1. The Vietnam War

2. Trouble in Southeast Asia Since the late 1800s, much of Vietnam had been a colony of France. During WWII, communist fighters under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh began to resist the French. In 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam independent from the French.

3. Vietnam is Divided There was an international conference in Switzerland to try and solve the problem. The agreement stated that Vietnam should become independent. Elections were to be made in two years, but until then, Vietnam would be divided into North Vietnam and South Vietnam.

4. Vietnam

5. North and South All the Vietminh soldiers, the communists fighting with Ho Chi Minh, were to go north. All the Vietnamese soldiers who had fought for the French were to go to the south.

6. The Fighting Begins North Korea had the support of the Soviet Union and Red China. North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh began fighting to unite all of Vietnam under one communist government. South Vietnamese did not want communism and resisted the communists.

7. US Aid The US aided South Vietnam by sending money and weapons to the government. American soldiers were sent to train South Vietnamese army Even with all of this, the communists were still winning the war.

8. Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Johnson became President after Kennedy’s assassination in 1963 was determined to not allow the communist forces to win. “I’m not going to lose Vietnam,” he said. Over the next few years, the American involvement in Vietnam grew quickly.

9. The Land The Vietnam Conflict would be one of the most difficult wars ever fought by Americans Much of the land was covered with mountains and thick jungles. American soldiers often had to cut their way through the vegatation to get from place to place. Sometimes a new chemical called Agent Orange was sprayed from planes to make the plants wither and dies.

10. Guerrilla Warfare North Vietnamese soldiers often used guerrilla warfare tactics. Guerrilla warfare includes random, surprise attacks that come from any direction at any time, day or night. Sometimes they did not wear uniforms, so they could be difficult to identify. General William Westmoreland was the leader of the troops from 1964 until 1968. He served during WWII and the Korean War.

11. Communists in Control Even though he had all of this experience, he still found the guerrilla tactics difficult to beat. It seemed as if the communists could not be stopped.

12. The Conflict at Home This was the first time that Americans could watch scenes from a war on television. The fighting seemed more real and harsh than any other war before. It soon became very clear that the United States and South Vietnam were not winning.

13. Should the United States continue fighting?

14. Ticket-Out-The-Door Explain what you know about the Vietnam War so far using at least three details.