1. Chapter 29-
Section 2
Escalation in Vietnam

2. Kennedy and Commies
 President Kennedy confronts
communism in a few different ways:
 Peace Corps: Sent volunteers to help with
projects around the world
 Alliance for Progress: gave $20 Billion to
Latin America to prevent communism
 What were the two military ways we talked
about last week?
 Bays of Pigs invasion and Cuban Blockade

3. Imagine this…
 It is 1965, you are elected to Congress.
Congratulations! Voters are concerned
about events in Vietnam, and you are
carefully following the events so far. No one
knows what will happen if the U.S. gets
more involved. It might help stop
communism, it might also kill thousands of
American troops.
 Would you support sending U.S. troops?
Why or why not?

5. President Johnson
 Some said he wanted this war
 1964- USS Maddox is fired upon in the Gulf of Tonkin
 Johnson asks Congress to allow him to take action =
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
 “to take all necessary measures to repeal any armed attack
against the forces of the U.S.”

6. Questions…
 Did the Congress ever declare war on
Vietnam?
 Why might there be issues with giving
the President the powers given in the
Tonkin Gulf Resolution?

7. Ho Chi Minh Trail
 Ho Chi Minh Trail- Supply route used by VC

8. Agent
Orange

9. Search and Destroy
 Tactic used in Vietnam
to search for enemies
and enemy camps, and
quickly leave. Once
gone they could dump
massive amount of
explosives on that area.

10. U.S. Soldiers in Vietnam
 2 million served
 18-21 on average
 Soldiers everyday had to worry about
land mines and traps
 “You simply trusted absolutely no one. I
mean, from a 5-year-old kid to a 75-year-
old woman.”
 Many false myths about soldiers
 Enlisted vs drafted
 Racial
 Suicidal and Drug use

11. Turning Point
 American military leaders thought we
were nearing the end of the war
 1968- New Year (Tet) normally meant
cease-fire
 Tet Offensive: Vietcong launched
surprise attacks all over South Vietnam
 Uh Oh! Enemy is still really strong

12. Tet changes minds
 After the Tet only
33% of Americans
believed the U.S. is
winning the war
 49% said we
shouldn’t have
gone in.

14. Popular opinion
 “Living room war”
 Hawks
 Doves
 Search and destroy
mission goes wrong
 My Lai incident