S 1 ORIGINS OF THE VIETNAM WAR ECTION

© Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall. All rights reserved.

233

Note Taking Study GuideORIGINS OF THE VIETNAM WAR

CHAPTER

22SECTION 1

Focus Question: Why did the United States become involved inVietnam?

As you read, describe the Vietnam policies of Presidents Truman, Eisenhower,Kennedy, and Johnson.TIP: Look for the names of the Presidents throughout the section.

Truman/Eisenhower

•

• Believe in domino theory•

Kennedy

•

•

Johnson

• Responds to the Maddox incident•

• Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

U.S. Policy in Vietnam

Name Class Date


234

READING CHECK

Who were the Vietcong?

VOCABULARY STRATEGY

What does the word ensuremean in the underlinedsentence? Circle the words inthe surrounding sentences thatcould help you learn whatensure means. Think about whatthe United States needed fromFrance.

READING SKILL

Summarize Why did the UnitedStates help France in Vietnam?

France had controlled Vietnam since the 1800s. After WorldWar II, many Vietnamese wanted independence. This indepen-dence movement was led by Ho Chi Minh. Ho Chi Minh trav-eled around the world and had formed ties with the SovietUnion. He wanted independence and believed in communism.

The United States became involved in Vietnam for severalreasons. First, it wanted to keep France as an ally. The UnitedStates needed to ensure French support in the Cold War. As aresult, President Truman agreed to help France regain controlover Vietnam. Second, both Truman and Eisenhower wantedto stop the spread of communism. They believed in the domino theory. This idea said that if communists took over inVietnam, Vietnam’s neighbors would fall to communism.Communism would then spread throughout the entire region.

Despite billions of American dollars in support, France lostin Vietnam. In 1954, the French surrendered at a military baseat Dien Bien Phu. The peace agreement between France andthe communists gave Vietnam its independence. It also divid-ed the country. Ho Chi Minh and the communists ruled NorthVietnam. An anticommunist government ruled South Vietnam.

The United States provided aid to South Vietnam throughthe Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO). However, acommunist rebel group began attacking the South. The communist guerrilla fighters were called Vietcong. The Vietcong attacked government officials and destroyed roadsand bridges.

In 1961, President Kennedy began sending U.S. troops tohelp South Vietnam. President Johnson increased U.S. involve-ment there. In 1964, North Vietnamese forces attacked a U.S.destroyer in the Gulf of Tonkin. Johnson asked Congress forthe right to fight back. Congress passed the Gulf of TonkinResolution. It gave the President the power to send U.S. troopsto fight in Vietnam without asking Congress to declare war.

Review Questions1. What was the domino theory?

2. How did the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution expand the powersof the presidency?

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Section SummaryORIGINS OF THE VIETNAM WAR

CHAPTER

22SECTION 1


235

Note Taking Study GuideU.S. INVOLVEMENT GROWS

CHAPTER

22SECTION 2

Focus Question: What were the causes and effects of America’s growinginvolvement in the Vietnam War?

As you read, fill in the outline with details about the escalation of the American wareffort.TIP: Read all headings closely for clues about the topics in each section.

I. “Americanizing” the War

A.

1.

2.

B.

1.

2.

C. Costly and Frustrating War

1.

2.

II. Patriotism, Heroism, and Sinking Morale

A.

1.

2.

B.

1.

2.

C.

1.

2.

III. Doubt Grows on the Homefront

A.

1.

2.

B.

1.

2.

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236

READING CHECK

Which group in Congressopposed the war in Vietnam?

VOCABULARY STRATEGY

What does the word doctrinemean in the underlinedsentence? Circle the words inthe underlined sentence thatcould help you learn whatdoctrine means.

READING SKILL

Identify Supporting Details Whydid President Johnson raisetaxes?

In February 1965, the war in Vietnam became more intense.After the Vietcong attacked American troops, President Johnson ordered a large bombing campaign called OperationRolling Thunder. However, communist forces continued tofight. President Johnson then ordered more troops to fight onthe ground. One of the President’s most important adviserswas the American commander in South Vietnam, GeneralWilliam Westmoreland, who believed in more active fighting.

The American military dropped millions of tons of bombson Vietnam. They also dropped napalm, a jellied gasoline.Napalm covered large areas in flames.

American troops fought mostly in small battles. The enemyfought with guerrilla tactics in the jungle. They followed Ho Chi Minh’s doctrine, which stated that fighting shouldnever be on the opponents’ terms. The communists knew thatthey could not win a traditional war against the United States.Instead, they used hit-and-run attacks, nighttime ambushes,and booby traps, hoping to wear down the United States.

