Vietnam War “When nothing is owed, deserved, or expected / And your life doesn’t change by the man’s that’s elected” --The Avett Brothers “I had a brother at Khe Sahn Fighting off the Viet Cong They're still there, he's all gone” --Bruce Springsteen

Geneva Accords - 1954 Stated that Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam would become independent countries North and South Vietnam would be reunited with an election. Ho Chi Minh-leader of the North; Communist Ngo Dinh Diem- Leader of the south; non Communist

JFK During JFK’s presidency the U.S. began Gradual Escalation (build up of military personnel and involvement in Vietnam)

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution American ships off the coast of North Vietnam were fired upon by Ho Chi Minh’s forces Congress passed Tonkin Resolution, essentially meant President Johnson did not need Congress’ approval for war

General Westmoreland General in command in Vietnam in June 1964 Increased the number of U.S. forces involved

Fighting the War Operation Rolling Thunder –bombing raids of North Vietnam Napalm – jellied gasoline that explodes on contact Agent Orange – chemical that stripped leaves from trees revealing the ground beneath

Vietcong Vietcong – a private guerilla army that supported North Vietnam but had its home base in the South Ho Chi Minh Trail – trail that passed through Cambodia and Laos; used to funnel supplies to Vietcong in the South

Tet Offensive Offensive attack against the US and South Vietnam by the North People shocked because Johnson had been telling the American people that the North was losing strength

Mai Lai Mai Lai (1968) – event that shocked the nation when U.S. troops massacred 347 Vietnam civilians in a small village Johnson decides not to run again after the war had gotten worse

Richard Nixon Wins the election of 1968 Nixon pledged to bring the war to a honorable end. This was due to many anti-war protests across the country

Kent State Massacre After the U.S. began invading Cambodia to take out Vietcong bases, millions of college students across US protested National Guard was called to Kent State University to break up a demonstration Killed 4 students

Dishonest Government Pentagon Papers: published by the NY Times Showed that the American public was kept in the dark about many of the events in Vietnam

Vietnamization- Policy by Nixon to slowly remove troops and hand the war over to the South Vietnamese Paris Peace Accords- ended the war between U.S. and North Vietnam 1975 – North and South Vietnam reunite under communism

Effects of the War Veterans returning from Vietnam were discriminated against for their involvement Many Americans did not trust the government War Powers Act- required the President to inform Congress within 48 hours of sending troops into hostile locations