Vietnam War Era

Day 1-3 -- Introduction to the Vietnam War era

• In-class reading entitled A Different Kind of War
• Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam

Day 4 (every other school year) -- Presentation from the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapters 351 and 731 -- Reflections of Vietnam

Until more recent photos can be uploaded, enjoy this suitably out of date video:

Day 5 The Tonkin Gulf Incident and the Americanization of the Vietnam War

• In class, we reviewed both the Tonkin Gulf Incident and the following Tonkin Gulf Resolution which granted president Johnson the legal authority to "take all necessary measures" to deal with the communist threat in Vietnam. We also reviewed transcripts of tapes from the LBJ White House, which shows that as early as 1964, policy makers had grave doubts about the possibility of success in Vietnam.
• Assignment: Section 2 -- US Involvement in Vietnam Questions

Day 6

• Quiz #1
• Discussion -- US / Vietnamese Tactics & Reading of Primary Source (excerpt from A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo)

Day 9: -- The Turning Point -- Tet

• In class, view a segment of The Vietnam War by Ken Burns entitled Things Fall Apart that features the impact of the Tet Offensive in January-February 1968.
• Complete Chapter 29.3 Questions (below):

Day 10: Vietnam Memo Presentations

Day 11: 1968 Notes/Discussion

Day 12 - 13

• 1968 with Tom Brokaw

Day 14

• Discussion -- Events of 1968
• Vietnam Quiz #2
• Assignment: Analysis of Nixon's Vietnamization Speech http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=2303

Day 15

• Discuss -- Ending the Vietnam War (slideshow below)
• Assignment: Nixon and China

Days 16-17 -- Vietnam Era Review and Exam