The Vietnam Conflict

1955-1975
Most American-involved fighting was
during the 1960’s and 1970’s
 Vietnam Map – MAKE IT NICE!
PAGE 59 IN RED ATLAS
1. Label and color North and South Vietnam.
2. Label and color China, Laos, and Cambodia.
Please do not color Thailand or Burma
3. Label the demilitarized zone between North
and South Vietnam
4. Label the cities of Hanoi and Saigon (now
called “Ho Chi Minh City”)
5. Label the Gulf of Tonkin (dark color)
6. Draw the Ho Chi Minh Trail
7. Put in notebook – behind Civil Rights Notes
 Background on Vietnam
• Vietnam is a small country in southeast
Asia. In the 1800’s, rich European countries
were expanding their empires by taking land
around the world. France took the area
where Vietnam is located, and named it
“French Indochina”
• It was taken by the Japanese during WW2
• After WW2, France got it back, but the
natives resisted French rule. (think Philippines
after Spanish American War, 1899-1941)
 Events leading to the Vietnam War
• 1917: Russia becomes communist after the
Bolshevik Revolution
• 1945: Stalin spreads communism to eastern
Europe
• 1949: China becomes communist
• 1950-1953: Korean War to stop communist
invasion
• 1955: with China’s support, North Vietnamese
(communist) begin attacking South Vietnam.
• In the 1950’s, a power struggle took place in
Vietnam; Imperialist Influence (US, France)
vs. Communism (mostly China and Russia)
• The “Domino Theory”, added with the
Truman Doctrine (Ideology) of 1948, and
containment, said the U.S. would fight to
stop the spread of communism.
• Ho Chi Minh: Communist leader of Vietnam
“liberation” movement
– After America fled Vietnam in 1975, the
city of Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City

• Viet Cong: secret communist army in south

Vietnam. Many were guerilla (non-traditional)
fighters, that wore civilian clothes.
• Gulf of Tonkin incident
In 1964, a U.S. navy ship reportedly had a battle with
North Vietnamese ships off the coast of Vietnam.
President Johnson used this incident to persuade
Congress to give him full military power in Vietnam,
without Congress declaring war!
LBJ
• Escalated fighting in Vietnam
• Credibility gap: American citizens doubted that Johnson
was being honest (think Gulf of Tonkin incident)
• Anti-war movement brings out thousands of protestors
(called “doves”), including hippies and college students
LBJ
• Very unpopular bc of Vietnam, and refused to seek reelection
in 1968
• After retiring, he worried that people would only focus on
Vietnam and not give him credit for important civil rights
laws.
• Died from a heart attack in Texas in 1973. He was 64.
 Doves & Hawks
• Included hippies & college students
• Opposed sending more troops to
Vietnam
• Said that sending more troops
would be dangerous and deadly
• Would cost too much & would
jeopardize “Great Society”
programs
• Vietnam’s value was insignificant &
we should focus on more
important places
• Sending more troops could bring
China and Soviet Union into the
war….and we aren’t ready for that
war!
• Supported further involvement
of America in Vietnam
• If Vietnam fell to communism, it
would trigger collapse of other
countries in area (Domino)
• Against appeasement (giving
communist North Vietnam what
they wanted) – didn’t work with
Hitler, it won’t work here
• US needed to maintain
credibility with allies – so other
countries know we will stand by
them in crisis
• LBJ should not be seen at “soft
on communism”
The Draft -
• Also called conscription and selective service
• In 1969, the military needed more soldiers to fight in
Vietnam and reinstated the draft, called “selective service.”
• The draft lasted 4 years, until 1973.
Tet Offensive
• January 1968: During a 2-day ceasefire (for Vietnamese
New Year), communist North Vietnamese launched
surprise attacks on the US and South Vietnamese forces.
• US caught by surprise, but victorious in battle.
• War Powers Act (1973)
By 1973, Congress realized there should be stricter limits
on presidents’ war decisions, and long-term choices
must have Congressional approval.
Nixon
• Richard Nixon became President after LBJ
• Vietnamization: Nixon’s plan for training South
Vietnamese so they could take over all of the fighting
• Nixon was angry with the media (TV, magazines,
newspapers) for turning Americans against the war.
• Nixon said most people supported him, and they were
the silent majority because they did not speak out like
the protestors did.
Tinker v. Des Moines Supreme Court Case
• Said students had the right to wear anti-war
armbands to school, in protest of the war.
• Protected under 1st Amendment; freedom of speech.
Fall of Saigon
• The withdrawal of the US military from Vietnam came to
an end on April 30, 1975
• The last Americans flew out of Saigon, and the North
Vietnamese communists captured the city, and made the
entire country communist.
• Over 100,000 Vietnamese refugees were allowed to
escape to the USA
 Vietnam and Public Opinion

-In the late 60s and early 70s, many in America

held to a negative view of the government,
especially toward the actions in Vietnam.

