Vietnam War: Unit Goals

By the end of this unit, you should be able to:1) Identify the causes of the Vietnam War.

2) Compare and contrast the Vietnam War with other wars the U.S. has been in.

3) Explain the challenges that the U.S. faced in Vietnam.

4) Describe how Americans at home reacted to the Vietnam War.

Huynh Cong "Nick" Ut, June 8, 1972

What is the history of Vietnam?

When and why did the U.S. first get involved in Vietnam?

Eisenhower

“You have a row of dominoes; you knock over the first one and what will happen to the last one is that it will go over very quickly.” (1954)

What was President Kennedy’s role in Vietnam?

∙ believed in the domino theory

∙ sent 18,000 additional advisors to assist the South Vietnamese army

President Lyndon B. Johnson

“We are not about to send American boys 9 or 10,000 miles away from home to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves.”

Did Johnson hold true to this promise?

Gulf of Tonkin Incident

What was the “typical” American soldier like?

Average age: 19

3 million+ Americans served

Disproportionate numbers of poor and minorities served

Second-highest casualty rate in an American war

1965 – 180,000 troops

1966 – 400,000 troops

1967 – 500,000+ troops

How was fighting in the Vietnam War unlike conventional wars?

BATTLEFIELDS OF JUNGLES & RICE PADDIES

How was fighting in the Vietnam War unlike conventional wars?

THE VIETCONG – INDISTINGUISHABLE ENEMY

How was fighting in the Vietnam War unlike conventional wars?

REQUIRED UNCONVENTIONAL TECHNIQUES FOR HIDDEN ENEMY

How was fighting in the Vietnam War unlike conventional wars?

HIGH CIVILIAN CASUALTIES

Biggest challenge the U.S. faced in Vietnam?

We had a basic misunderstanding of what the war was really about.

We thought the war was about fighting COMMUNISM, but from the Vietnamese

point of view, it was a war based on NATIONALISM.