Lesson Plan #2Rising Conflict and the beginning of U.S. Influence in Vietnam

Introduction: Over the next couple of days, we will explore the final days of French influence in Vietnam and the transition into the era of United States involvement. Students will gain an awareness of the tension in the nation and how this tension led to the elongated conflict known as the Vietnam War.

Objectives:Content/Knowledge:

1. Students will be able to explain the impact of the Geneva Accords as related to rising tension in Vietnam and the formation of the Vietcong.

Process/Skills:1. Students will be able to compare and contrast French strategies to early American

strategies in Vietnam.

Values/Dispositions:1. Students will see the impact of Communist rule in Vietnam and will witness the

horrendous effects it had on those following Buddhism. Students will be able to sympathize for the Buddhists and understand the magnitude of their reaction to the Communist stronghold on the government.

Standards:State – Illinois Learning Standards1. 14.E.5 Analyze relationships and tensions among members of the international community.

State- Common Core State Standards1. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary

or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.

National – National Council for the Social Studies Standards1. NCSS.VI.f. Identify and describe factors that contribute to cooperation and cause disputes within and

among groups and nations

National – National Standards for History1. Standard 7and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g.,

visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

Syntax – Procedures

1. Engagement:a. Teacher Instructions

1. I will open class by playing the final clip of a French war movie focusing on their loss at Dien Bien Phu at the hands of the Vietnamese. After the clip ends, we will discuss the scene that we just witnessed, in which the Vietnamese victory flag is raised and the French leave, defeated. - What emotions were conveyed in this clip?- How does the music serve to embellish this?- What do you think the implications of French loss will be?- What else is happening in this clip?

b. Resource

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcPnbr6NoE8

c. Student Activity1. Students are expected to watch the clip and engage in class discussion as we go over the

guided questions listed above. They are encouraged, as usual, to take notes in their class notebook.

2. Exploration:a. Teacher Instructions

1. Within this lesson we will take a closer look at the Geneva Accords, allowing students the opportunity to analyze the agreement as well as how it was viewed by American government. Students already understand that the Accords formally ended military conflict between France and Vietnam, but now they will get to read more from the conference and will be able

to explain American reaction. I will hand out two documents- one that goes over the decisions made at the Geneva conference and one that outlines the United States opinion.

b. Resource

http://vietnam.vassar.edu/overview/doc12.html

http://vietnam.vassar.edu/overview/doc3.htmlc. Student Activity

1. First, students will individually read over both of these documents. They are encouraged to take notes and highlight what they feel to be the most significant portions of the hand-outs

2. After the students have had ample time to read over the documents, we will discuss how the United States reacted to the Accordsa. Do the students agree with the position of the Americans?b. How do you think our nation looked for being the only country to refuse to sign the

Accords?c. Did our opinion after the Accords shift as conflict in Vietnam became more

involved?3. Next, the class will be divided into 4 groups- one for each nation represented at the

conference outside of the United States (because we already read their opinion): the Soviet Union, France, the United Kingdom, and the People’s Republic of China

4. Within their groups, which will be assigned by counting off by 4, the students will be responsible for going through the 13 points listed on their document. For each, the groups are responsible for deciding if the nation that they are representing would have completely agreed, or else what concessions they may have for each statement. Which points do students feel may have been hard to reach settlement on? Why would their nation have agreed to each point- are they benefitting at all?

5. We will then come back as a class and discuss what everyone thought. We will look for commonalities between opinions of nations. a. Did the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China align more with each other

than with the other nations? b. How does this hinder international relations?

c. Do students feel that the Accords were reached prematurely and this is why military conflict ensued so quickly after the conference ended?

