Vietnam War - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Vietnam War

1965-1975Slide2

America’s Involvement in Vietnam

30 years of involvement

Five Presidents (Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon)

164 billion dollars

58,132 Americans died / 2 million Vietnamese

21,000 permanently disabled

3 million Americans served (avg. age 19)

100,000 fled U.S. to avoid serving

830,000 PTSD reportsSlide3

Our Only Lost War…………

U.S. had the latest military technology

Could not defeat a poorly trained peasant army

Why Not?

Vietnamese fighting for their independence

Very difficult conditions to fight under (enemy, weather, terrain, limited war)Slide4

Causes of the Vietnam War

Depends on who you ask……………..

Americans say:

Stop the spread of communism

Fear of

domino theory

Political reasons

Vietnamese say:

Imperialism

(western greed)

Desire for independence

Internal civil war (America had no business being there)Slide5

History of Vietnam

Nearly 2000 years old

Controlled by outsiders for nearly all its existence (China, France, Japan, France, U.S.)

Wanted their independence from foreign rule Slide6

World Map

http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/Slide7

IndoChinaSlide8

Ho Chi Minh (he who enlightens)Slide9

France DefeatedSlide10

Guerilla Warfare breaks out

Civil War breaks out in Vietnam:

Northern Vietnam (

Vietminh

) Communist

Southern Vietnam (

Vietcong

) Communist

Southern Vietnam (ARVN) non-communist

U.S. joins forces with ARVN in 1965

Send 50,000 US soldiers to S.V.

61% of Americans support the warSlide11

War Escalates

1967: 500,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam

Death toll at 9,000 Americans

Pres. Johnson promises “victory is near”Slide12

Difficult War to Fight

No front lines

Jungle terrain

Landmines, booby traps, underground tunnels, heat, rain, leeches, secret supply routes

Hit-

n

-run tactics

Difficult to identify the enemySlide13

American support declines

1967: morale low among soldiers

Public support waivers

Credibility gap growing

Active protests on college campuses

Thousands searching for ways to avoid the draft (ages 18-26)Slide14

College Campuses Erupt

Kent State Massacre

“Four Dead in Ohio”

Jeffrey Glenn Miller; 20,

shot

through the mouth - killed

instantly

Allison

B. Krause;

19,

fatal left chest wound - died later that

day

William

Knox Schroeder; 19,

fatal

chest wound - died almost an hour later in hospital while waiting for

surgery

Sandra

Lee Scheuer; 20,

fatal

neck wound - died a few minutes later from loss of bloodSlide15

Anti-War Protests

College campus demonstrations increasing

Musicians singing anti-war songs

Burning draft cardsSlide16

First Draft Lottery for Vietnam

December 1, 1969

Those eligible: born between Jan. 1, 1944-Dec. 31, 1950

First notices sent out to report for physical exams: Jan, 1970Slide17

Facts about the Draft

All males living in the U.S. ages 18-26 are required to register with the Selective Service

Act

Average age of those drafted was 18

Once called for service, you are required to be examined for mental, physical, and moral fitness (see handout)Slide18

How does the Lottery work?

366 balls representing every possible birthday from January 1 to December 30 are put into a capsule

The balls are drawn, one at a time, and an order for calling men to the induction process is established. (Ex. If September 14 is drawn first, those men born on 9-14 would have draft number 1.Slide19

Check out this website

http://www.sss.gov/lotter1.htmSlide20

Conscientious Objectors

One who is opposed to serving in the armed forces and/or bearing arms on the grounds of moral or religious principles

Still must register and if drafted, can file a claim for exemption from military service

Must appear before a local draft board and explain his beliefs (in both written and oral form)Slide21

Reasons for Deferments

College enrollment

(full time student, making satisfactory progress. Could continue to enroll until too old to be drafted

Enlisting in National Guard

Conscientious objector

Medical condition

(1971: changed college student deferment to end of semester)Slide22

Draft Dodgers

Cassius Clay

Converted to Islam 1964

Refused to serve in draft

Arrested/found guilty / sentenced to 5 years prison

Conviction overturned

Stripped of his boxing title

Didn’t fight again for 4 yearsSlide23

Who got drafted?

Vast majority of draftees were poor, undereducated, urban, blue-collar workers or unemployed

African Americans made up about 13% of the U.S. population but accounted for 20% of the combat related deaths

“We have been repeatedly faced with a cruel irony of watching Negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same school room.” –Why I Am Opposed to the War in

Vietnam (MLK, Jr.)Slide24

Vietnam Troop Levels

Vietnam Troop Levels
Source: Congressional Quarterlies

1960 900

1961 3,200

1962 11,300

1963 16,300

1964 23,300

1965 184,300

1966 385,300

1967 485,600

1968 536,100

1969 475,200

1970 334,600

1971 156,800

1972 24,200

By 1972, an estimated 70,000 draft evaders
and deserters were living in Canada Slide25

1968: Peak Year of U.S. Involvement

Jan. 30, 1968: The

Tet

Offensive begins. Vietcong launch an attack on key cities in S.V., 12 Am. Bases, & U.S. EmbassySlide26

Results of

Tet

Offensive

Military victory for U.S.

Psychological defeat for U.S.

Majority of

Ams

. Oppose the war and want outSlide27

Vietnam War Protest Songs

http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-protest-songs-from-the-1960s.php

Country Joe McDonald “Feel Like I’m

Fixin

’ to Die Rag”Slide28

B-52 PlanesSlide29

Huey HelicoperSlide30

Weapons of the Vietnam War

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/trenches/weapons.htmlSlide31

Do you know how the Vietnam War ended?

Do you know who won the Vietnam War?

Did the Domino Theory prove to be true?Slide32

Legacies of the Vietnam War

First lost war for U.S.

58,000

Ams

. Killed

Cynical towards Am. Government

Draft abolished

War Powers Act (Congress can call back troops after 90 days)

1.5 million flee Vietnam (Boat People)