-President Lyndon Johnson even refused to run

again in 1968, partially due to the unpopularity of
the Vietnam War and his desire to focus on the
war effort instead of campaigning.

-Richard Nixon inherited the conflict and also had

to deal with the negative view of government
present in the American culture of the era. .
25th Amendment (1967)
• Guidelines for proper succession of a President during a term
(for resignation, removal, or death)

26th Amendment (1971)

• Voting age changed to 18 from 21. Many Vietnam draftees
(18, 19, 20 yrs) felt they had no say in government, and were
dying for the country.

27th Amendment (1992) Last Amendment… What’s next?

• Congress may not give itself a raise during a current session.
• EPA: Environmental Protection Agency (1970)
– Regulates pollution (factories, cars, homes) to
protect people and the environment
• Endangered Species Act (1973)
– Tries to protect plant and animal species from
extinction
• President Richard Nixon worked to normalize
relations with communist China and Russia, called
“detente”
– In 1972, Nixon was the first President to ever visit
China
• Vietnam conflict was still going on. Why was Nixon’s visit
important?
• What if Nixon had continued on a path of trade restrictions:
high tariffs, embargos, etc.?
 Nixon’s Illegal Activity

-Nixon, a Republican, entrusted himself to a few close advisors.

H.R. Haldeman (Chief of Staff), John Ehrlichman (Domestic
Advisor), John Deal (Presidential Counsel), and John Mitchell
(Attorney General) were some of his closest consultants.

-Nixon was frustrated with the various negotiations that were

needed to deal with the Congress that was dominated by
Democrats.

-Nixon wanted to get the upper hand on their plans. He

allowed mean to break the law by illegally attempting to spy
on those Nixon believed were in the conspiracy against him.
 The Watergate Break In
-Since the 1960s, Nixon possessed massive paranoia toward
his political rivals, due to losing to JFK. Nixon was frantic to
make sure he stayed ahead politically.

-In June of 1972, five men were caught breaking in to the

Democratic National Committee headquarters @ the
Watergate Hotel. These men were trying to copy files and
plant “bugs” that could record future conversations in the
office.

-James McCord, one of the intruders, was a former CIA

agent and helped with the Committee to Reelect the
President (CRP). H.R. Haldeman and others began to
destroy documents that linked Nixon to the break in.
 The Cover Up Begins
-The Committee to Reelect the President (CRP) illegally
used campaign money to pay the intruders to keep them
quiet about asserting Nixon knew of their tactics.

- The Washington Post followed the story. Two reporters,

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, covered the events.
Despite the story, Nixon won the 1972 Election and
defeated Democrat, George S. McGovern.

-A Senate investigation commenced. Nixon tried to fire

Haldeman and claimed the Watergate intruders acted
outside of his orders. Nixon then went on television and
denied that he knew about the break in.
 Nixon and the Break in at Watergate
-John Dean admitted the president knew of the break in at
Watergate. He also confessed that Nixon had
conversations with him about how to cover up the scandal.

-Afterward, it was revealed that the paranoid President

had taped various meetings on various matters, including
his illegal political strategies.

-In what was called the Saturday Night Massacre, Nixon

was ordered to give up the tapes by the Supreme Court,
but he refused. Congress began to consider impeaching
Nixon.
Woodward and Bernstein, the Washington Post
reporters that covered the Watergate Scandal.
 The Fall of Richard Nixon
-In 1974, Nixon said he would release the tapes, if they
could be edited; the Supreme Court ruled they had to be
released without editing.

-On August 8th, 1974, before Congress could impeach him,

Nixon resigned as President. Gerald Ford, Nixon’s Vice
President, became President of the USA.

-Many went to jail over Watergate. Yet, Ford pardoned

Nixon of all crimes. Ford said a trial of the President would
just damage the nation more and that he wanted to end
the Watergate scandal once and for all so the nation could
move on.
• Watergate Scandal
– June 1972, burglars broke into Democratic headquarters
at the Watergate Hotel to steal secrets
– November 1972, Nixon re-elected President (Republican)
– FBI learns that Nixon has tape recordings in the White
House, which prove Nixon knew about the crime and
tried to cover it up (obstruct justice)
– August 1974, Nixon was the only President to resign
– The next month, President Gerald Ford issued a full
pardon for Nixon. Many Americans were angry.
The Watergate Complex
Though many went to jail for Watergate and other related scandals,
Nixon was pardoned by President Gerald Ford, who was his Vice
President while Nixon was in office.
Early Environmental Movement
• Author, Rachel Carson wrote the book “Silent Spring”
(1962), describing the damage that pesticides were
doing to the environment, especially killing birds.

– In 1972 the pesticide DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) was

banned in the USA
Trade Policies
• OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)

OPEC has 12 member

countries. They supply the
majority of the world’s oil.
When they reduce their
production, price goes up.
 NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement )
1994 - present day
Encourages trade between USA, Mexico, and
Canada by eliminating tariffs.
How do you think other countries feel about it?