3. Explanation:a. Teacher Instructions

1. I will project a map of the Ho Chi Minh trail onto the board so that students can see the trail utilized by group 559 to transport supplies into South Vietnam. I will explain to the students the path that this group took to move their goods southward, and the attempts to stop this from happening. To illustrate this movement of goods, we will transport the class outside where I will have created an obstacle course for the students.

b. Resources

(Map can be adjusted to any school grounds, and students will be kept within a safe distance. This will be treated as a Field Trip if the school requires permission slips to leave immediate school grounds)

c. Student Instructions1. I will have handed out maps of the school grounds to the first alphabetical half of the class at

the beginning of the hour. These students, when we go outside, are to go place themselves at the spot marked on their respective maps

2. The rest of the class will become our North Vietnamese. They will each receive the same map given to the other half of the class, but theirs will be unmarked so they will not be aware of other student locations.

3. The North Vietnamese are charged with the task of getting to me at the end of the map in order to win my favor and earn an A. Much like the North Vietnamese wished to spread the influence and earn the dominance of Communism, my students will wish to earn their A. (of course their grade is not actually dependent on their success)

4. Students representing North Vietnam must traverse the trail marked on my map without getting caught. They are going to have to get from point A to point B without running into any of my hidden students along the way.

5. This activity will give students an understanding of both the difficulties of smuggling goods and keeping unwanted visitors outside of your borders. Once students have completed this activity, we will go back inside and they will fill out a hand-out in which they will be able to better explain both their experiences and also the efforts of group 559 to infiltrate South Vietnam.

4. Elaboration:a. Teacher Instructions

1. I will go over the next set of Power Point slides (13-20). b. Resource

c. Student Activity

1. Students will take notes in their notebooks and are expected to be prepared to utilize the information given to them. They are encouraged to ask questions and offer opinions as I go through my lecture.

2. After we complete the Power Point, students will elaborate on what we just discussed by filling out- as a class- a Venn Diagram which compares what we know about the Vietnam War to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. This Venn Diagram will help

students make connections between the past and present, and will allow us to track our progress through this unit because we will continue to add to it as we delve deeper into the unit, unearthing more similarities and differences between the two wars. Venn Diagram attached.

5. Evaluation:a. Teacher Instructions

1. I will pull up the 21 and 22nd slides of my Power Point and play the video clip of the Buddhist protester burning himself alive. After the video, we will discuss student reaction to the clip.- How did watching this video make you feel?- Why do you think this was the Buddhists chosen form of protest?- Do you think that this was an extreme reaction to being withheld from holding

positions in Diem’s government?b. Resource

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E37cMtCrKoA&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DE37cMtCrKoA&has_verified=1

c. Student Activity1. After our discussion, students will receive a small packet with instructions on completing

a mini Document Based Question (DBQ). They will go through the resources on Buddhist self-immolation and write an essay in response to the question posed at them: Self-immolation as a form of protest hit the scene in a big way during the Vietnam War era. Explain why this happened and how it affected Vietnam through a political and social lens.

Resources (Source Citations & Bookmarks)

The Wars for Viet NamThe Final Declarations of the Geneva Conference July 21, 1954

1. The Conference takes note of the Agreements ending hostilities in Cambodia, Laos, and Viet-Nam and organizing international control and the supervision of the execution of the provisions of these agreements.

2. The Conference expresses satisfaction at the ending of hostilities in Cambodia, Laos, and Viet-Nam; the Conference expresses its conviction that the execution of the provisions set out in the present Declaration and in the Agreements on the cessation of hostilities will permit Cambodia, Laos and Viet-Nam henceforth to play their part, in full independence and sovereignty, in the peaceful community of nations.

3. The Conference takes note of the declarations made by the Governments of Cambodia and of Laos of their intention to adopt measures permitting all citizens to take their place in the national community, in particular by participating in the next general elections, which, in conformity with the constitution of each of these countries, shall take place in the course of the year 1955, by secret ballot and in conditions of respect for fundamental freedoms.

4. The Conference takes note of the clauses in the Agreement on the cessation of hostilities in Viet-Nam prohibiting the introduction into Vietnam of foreign troops and military personnel as well as all kinds of arms and munitions. The Conference also takes note of the declarations made by the Governments of Cambodia and Laos of their resolution not to request foreign aid, whether in war material, in personnel or in instructors except for the purpose of the effective defence of their territory and, in the case of Laos, to the extent defined by the Agreements on the cessation of hostilities in Laos.

