The Vietnam War: 1954-1975 Fighting the War: 1965-1968… At home and abroad. “And it’s one,...
-
Upload
katherine-mckenzie -
Category
Documents
-
view
214 -
download
0
Transcript of The Vietnam War: 1954-1975 Fighting the War: 1965-1968… At home and abroad. “And it’s one,...
![Page 1: The Vietnam War: 1954-1975 Fighting the War: 1965-1968… At home and abroad. “And it’s one, two, three, What are we fightin’ for?…” -Country Joe and the.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022081516/56649e615503460f94b5c736/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
The Vietnam War: 1954-1975
Fighting the War: 1965-1968…
At home and abroad.
“And it’s one, two, three, What are we fightin’ for?…”
-Country Joe and the Fish
![Page 2: The Vietnam War: 1954-1975 Fighting the War: 1965-1968… At home and abroad. “And it’s one, two, three, What are we fightin’ for?…” -Country Joe and the.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022081516/56649e615503460f94b5c736/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
VIETNAM - Escalation and Fighting
• The violence and brutality of the Vietnam War affected civilians as well as soldiers.
![Page 3: The Vietnam War: 1954-1975 Fighting the War: 1965-1968… At home and abroad. “And it’s one, two, three, What are we fightin’ for?…” -Country Joe and the.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022081516/56649e615503460f94b5c736/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
Escalation of American involvement began in 1965 and continued through 1968.
• Beginning of 1965 - 25,000 troops
• End of 1968 - 500,000 troops
![Page 4: The Vietnam War: 1954-1975 Fighting the War: 1965-1968… At home and abroad. “And it’s one, two, three, What are we fightin’ for?…” -Country Joe and the.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022081516/56649e615503460f94b5c736/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
How did battlefield conditions in Vietnam
affect American soldiers?• The Vietnam war was characterized by small engagements (fights) that involved guerilla-type warfare.
• For US soldiers, it was difficult to know the difference between friend (ARVN [South Vietnamese regular army]) and foe (VC [Viet Cong])
![Page 5: The Vietnam War: 1954-1975 Fighting the War: 1965-1968… At home and abroad. “And it’s one, two, three, What are we fightin’ for?…” -Country Joe and the.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022081516/56649e615503460f94b5c736/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Battlefield conditions in Vietnam
• American tactics consisted of “search and destroy” missions and massive bombing of VC targets.
• “Operation Rolling Thunder” - intensive bombing campaign from 1965-1968
• Americans had absolute mastery of the air throughout the course of the war.
![Page 6: The Vietnam War: 1954-1975 Fighting the War: 1965-1968… At home and abroad. “And it’s one, two, three, What are we fightin’ for?…” -Country Joe and the.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022081516/56649e615503460f94b5c736/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Bombing during Vietnam inflicted heavy damage on the landscape and thousands of military and civilian
casualties.• Americans used ‘saturation bombing’ and fragmentation bombs
• Americans also used chemicals to defoliate the landscape – Napalm– Agent Orange
![Page 7: The Vietnam War: 1954-1975 Fighting the War: 1965-1968… At home and abroad. “And it’s one, two, three, What are we fightin’ for?…” -Country Joe and the.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022081516/56649e615503460f94b5c736/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
US casualties increased.
• Casualties began to mount and TV networks broadcast scenes from the battlefield
• Weekly body counts became standard TV fare for nightly news.
![Page 8: The Vietnam War: 1954-1975 Fighting the War: 1965-1968… At home and abroad. “And it’s one, two, three, What are we fightin’ for?…” -Country Joe and the.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022081516/56649e615503460f94b5c736/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
America’s first ‘TV’ War
• People’s perceptions of the war were more and more influenced by television news reports
![Page 9: The Vietnam War: 1954-1975 Fighting the War: 1965-1968… At home and abroad. “And it’s one, two, three, What are we fightin’ for?…” -Country Joe and the.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022081516/56649e615503460f94b5c736/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
“Hawks” and “Doves”
• Hawks - supported the war
• Doves - opposed the war
• Although the majority of Americans still supported the Vietnam War, there was increasing disagreement in both government and the public mind over US Vietnam policy.
![Page 10: The Vietnam War: 1954-1975 Fighting the War: 1965-1968… At home and abroad. “And it’s one, two, three, What are we fightin’ for?…” -Country Joe and the.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022081516/56649e615503460f94b5c736/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
A Growing Antiwar Movement
• More and more people saw the Vietnam war as a waste of federal tax money that could have been applied to LBJ’s Great Society domestic social programs.