By 1967, neither side was winning. Johnson asserted againand again that victory was near. However, there was littleprogress. By 1968, more than 30,000 U.S. troops had beenkilled. Troop morale began to fall.

The costs of the war were growing. President Johnson wasforced to raise taxes to pay for the war and for his Great Society domestic programs. Social programs had to be cut.

Members of Congress had questions about the war. In 1967,Congress was divided into two camps: hawks and doves.Hawks supported the war. Doves questioned whether it wasright to fight the war. They also were not convinced that Vietnam was a vital Cold War battleground.

Review Questions1. Why did Johnson send more American troops to fight on

the ground in Vietnam?

2. What tactics did the Communist forces use against U.S.troops in Vietnam?

Name Class Date

Section SummaryU.S. INVOLVEMENT GROWS

CHAPTER

22SECTION 2


237

Note Taking Study GuideTHE WAR DIVIDES AMERICA

CHAPTER

22SECTION 3

Focus Question: How did the American war effort in Vietnam lead torising protests and social divisions back home?

Note the events leading up to the 1968 election.TIP: Look for dates and key events throughout the section.

Antiwar demonstrations

Richard Nixon becomes President.

Name Class Date


238

READING CHECK

Why did the Tet Offensivesurprise Americans?

VOCABULARY STRATEGY

What does the word defermentsmean in the underlinedsentence? Circle the words inthe surrounding sentences thatcould help you learn whatdeferments means. Think aboutthe privileges that collegestudents and professionalsmight enjoy.

READING SKILL

Recognize Sequence How didthe protests at the DemocraticNational Convention in 1968 helpRichard Nixon?

Although many Americans supported the war in Vietnam,many others opposed it. Because the government lackedenough volunteer soldiers, the military drafted young men toserve in the armed forces. Some draftees thought that themethod of selecting men was unfair. Draft boards gavedeferments to college students and men who worked in certainoccupations. As a result, African Americans, the poor, andworking-class men served in disproportionately high numbers.

Many college students opposed the war. One organization,called the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), organizedantiwar demonstrations. Opposition to the war grew as Americans watched bad news about it on television everynight. Still, government reports about the war continued to bepositive. This difference created a “credibility gap.”

In early 1968, the North Vietnamese conducted a majorattack, the Tet Offensive. Because the U.S. government oftengave positive reports about the war, the offensive surprised thecountry. The United States repelled the attack, but it showedthat the enemy was still strong.

Antiwar Democrats began to campaign for President in1968. Senator Eugene McCarthy was successful in an early pri-mary election. Senator Robert Kennedy also entered the race.In March, President Johnson announced that he would not runfor a second term as President.

In the spring and summer of 1968, both Martin LutherKing, Jr., and Robert Kennedy were assassinated. Policeclashed with antiwar protesters at the Democratic NationalConvention in Chicago. The chaos helped Republican candi-date Richard Nixon to win the presidency. Nixon promised toachieve “peace with honor” in Vietnam.

Review Questions1. Why did some people think that the draft system was

unfair?

2. How did television play a role in the Vietnam War?

Name Class Date

Section SummaryTHE WAR DIVIDES AMERICA

CHAPTER

22SECTION 3


239

Note Taking Study GuideTHE WAR’S END AND IMPACT

CHAPTER

22SECTION 4

Focus Question: How did the Vietnam War end, and what were itslasting effects?

A. Note the similarities and differences between Nixon’s Vietnam policy and that ofLyndon Johnson.

TIP: Look for clues in headings throughout the section.

John

son

• Am

eric

aniza

tion

and

to

tal v

icto

ry

•

Nix

on•

Viet

nam

izatio

n an

d

“pea

ce w

ith h

onor

”

• •

• Es

cala

ted

war

•

Name Class Date

240© Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall. All rights reserved.

Note Taking Study GuideTHE WAR’S END AND IMPACT

CHAPTER

22SECTION 4

Name Class Date

Focus Question: How did the Vietnam War end, and what were itslasting effects?

B. As you read, use the concept web below to identify the effects of the Vietnam War.TIP: Think about effects that happened in the United States and in Vietnam.

Effects ofthe War

Great Society programsfail due to lack of money.

United States is lesswilling to intervene in

foreign affairs.

Congress passesWar Powers Act.


241

READING CHECK

How many American troopswere killed in Vietnam?

VOCABULARY STRATEGY

What does the word inducedmean in the underlinedsentence? Circle the words inthe underlined sentence thatcould help you learn whatinduced means.

READING SKILL

Recognize Effects What wasone effect of the Vietnam Waron American foreign policy?