5. The Conference takes note of the clauses in the Agreement on the cessation of hostilities in Viet-nam to the effect that no military base under the control of a foreign State may be established in the regrouping zones of the two parties, the latter having the obligation to see that the zones allotted to them shall not constitute part of any military alliance and shall not be utilized for the resumption of hostilities or in the service of an aggressive policy. The Conference also takes note of the declarations of the Governments of Cambodia and Laos to the effect that they will not join in any agreement with other States if this agreement includes the obligation to participate in a military alliance not in conformity with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations or, in the case of Laos, with the principles of the Agreement on the cessation of hostilities in Laos or, so long as their security is not threatened, the obligation to establish bases on Cambodian or Laotian territory for the military forces of foreign powers.

6. The Conference recognizes that the essential purpose of the Agreement relating to Viet-nam is to settle military questions with a view to ending hostilities and that the military demarcation line is provisional and should not in any way be interpreted as constituting a political or territorial boundary. The Conference expresses its conviction that the execution of the provisions set out in the present Declaration and in the Agreement on the cessation of hostilities creates the necessary basis for the achievement in the near future of a political settlement in Viet-Nam.

7. The Conference declares that, so far as Viet-nam is concerned, the settlement of political problems, effected on the basis of respect for principles of independence, unity and territorial integrity, shall permit the Vietnamese people to enjoy the fundamental freedoms, guaranteed by democratic institutions established as a result of free general elections by secret ballot. In order to ensure that sufficient progress in the restoration of peace has been made and that all the necessary conditions obtain for free expression of the national will, general elections shall be held in July 1956, under the supervision of an international commission composed of representatives of the Member States of the International Supervisory Commission, referred to in the Agreement on the cessation of hostilities. Consultations will be held on this subject between the competent representative authorities of the two zones from 20 July, 1955 onwards.

8. The provisions of the Agreements on the cessation of hostilities intended to ensure the protection of individuals and of property must be most strictly applied and must, in particular, allow everyone in Viet-nam to decide freely in which zone he wishes to live.

9. The competent representative authorites of the Northern and Southern zones of Viet-nam, as well as the authorities of Laos and Cambodia, must not permit any individual or collective reprisals against persons who

have collaborated in any way with one of the parties during the war, or against members of such persons' families.

10.The Conference takes note of the declaration of the Government of the French Republic to the effect that it is ready to withdraw its troops from the territory of Cambodia, Laos and Viet-Nam, at the request of the governments concerned and within periods which shall be fixed by agreement between the parties except in the cases where, by agreement between the two parties, a certain number of French troops shall remain at specified points and for a specified time.

11. The Conference takes note of the declaration of the French Government to the effect that for the settlement of all the problems connected with the re-establishment and consolidation of peace in Cambodia, Laos and Viet-Nam, the French Government will proceed from the principle of respect for the independence and sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Cambodia, Laos and Viet-nam.

12. In their relations with Cambodia, Laos and Viet-nam, each member of the Geneva Conference undertakes to respect the sovereignty, the independence, the unity and the territorial integrity of the above-mentioned States, and to refrain from any interference in their internal affairs.

13. The members of the Conference agree to consult one another on any question which may be referred to them by the International Supervisory Commlssion, in order to study such measures as may prove necessary to ensure that the Agreements on the cessation of hostilities in Cambodia, Laos and Viet-nam are respected.

SOURCE: Gravel (ed.), Pentagon Papers, Vol. 1, pp. 279-282.

