Monday - 1950s presentation.
Tuesday - 1960s presentation/1990s presentation.
Wednesday - 1960s presentation.
Watergate
- He really wanted to be in office again
- Never been proven
- Let's break into the Watergate office and tap democratic phones and whatnot
- Get dirt on Democrats to help get Nixon re-elected
- Burglers were caught breaking in
Thursday - 2000s Presentation.
Vietnam
- 1950-1975
- Goals
- Containment Policy
- Containment of communism
- Unite Vietnam with democracy
- What was the goal of the communist North Vietnamese?
- The French Connection
- France had gained control of Indochina in a series of colonial wars beginning in teh 1840s until the 1880s.
- During WW2, Vinchy France had collaborated with teh occupying Imerpial Japanese forces.
- Vietnam was under Japanese control during WW1
- After Japanese surrender, the French fought to retain control of their former colony against the Viet. Minh Indepepdence movement, led by Communist Party leader Ho Chi Minh.
- After the VIet Minh defeated French colonial army
- Ho Chi Minh
- Dressed as the common person
- French educated, wealthy (didn't want to show it because it didn't appeal to the common person)
- Asked to be independant from France
- Died in late 1960s ... all he wanted was independance (US Enemy)
- Geneva Conference -1954
- Vietnam was partitioned temporarily into North and South/17th parallel line
- North was ruled by Ho Chi Minh - communist
- South was ruled by Emperor Bo Dai
- Tried to set up the countries, but neither wanted to lose so neither participated
- Who fought?
- US
- Army of the Republic of Viet Nam
- Enemy:
- South Vietnamese Guerilla fighters (Vietcong)
- The People's Army of Viet Nam
- Enemy:
- Never able to invade the North/invaded the South
Friday - Vietnam (French Colony for a long time)
- Escalation 1957-1975
- US involvement increased over a period of eyars
- Started with teh deployment of non-combatant military advisors to South Vietnamese army
- Then started using special forces (Green Berets) for commando-style operations
- Then started with regular troops
- (Overhead)- adding more US troops
- Diem vs. the Buddhists
- We supported DM
- DM was anti-communism
- Monk who set himself on fire with gasoline
- We supported DM
- Johnson sent troops because he didn't want to have to worry about communism
- Knew that we couldn't win or lose, but knew that if we didn't go ... Communism would spread
- Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
- US was supposedly attacked by North Vietnamese torpedoes
- Many think it was just a way to get into the war/didn't really happen
- Congress passed the Gulf on Tonkin Resolution giving President Johnson the power to wage war ... although they aren't actually declaring war
- August 7th, 1964
- Johnson said he wasn't really going to send anyone during his campaign, sents thousands after winning
- Tet Offensive
- Westmoreland kept saying that with more troops we will win the war
- American's public's faith was shattered on Janyary 30th, 1968, when the enemy, supposedly on the verge of collaspe, mounted the Ted Offensive in which nearly every major city in SOuth Vietnam was attacked
- Named after the lunar new year festival in whihc is the most important Vietnamese holiday in South Vietnam
- Although we crushed the emeny militarily, the surpising hige offensive attack from an enemy that was supposedly almost defeated convinced many Americans that victory was impossible
- Really, it was an American Victory
- There was an increasing belief among people about the government lying to the public
- When Westmoreland called for more troops to be sent to Vietnam after the Tet Offensive, more and more people started protesting
- Top-Secret historic study about the war, taht showed how the government was misleading the US in all stages of the war
- Operation Rolling Thunder
- Code name for massive bombing raids in North Vietnam conducted by the US armed forces
- Goal: to destroy their will
- Was not successful in destroying the will of the North
- Anti-War
- Why were so many people against the war?
- Tet Offensive
- Pentagon Papers
- Injuringkilling innocent people (My Lai Massacre)
- US soldiers killing women and children
- My Lai Massacre
- March 1968
- US soliders killed 504 Vietnamese civilians
- The dead civilians indluded 50 age 3 or younger, 59 between 4 and 7, and 27 in their 70s and 80s
- Women were raped and bodies were mutiliated
- Supporting a bad government in the South
- The power of the press
- Why were so many people against the war?
- Nixon promised to end the war
- Nixon promised to end the war
- Didn't want to the first president that lost a war
- Bombed Laos and Cambodia
- Kent Street
- people killing people (US soldiers)
- thought they heard fire, so they all fired
- How did people get out of serving?
- Went to Canada or Sweden
- Went to college (student deferent)
- Got married
- Medically unfit for service
- Joined the National Guard or Peace Corps
- Claimed to be homosexual
- Being rich
- Nixon and Vietnam
- Called for Vietnamization
- Peace with Honor
- Gradually pulling US troops out and train the ARVN to take our place in fighting the North
- Expanded the war into Laos and Cambodia leading to college protests (Kent Street)
- US involvement increased over a period of eyars
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