President Nixon believed that he could make a peace deal withNorth Vietnam. At first, he did not succeed, and he began topull U.S. troops out of Vietnam. The South Vietnamese Army,he said, should fight the war on its own. The United Stateswould continue to send supplies to the South VietnameseArmy to help them—a plan called Vietnamization.

In 1970, Nixon ordered an American ground attack on com-munists in Cambodia, angering antiwar activists at home. Theyclaimed that Nixon was not ending the war, but widening it.Protests erupted on many college campuses. At Kent StateUniversity, members of the National Guard fired into a groupof protesters, killing four youths. This led to protests on othercampuses across the country.

Other events also outraged the public. American troopskilled over four hundred unarmed Vietnamese in the village ofMy Lai. The Pentagon Papers showed that the governmenthad been dishonest with the public and with Congress aboutthe Vietnam War.

American bombing finally induced the North Vietnameseto resume negotiations. In January 1973, the warring partiessigned the Paris Peace Accords. American troops left Vietnam.The war was over for the United States. North Vietnamesetroops, however, remained in South Vietnam, and fightingcontinued. The communists, supplied by the Soviet Union,defeated the South Vietnamese Army. Vietnam was then united under a communist regime.

More than 58,000 American troops and over 2 million Vietnamese had been killed in the Vietnam War. SoutheastAsia suffered turmoil for many years afterward. Americansbecame less willing to intervene in the affairs of other coun-tries. Americans had less trust in their leaders, as well. In 1973,Congress passed the War Powers Act, which restricted thePresident’s authority to commit American troops to foreignconflicts. The effects of the war lasted for many years.

Review Questions1. What was Vietnamization?

2. Why did the Pentagon Papers outrage Americans?

Section SummaryTHE WAR’S END AND IMPACT

CHAPTER

22SECTION 4

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242© Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall. All rights reserved.

Note Taking Study GuideNIXON AND THE COLD WAR

CHAPTER

22SECTION 5

Name Class Date

Focus Question: How did Richard Nixon change Cold War diplomacyduring his presidency?

As you read, describe Nixon’s Cold War foreign policies in dealing with China andthe Soviet Union.

China

Nixon’s Cold War Strategies

Soviet Union

• Diplomacy with China will create Soviet fear of isolation. •

•

• Normalization of relations will drive wedge between China and Soviet Union. • China would make a good trading partner.•


243

READING CHECK

What is realpolitik?

VOCABULARY STRATEGY

What does the word pragmaticmean in the underlinedsentence? Circle the words inthe underlined sentence thatcould help you learn whatpragmatic means. The worddescribes Nixon’s foreign policy.

READING SKILL

Categorize Circle the statementthat most accurately reflectsPresident Nixon’s attitudestoward communism.• If Vietnam fell to communism,

its closest neighbors wouldfollow, spreading communismthroughout the region.

• A flexible, pragmatic foreignpolicy would benefit the UnitedStates in many ways.

• The United States should support all independencemovements, no matter whattheir political beliefs.

President Richard Nixon changed the way the United Statesapproached the world. Henry Kissinger, his top adviser oninternational affairs, helped him.

Nixon and Kissinger shared the idea of realpolitik, whichsaid that a government should make decisions based on whatis good for the nation, not just on ideologies. Nixon andKissinger insisted on a flexible, pragmatic foreign policy. Theybelieved that this approach would have many benefits for theUnited States.

Nixon had always been a strong opponent of communism.When he decided to create better relations with communistChina, many people were surprised. The United States had noofficial relationship with communist China in the 1960s. Nixonwanted to reach out to China for several reasons. He hoped todrive a wedge between China and the Soviet Union. Nixonthought that China could be a good trading partner. He alsohoped that China might help persuade North Vietnam to endthe Vietnam War. In 1972, Nixon traveled to China to meetwith Premier Zhou Enlai and Chairman Mao Zedong. The tripgreatly improved the relations between the two countries.

Nixon’s trip to China also led the Soviet Union to invitehim to visit Moscow. There, the United States and the SovietUnion signed the first Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty. Thisagreement limited each nation’s missiles. It was a first steptoward limiting the arms race.

The United States and Soviet Union now tried a new policycalled détente to reduce tensions between them. Détentereplaced diplomatic policies based on suspicion and distrust.

Nixon’s foreign policy changed the nation’s views aboutcommunism. The new relationships he made helped to end theVietnam War. Nixon’s policies also moved the world closer tothe end of the Cold War.

Review Questions1. Why did Nixon want to reach out to communist China?

2. What was the effect of the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty?

Section SummaryNIXON AND THE COLD WAR

CHAPTER

22SECTION 5

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S 1 ORIGINS OF THE VIETNAM WAR ECTION