The Wars for Viet Nam

The American Response to the Geneva Declarations, 3 July 21, 1954

Declaration

The Government of the United States being resolved to devote its efforts to the strengthening of peace in accordance with the principles and purposes of the United Nations takes note of the agreements concluded at Geneva on July 20 and 21, 1954 between (a) the Franco-Laotian Command and the Command of the Peoples Army of Viet-Nam; (b) the Royal Khmer Army Command and the Command of the Peoples Army of Viet-Nam; (c) Franco-Vietnamese Command and the Command of the Peoples Army of Viet-Nam and of paragraphs 1 to 12 inclusive of the declaration presented to the Geneva Conference on July 21, 1954 declares with regard to the aforesaid agreements and paragraphs that (i) it will refrain from the threat or the use of force to disturb them, in accordance with Article 2(4) of the Charter of the United Nations dealing with the obligation of members to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force; and (ii) it would view any renewal of the aggression in violation of the aforesaid agreements with grave concern and as seriously threatening international peace and security.

In connection with the statement in the declaration concerning free elections in Viet-Nam my Government wishes to make clear its position which it has expressed in a declaration made in Washington on June 29, 1954, as follows:

In the case of nations now divided against their will, we shall continue to seek to achieve unity through free elections supervised by the United Nations to insure that they are conducted fairly.

With respect to the statement made by the representative of the State of Viet-Nam, the United States reiterates its traditional position that peoples are entitled to determine their own future and that it will not join in an arrangement which would hinder this. Nothing in its declaration just made is intended to or does indicate any departure from this traditional position.We share the hope that the agreements will permit Cambodia, Laos and Viet-Nam to play their part, in full independence and sovereignty, in the peaceful community of nations, and will enable the peoples of that area to determine their own future.

SOURCE: Neil Sheehan and others (eds.), The Pentagon Papers, pp. 52-53.

Name:____________

Date:_____________

Period:____

Exploring the Ho Chi Minh Trail

Directions: Upon completion of our excursion onto school grounds, please answer the following questions in full sentences to be turned in for a grade. Each question is worth 3 points.

1. Explain why North Vietnam created Group 559. Do you believe that they could have accomplished their goals via different means? Explain. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Do you think that it is harder to break in somewhere or to defend your lands from being invaded? Think back to your experiences on either side- would you have rather been working for the other side? Give reasons to back up your opinion. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Communist forces had settled along the Mekong Delta. Explain why (or even if) this was beneficial for them. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. After the Geneva Accords, Vietnam had been divided along the 17th parallel. Explain why, after this division, both North Vietnam and allied forces were so intent on winning over South Vietnam. Why was it so important to have either ideology win out in the south?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Define guerilla warfare. Explain the impact that this military tactic had along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Name:___________________Date:______________Period:____

Document Based Question 1- Analyzing Buddhist Self-Immolation

Directions: This is an abridged DBQ, which asks you to analyze several different primary and secondary documents in order to create an essay. Because there are only 5 documents in this sample, you are expected to use all five of them in your essay. For each document, please cite which source you used. In addition, note if there are any possible biases presented by the resource and how this might affect its reliability as a source. Your paper should be 2-3 pages in length, although no penalty will be given if you go over this limit- however, please do work on being concise in your writing.

Write a 2-3 page paper analyzing the following documents on Buddhist self-immolation during the Vietnam War era: Self-immolation as a form of protest hit the scene in a big way during the Vietnam War era. Explain why this happened and how it affected Vietnam through a political and social lens. Be sure to cite each source given to you by placing the letter of the source you are referencing between parentheses. Be thorough in your examination.

A.

Buddhist Monk Sets Himself on Fire Thich Quang Duc, a Buddhist monk, burns himself to death on the streets of Saigon, South Vietnam, June 11, 1963. He is protesting the persecution of Buddhists by the government. AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS. REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION.

B.

Thich Nhat Hanh

C.

Thich Nhat Hanh Reflects on Working Toward PeaceSince I was a young man, I've tried to understand the nature of compassion. But what little compassion I've learned has come not from intellectual investigation but from my actual experience of suffering. I am not proud of my suffering any more than a person who mistakes a rope for a snake is proud of his fright. My suffering has been a mere rope, a mere drop of emptiness so insignificant that it should dissolve like mist at dawn. But it has not dissolved, and I am almost unable to bear it. Doesn't the Buddha see my suffering? How can he smile? Love seeks a manifestation-romantic love, motherly love, patriotic love, love for humanity, love for all beings. When you love someone, you feel anxious for him or her and want them to be safe and nearby. You cannot simply put your loved ones out of your thoughts.

