1. VIETNAM

3. VIETNAM WAR 1955 - 1975 Vietnam is a French colony (since the 1800s) Ho Chi Minh used nationalism to fight for independence 1945 succeeds & creates Communist North Vietnam US sees this as a threat during the Cold War = containment

4. Where is Vietnam?

5. Vietnam War 1955 - 1975 1955 US backed Ngo Dinh Diem, of S. Vietnam Harsh, Catholic, US educated leader in a Buddhist country 1963 Diem is assassinated, JFK shortly after Viet Cong in S. Vietnam fought foreign influence (‘Charlie’) US escalation 1964 – 1968 (Johnson) 1973 last US soldiers leave 1975 S. Vietnam falls to Communist N. Vietnam

6. Why did we go to War? Cold War Containment Domino Theory

7. Why were there protests? Lies & Atrocities Pentagon Papers – Gov’t lied My Lai Massacre Media & Deaths of US soldiers Draft & Conscientious Objectors

8. Kent State Massacre

9. “With all the arguments and discussions about the Vietnam War, what did the visual image do? It ended the war” – Cornell Capa Children fleeing a napalm attack, 6/8/1972

10. Who won, who lost? “We are the unwilling working for the unqualified to do the unnecessary for the ungrateful.” – Kit Bowen, First Infantry Division, Oregon

11. Why did the US leave? Possible explanations: We underestimated the N. Vietnamese We could not disrupt the supply line (Ho Chi Minh Trail) We could not shut down the tunnel system Goals were not clear We didn’t fully understand the culture Political difficulties & protests at home We won the battles, but stopped fighting We left to let the S. Vietnamese fight their war We used guns and bombs to try to win hearts and minds

12. Viet Cong tunneling