Vietnam War

The Vietnam War


Causes

                The Vietnam War has a variety of different causes. The main cause of the Vietnam War was to stop the spread of communism. The Vietnam War was going on way before the United States ever got involved and was fought just between the North and the South. This started after World War II when France withdrew from Vietnam and divided the country into the communist North and the non communist South. There was supposed to be an election in 1959 to unite the country but this ultimately failed to happen. After this the United States started giving money and sending over “military advisors” to help South Vietnam protect them against the North.

This is a picture of the old South Vietnamese flag. At the end of the war it was changed.

This is a picture of Nixon telling his aides about his plans in Cambodia.
We now know that he was secretly bombing them the entire time.

Setting

                The Vietnam War was fought over in North and South Vietnam. The dividing line between the two was at the 17^th parallel and around it is a demilitarized zone called the DMZ. This is where military leaders between the North and the South can go and communicate peacefully. Also during the Vietnam War, President Richard Nixon started secretly bombing Cambodia and Laos. He did this because he believed that the communists in Northern Vietnam were using the countries to spy on the South Vietnamese’s. Nixon kept this a secret from the American public for a long time. Overall most of the fighting was just done in Vietnam but because of the secret bombings in Cambodia and Laos, some was there as well.

This is map of Vietnam during the
Vietnam War. You can see where
certain fights happened and also
the 17th parallel

Here is another map of Vietnam.
You can see where the 17th parallel
or demilitarized zone is.

US Involvement

                The United States got involved in the Vietnam War soon after World War II. It started in 1950 when President Truman decided to send $10 million in military assistance to South Vietnam to help with the anti-communist efforts. The official beginning of the US involvement in Vietnam was when President Eisenhower sent over an advisory group to help train the Vietnam army in 1955. On August 2, 1964 an American ship, the USS Maddox, was patrolling the Gulf of Tonkin. It is believed that the Maddox was fired at by North Vietnamese torpedoes and the Maddox fired back. This is called the Gulf of Tonkin incident. President Lyndon B. Johnson said that this was the reason to go to war in Vietnam.

This is a picture of the USS Maddox. The incident that it was involved in is called the Gulf of Tonkin incident.

Home Front

This is a picture from right after the Kent
State shooting. A student is mourning

over the loss of her friend.

                The Vietnam War was a huge debate in the United States at the time. A huge Part of this was the fact that the Vietnam War was using the draft system. Some people fled to Canada, avoided the draft all together or even burned their draft cards in protest of the war. Many people believed that this war was immoral, didn’t benefit the United States at all and felt that so many people were dying for no reason. Also people believed that this was a civil war in Vietnam and we had no place to be over there and helping to fight. There were lots of riots and demonstrations all across different college campuses. One of the most famous cases was at Kent State when the National Guard opened fire on a group of student demonstrators and wounded 11 and killed 4.

Here is a man opposed to the war who is burning his draft card.
This young man was actually the first person arrested in the anti
war movement.

  

This Uncle Sam poster was propoganda during the Vietnam War. You can see the views of the American government just telling poelpe that its their responsibility to go fight for their country.

End of the War

                A peace agreement was reached in Paris on January 27, 1973. The conditions of this agreement was that the prisoners of war were released and the withdrawal of all United States and allied troops from South Vietnam. Even though there was a peace agreement, the South Vietnamese and the communists kept fighting. South Vietnam asked the United States for more help in 1975 but the United States denied the request for help. Eventually on April 30, 1975 North Vietnamese troops took over South Vietnam. In July of 1976 Vietnam was reunited and the capital city, Saigon, was renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the Northern Vietnamese ruler.

Here is a picture of Ho Chi Minh. This is the communist leader who renamed the old capital Saigon after himself.

This is the new flag for all of Vietnam. It changed at the end of the war.

Quotes

1. Doug Tate was one of the soldiers that came in to talk to us during the History Alive project. "Johnson had a lot of power and got us involved in Vietnam." He said that the reason we even went to Vietnam was because of President Johnson.

2. Doug Tate was actually fightint over in Vietnam and had alot to say about the protests that were going on back in the United States. "I was really angry, you live in the jungle for 24 hours a day and then get home and get spit on." He said that on the plane ride home he changed out of his uniform so that he wouldn't get spit on and be called a baby killer.

3. Doug Tate also gave us as students some great insight on the war in the Middle East. "I think we did the right thing by going to war." He said that we need to honor our commitment in the Middle East and couldn't get out now.