![Page 11: The Vietnam War: 1954-1975 Fighting the War: 1965-1968… At home and abroad. “And it’s one, two, three, What are we fightin’ for?…” -Country Joe and the.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022081516/56649e615503460f94b5c736/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
LBJ attempted to rally support
• War faced growing protest and unpopularity at home.
• LBJ continued to promote the war in order to maintain support for GREAT SOCIETY programs in the USA.
• Escalation continued.• A growing
‘credibility gap’.
![Page 12: The Vietnam War: 1954-1975 Fighting the War: 1965-1968… At home and abroad. “And it’s one, two, three, What are we fightin’ for?…” -Country Joe and the.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022081516/56649e615503460f94b5c736/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
The Tet Offensive: 1968
•A coordinated set of attacks by Viet Cong and North Vietnamese during Tet (Vietnamese New Year)
•US tactical victory - inflicted heavy losses on the VC and North Vietnamese
•North Vietnamese strategic advantage - American public support of war dropped
![Page 13: The Vietnam War: 1954-1975 Fighting the War: 1965-1968… At home and abroad. “And it’s one, two, three, What are we fightin’ for?…” -Country Joe and the.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022081516/56649e615503460f94b5c736/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
The impact of the Tet Offensive on American Public Opinion
• After the Tet Offensive in Jan-Feb of 1968, public opinion turned more sharply against continuing the war.
• Vocal anti-war protests increased
• Many Americans felt that: – US soldiers were not
given a chance to win – US didn’t have a clear
objective in Vietnam for victory
• LBJ made surprise announcement he wouldn’t seek re-election in 1968
Public Opinion of U.S. Involvement in Vietnam
“Do you approve or disapprove of the way President Johnson is handling the situation in Vietnam?”
Appro ve Disapprove No o pinion
December 1965 56% 26% 18%
May1966 41% 37% 22%
April 1967 43% 42% 15%
July 1967 33% 52% 15%
December 1967 39% 49% 12%
February 1968* 35% 50% 15%
“In view of the de velopm ents s ince we entered the fighting in Vietnam, do yo u think the United States made a mis take se nding troops to fight in Vie tnam?”
Yes, Made a mistake No, did not No opinion
May1966 36% 49% 15%
April 1967 37% 50% 13%
July1967 41% 48% 11%
February 1968** 49% 41% 10% *During the Tet Offensive **After the Tet Offensive Source: The Gallup Poll: Public Opinion 1935—1971, by George H. Gallup
![Page 14: The Vietnam War: 1954-1975 Fighting the War: 1965-1968… At home and abroad. “And it’s one, two, three, What are we fightin’ for?…” -Country Joe and the.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022081516/56649e615503460f94b5c736/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
Tet Illustrated Communist (VC) brutality and the brutality of the war in general
• In recapturing Hue (Vietnamese city), VC murdered 5000 civilians before surrendering.
• Suicide bombers hit civilian targets as well.
• South Vietnamese responded in anger and brutality as well.
![Page 15: The Vietnam War: 1954-1975 Fighting the War: 1965-1968… At home and abroad. “And it’s one, two, three, What are we fightin’ for?…” -Country Joe and the.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022081516/56649e615503460f94b5c736/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
My Lai Massacre- 1968
• US soldiers under Lt. William Calley murdered Vietnamese civilians at My Lai (village) [250+]
• US helicopter crew stopped the slaughter
• Story with pictures published in LIFE magazine in 1971
• American public horrified.
• An isolated incident but shocking that American soldiers could or would commit such atrocities
![Page 16: The Vietnam War: 1954-1975 Fighting the War: 1965-1968… At home and abroad. “And it’s one, two, three, What are we fightin’ for?…” -Country Joe and the.](https://reader036.fdocuments.in/reader036/viewer/2022081516/56649e615503460f94b5c736/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Review Questions - answer these questions on a separate sheet of
paper• Describe how the battlefield conditions affected the following people in Vietnam:– US Soldiers– Vietnamese civilians
• Explain why the initial military action resulted in a stalemate.
• Describe the Tet Offensive of 1968. Explain how and why it proved to be a turning point in the Vietnam War.
• Choose a position either for (hawk) or against (dove) the war. Write a brief letter to the editor from that position.