Vocab: 1.Ho Chi Minh 2.Tet Offensive 3.Vietcong 4.Kent State Guiding Questions: 1. What was the war in Vietnam fought over? VIETNAM WAR

 France colonized Vietnam in the mid-1800s  Treated very poorly by the French  Ho Chi Minh started a nationalist movement to free the Vietnamese from the French  Was Communist  Ho Chi Minh started revolting against the French after WWII  Called themselves the “Vietminh”  Used guerrilla tactics similar to the tactics the Americans used against the British in the American Revolution BACKGROUND INFO

 America tried to help France by sending weapons and money  The French wanted the US to join the war effort but we wouldn’t (just got out of Korean War)  French signed a peace agreement which divided Vietnam  North: Communist (Ho Chi Minh leader)  South: French supported democracy (Ngoh Dinh Diem leader) FRANCE IS DEFEATED

 Both leaders were totalitarian and oppressive  Diem is assassinated by his own men  Ho Chi Minh wanted to unite Vietnam  His forces are now called Vietcong  US gives $$$ and weapons to the South  LBJ send first combat troops in Tonkin Gulf Resolution in March of 1965 CIVIL WAR

 Over 2.5 million Americans served in the Vietnam War  The draft was reinstituted  Very difficult war  Guerilla tactics  Very thick jungles (used Agent Orange to clear the jungles, but will have devastating effects on American soldiers health)  Vietcong had a vast tunnel system  Tet Offensive: Large scale attacks on South Vietnam by the Vietcong  Started with an attack on the US embassy in Saigon  The United States underestimated the power of the Vietcong  Nixon works to bring the troops in Vietnam home  US involvement in the war ended August  US had almost 60,000 causalities  Vietnam War ended in April 1975 US FORCES IN VIETNAM

 Media played a huge role in anti-war sentiment  First time people saw real combat  Massive protests are held to show anti-war sentiment  Many always dodged the draft (refusing to go to war, move to Canada or going to jail)  Kent State: University brought in National Guard, who fired on students killing 4 and injured 9 ANTI-WAR SENTIMENT