When the Buddha witnesses the endless suffering of living beings, he must feel deep concern. How can he just sit there and smile? But think about it. It is we who sculpt him sitting and smiling, and we do it for a reason. When you stay up all night worrying about your loved one, you are so attached to the phenomenal world that you may not be able to see the true face of reality. A physician who accurately understands her patient's condition does not sit and obsess over a thousand different explanations or anxieties as the patient's family might. The doctor knows that the patient will recover, and so she may smile even while the patient is still sick. Her smile is not unkind; it is simply the smile of one who grasps the situation and does not engage in unnecessary worry. How can I put into words the true nature of Great Compassion, mahakaruna?When we begin to see that black mud and white snow are neither ugly nor beautiful, when we can see them without discrimination or duality, then we begin to grasp Great Compassion. In the eyes of Great Compassion, there is neither left nor right, friend nor enemy, close nor far. Don't think that Great Compassion is lifeless. The energy of Great Compassion is radiant and wondrous. In the eyes of Great Compassion, there is no separation between subject and object, no separate self. Nothing that can disturb Great Compassion.

D.

Burning Monk - The Self-Immolation

June 11, 1963

Thich Quang Duc, a Buddhist monk from the Linh-Mu Pagoda in Hue, Vietnam, burned himself to death at a busy intersection in downtown Saigon, Vietnam.. Eye witness accounts state that Thich Quang Duc and at least two fellow monks arrived at the intersection by car, Thich Quang Duc got out of the car, assumed the traditional lotus position and the accompanying monks helped him pour gasoline over himself. He ignited the gasoline by lighting a match and burned to death in a matter of minutes.

David Halberstam, a reporter for the New York Times covering the war in Vietnam, gave the following account:

I was to see that sight again, but once was enough. Flames were coming from a human being; his body was slowly withering and shriveling up, his head blackening and charring. In the air was the smell of burning human flesh; human beings burn surprisingly quickly. Behind me I could hear the sobbing of the Vietnamese who were now gathering. I was too shocked to cry, too confused to take notes or ask questions, too bewildered to even think…. As he burned he never moved a muscle, never uttered a sound, his outward composure in sharp contrast to the wailing people around him.

E.

Quang Duc's self-immolation was a rallying point for political protest in South Vietnam. Directly following the self-immolation

the political climate in Saigon changed as if hit by the drop in pressure preceding a hurricane. Vast demonstrations broke out. The city people, who had for years remained passive, terrified before the Diemist police, crowded into the pagodas to kneel and weep, then, following the bonzes [Buddhist monks], burst forth into the streets calling for the downfall of the Ngos [the ruling family in South Vietnam] (Fitzgerald, 74).

Obviously, Quang Duc's self-immolation had a huge effect on the South Vietnamese population. It is not surprising that Quang Duc's act also affected the Americans who later immolated themselves in protest to the war.

It is important to note that Quang Duc was not the only monk to use self-immolation as a form of protest. On August 16, 1963, only 2 months after Quang Duc's self-immolation, another monk immolated himself in Phanthiet, about 100 miles from Saigon. The use of self-immolation continued as the war waged on. In May of 1966, Thich Nu Thanh Quang, a Buddhist nun, immolated herself in the city of Hue.

Her death inspired a demonstration of some twenty thousand people in Saigon and a series of eight other self-immolations by Buddhist bonzes and nuns throughout the major cities of Vietnam...President Johnson called the suicides "tragic and unneccessary" and said that they obstructed progress towards holding the elections for a constituent assembly. On May 31, a group of students and Buddhist youths burned down the U.S. consulate in Hue (Fitzgerald, 289).http://www.angelfire.com/nb/protest/viet.html