vietnam WarChapter 19-1Lesson 1
Background to the Vietnam War

• Activity 1 Class Notes

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Activity 1

• Overview of the War
• - longest war in American History
• - only war the U.S. has lost
• - Vietnam war exposed the limits of our
  countrys power
• - U.S. entered the war to prevent the spread of
  communism in Southeast Asia
• - U.S. supported the government of South
  Vietnam against the Communist government of
  North Vietnam
• - war became unpopular at home, U.S. withdrew
  its troops Vietnam in 1973
• Costs of the War
• - 57,000 Americans and 4 million Vietnamese
  were killed
• - 1982, U.S. government unveiled a monument
  that honored those who had died

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• History of Foreign Influence in Vietnam
• - During 1800s France and England competed with
  each other to control the Far East
• - France gained control of Southeast Asia known
  as Indochina (present day Cambodia, Laos, and
  Vietnam)
• Establishment of the Viet Minh
• - Viet Minh was a resistance force established
  by a leader named Ho Chi Minh to fight Japan
  during World War II and the French after the war
• - Vietminh main objective was to overthrow
  French rule
• - Ho Chi Minh becomes very popular and declares
  Vietnam independent after World War II
• - France disagrees and war breaks out in 1946
• - U.S. decides to support France because of our
  WWII alliance and determination to stop the
  spread of communism

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• French Defeat
• - Viet Minh defeat the French in 1954 at the
  battle of Dien Bien Phu
• - French agree to leave and Vietnam is split
  into North and South
• - Geneva Accords (temporarily divided 17th
  parallel)
• - plans agreed upon said that country would be
  unified by elections in 2 years
• - U.S. never fully supported elections.
  Feared Ho Chi Minh and communists would win

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• U.S. Intervention Begins
• - President Eisenhower compared Vietnam to a
• row of dominoes
• - If one falls to communism, the others will
  fall one right after the other
• - U.S. supports the leader of South Vietnam
  named Diem
• - Ironically, Diems rule was not very
  democratic and many in the South came to hate
  him (no elections, religious persecution)
• - National Liberation Front created to fight
  Diems
• government
• - Vietcong created to fight for the NLF
  (supported by North Vietnam)
• - Eisenhower sends more aid and advisors to
  South Vietnam - JFK sends 1,000 military
  advisors to South Vietnam in November 1961
• - By 1963, 16,000 military personnel were
  stationed in Vietnam

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• Activity 2 Turn to page 602 in your book.
  Write down the five causes of the Vietnam War
  under activity 2. Then, pick the two that you
  feel were most responsible for the war and
  explain why using many examples.

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The Vietnam WarChapter 19 Section 2

• Lesson 2 Escalation of the Vietnam War
• Activity 1 Notes over handout

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Did not take notes / Discussed

• 1. Johnson takes over for JFK
• - Johnson privately thought Vietnam was a mess
  that wasnt worth fighting for
• - felt great pressure to win the fight, did not
  want to appear weak
• Gulf of Tonkin Incident
• - officially pulled the U.S. into the Vietnam
  War
• - U.S. planned to eventually attack North by air
  and sea
• - to prepare, they conducted covert operations
  in the Gulf
• of Tonkin (to see level of defenses)
• - communist boats clash with U.S. here
• - Johnson takes a war resolution to Congress
  that would allow him to take all necessary
  measures to defend any nation in Southeast
  Asia threatened by communism

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• Johnson Escalates the War
• - regular bombing raids begin in 1965
• - later that year first combat troops arrive
• - By Dec 1965 there were nearly 200,000 troops
• - By end of 1967, America had 500,000 troops in
  Vietnam

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Activity 2 Letter, Rapp, or

• Imagine you are a soldier who is fighting in
  Vietnam. Write a one-page letter back to a
  family member or friend which describes what the
  war is like for you. Or, one page rapp or news
  broadcast
• 1. Fighting environment
• 2. Enemy tactics / Challenges to success
• 3. Troop Morale / Commitment to the cause

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Activity 3 (Did not do)

• With your partner do the following
• Create two Top 5 lists below
• Top 5 Challenges Top 5 solutions in
• Faced by soldiers your opinion
• and why
• Challenge Reason Solution
• 1. 1.
• 2. 2.
• 3. 3.
• 4. 4.
• 5. 5.

