Vietnam War

Vietnam War  The war was between North and South Vietnam  U.S. and South Vietnam were allies  The purpose of the war was to stop Communist from spreading.  North Vietnam= Communist  South Vietnam=Democracy  The U.S wanted to prevent the spread of Communist taking over South Vietnam.  The U.S wanted to spread Democracy  The U.S was involved from  This was the last war were men were drafted.  If their number was pulled and they refused to go to war then would go to jail.

Communism  Communism is when the government owns the means of production and distribute goods to people as they saw fit.  (it is a movement to create a classless, moneyless, and stateless social order structured upon common ownership of the means of production, as well as a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of this social order)

The Effects  The Vietnam War was the longest and most unpopular war in American history. During the war:  The war took the lives of 58,000 American soldiers.  365,000 were wounded  75,000 were severely disabled.  The United States spent over $200 billion dollars on the war.  Hundreds were held as prisoner by the North Vietnamese  Many soldiers returned home with both physical and psychological scars

Anti-War Sentiments  As the death toll rised and Americans soldiers continued to leave for war, Southeast Asia, the Johnson administration was met with the full weight of American anti-war sentiments.

Anti-War Protests Protests erupted on college campuses and in major cities at first, but by 1968 every corner of the country seemed to have felt the war's impact.

1968 Democratic Convention  One of the most famous incidents in the anti-war movement was the police riot in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.  Hundreds of thousands of people came to Chicago in August 1968 to protest American intervention in Vietnam.

Kent State  When President Richard Nixon announced the American invasion of Cambodia in a television address on April , students across America began protesting.  At Kent State in Ohio, four students were killed by National Guardsmen who were called out to preserve order on campus after days of anti-Nixon protest.

Jackson State  During the protest Americans spat and throw things at the National Guard.  Students at Jackson State in Mississippi were also shot and killed for political reasons, prompting one mother to cry, "They are killing our babies in Vietnam and in our own backyard."

Vietnam War  The American people took the Vietnam War out on the soldiers  If a soldier said they fought in Vietnam they were considered outcast.  This was the first war were soldiers did not have a parade when they came home.  American lost the Vietnam War  /user/universalclass?v=l TOHvSkWVBw&feature= pyv&ad= &k w=vietnam%20war%20f ootage (2:20) /user/universalclass?v=l TOHvSkWVBw&feature= pyv&ad= &k w=vietnam%20war%20f ootage  /watch?v=xNUDwA4SvYo /watch?v=xNUDwA4SvYo

At first, most Americans supported the war. But by 1970, the Peace Movement had support from all parts of society and no government could ignore it.

The War in America  The Vietnam War had a major impact on everyday life in America, and the Johnson administration was forced to consider domestic consequences of its decisions daily.  Since there were not enough volunteers to continue to fight a protracted war, the government instituted a draft.

5.After 1969, there were deep questions about the efficiency of US troops. There was a serious drug problem; desertion rates were high and morale low. Many troops were “time-servers,” i.e., counted the days until the tour was over.

Campus Protests & Shootings  The intense bombing campaigns and intervention in Cambodia in late April 1970 sparked intense campus protests all across America.

The Christmas Bombings  In December 1972, the Nixon administration unleashed a series of deadly bombing raids against targets in North Vietnam’s largest cities, Hanoi and Haiphong.  These attacks, now known as the Christmas bombings, brought immediate condemnation from the international community and forced the Nixon administration to reconsider its tactics and negotiation strategy.

The Paris Peace Agreement  In early January 1973, the Nixon White House convinced Saigon that they would not abandon the South Vietnamese army if they signed the peace accord.  On January 23, therefore, the final draft was initialed, ending open hostilities between the United States and North Vietnam.  The Paris Peace Agreement did not end the conflict in Vietnam, however, as Saigon continued to battle Communist forces.