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The Vietnam WarChapter 19 Section 2Lesson 3
On the Vietnam Battlefield

• Activity 1 Use the sections The Air War and
  The Ground War on pg 604-607 to do the
  following. Create a chart which identifies the
  problems or difficulties faced by the U.S.
  soldiers and the strategies or solutions used by
  the U.S. to respond to those challenges. Each
  U.S. tactic or strategies should be explained in
  detail.
• Problem/Challenge U.S. Strategy/Solution
• Challenge Reason Solution
• (Explain each of above in sentences)

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• 1. enemy strength
• - Operation Rolling Thunder-bombing campaign
  aimed at army bases, airfields,
• Bridges, roads, railways, power plants
• Ho Chi Minh trail
• 2. Lack of visibility- Agent Orange was used to
  kill vegetation and exposed thick areas of the
  jungle. Napalm was used to destroy farms and
  forests,
• - Carpet bombing destroyed large areas with not
  specific target
• - By late 1968 more than 1 million tons of bombs
  had been dropped

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• 3. Guerrilla tactics-
• - search and destroy missions to drive enemy
  forces out of their hideouts, air strikes
  followed by ground forces
• 4. South Vietnamese against U.S.
• - pacification- win the hearts and minds of the
  South Vietnamese people-included construction
  projects, moving villages to safe camps and given
  food and housing
• 5. How to measure success?
• - success was measured in body counts

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Activity 2

• Use pg 608 under the section U.S. Forces
  Mobilize to explain how the draft worked.
• Then, discuss your opinion on whether or not you
  think we should have required military service or
  a draft today in our country.

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• Drafted soldiers became needed as the war
  continued
• - 25 percent of the young men registered were
  excused for health reasons
• - Another 30 percent received deferments or
  postponements of service if they were in college
• Higher-income families were less likely to serve
  in Vietnam
• In 1969 the government ended many deferments and
  implemented a lottery system based on birthdates.
• 1973 the draft ended
• 3 percent of eligible young men escaped the draft
  by refusing to register or leaving the U.S.
  Thousands went to Canada to avoid being sent to
  Vietnam

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Activity 3

• Read the Document-Based Investigation on pg
  628-629 and complete questions 1-4 (A and B) in
  your notebook.

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The Vietnam War Ch 19

• Lesson 4 Perspectives on the Vietnam War
• Activity 1 Group Notes and 5 Main points about
  your positions or opinions on the war..for the
  debate
• Activity 2 8-10 Specific questions about an
  event/battle/issue that you would like to ask
  another group on the panel to answer.

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Activity 2 LBJs Road to War

• As we watch the program, take notes using the
  following
• Notes on the decisions, Your groups
• Issues, dilemmas faced Perspective
• By Johnson on issues

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Activity 3

• Write an opening statement that you will read to
  open our debate/discussion. This statement
  should be a summary of the main points you wish
  to communicate about how your group has been
  impacted by the Vietnam War.

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The Vietnam WarChapter 19 Section 3 4

• Lesson 5 The War Under Nixon
• Political cartoons usually show someones opinion
  on a certain political issue by
• 1. Exaggeration of a situation
  (Caricature)
• 2. Showing how a person or a group
• might say one thing and do another (Irony)
• 3. Using humor to praise someone when you
  really are criticizing them for what they are
  doing (Satire)

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Lesson 5 The War Under Nixon

• Read about each of the below topics in section 3
  and 4 and take some basic bullet points notes
  about each. Then, create two political cartoons
  which illustrates a particular point of view on
  that issue. One from the U.S. government
  viewpoint and the other from North Vietnamese
  governments viewpoint Possible issues you could
  choose include
• 1. War Protests
• 2. The Tet Offensive
• 3. Johnsons resignation
• 4. Nixons Peace With Honor
  (Vietnamization)
• 5. The Widening of the War (Attack on
  Cambodia)
• 6. Violent Protests at Kent State University
• 7. The Pentagon Papers
• 8. The Election of 1972 (McGovern vs
  Nixon)
• 9. The End of the War (Paris Peace
  Accords
• 10. Consequences of War (Trouble in
  Southeast Asia)

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• Creating a Visual Metaphor Representing the Role
  of the United States in the Vietnam War.doc