Table of Contents
Teacher Introduction .........................................................................................................................v
Overview: The Vietnam War .............................................................................................................vii
LESSONS
1. French Colonialism
Teacher Page ...............................................................................................................................1
Student Worksheet .......................................................................................................................3
2. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Teacher Page ...............................................................................................................................5
Student Worksheet .......................................................................................................................7
3. The My Lai Massacre
Teacher Page ...............................................................................................................................9
Student Worksheet .......................................................................................................................11
4. Antiwar Protests
Teacher Page ...............................................................................................................................13
Student Worksheet .......................................................................................................................15
5. Vietnamization, the Paris Accords, and the End of the War
Teacher Page ...............................................................................................................................17
Student Worksheet .......................................................................................................................19
Culminating Activity ......................................................................................................................21
Teacher Page ...............................................................................................................................21
Student Worksheet .......................................................................................................................22
Appendix ...........................................................................................................................................23
Answer Key .................................................................................................................................25
Rubrics .........................................................................................................................................27
Related Web Sites .........................................................................................................................34
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DOCUMENT-BASED ACTIVITIES ON THE
VIETNAM WAR
TEACHER INTRODUCTION
Description:
Students will learn about the Vietnam War, and how the United States became involved in the
conflict between the years of 1960 and 1975. The unit begins with an exploration of French
colonialism in Vietnam and ends with the Paris Accords. Students discuss both the national and
international implications of the Vietnam War, analyze U.S. policy decisions and debate student
protest movements. Students are exposed to speeches, written documents, political cartoons, music,
and photographs. The unit as a whole centers around the following question: Should the United
States have gotten involved in Vietnam?
Unit objectives:
Knowledge: students will
• understand the nature of French colonialism in Vietnam
• evaluate U.S. war policies and resolutions
• debate and discuss the antiwar protest movement
Skills:
• analyze, evaluate, and interpret primary source documents
• discuss and debate issues use evidence to draw conclusions
Prior Knowledge Required:
Students will need to have a thorough understanding of the Cold War. Students will need to be
familiar with French Colonialism in Vietnam, the Eisenhower administrations policies, 1960s
counterculture, the civil rights movement and Lyndon B. Johnsons Great Society.
Teachers should use these lessons to teach the Vietnam War in conjunction with other activities,
lessons and lectures. Although these lessons discuss French Colonialism, Lyndon B. Johnson, the
My Lai Massacre, antiwar protests, and the Paris Accords, students will also need to be introduced
and exposed to the Tet Offensive, controversies over prisoners of war, the structure of the South
Vietnamese army and government, and more.
Lesson Format:
Each lesson consists of two parts: a teacher page and a student handout or worksheet. The teacher
page contains an overview, objectives, materials (including Web addresses), directions, discussion
questions, and an extension activity. Each student handout contains an introduction, directions, Web
addresses, and questions to be answered about the source.
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Assessment:
Most questions on the student handouts are short-answer questions and evaluation should be
done based on the precision and accuracy of answers. Suggested answer keys can be found in the
Appendix. Point values are not assigned to questions on the worksheets in order to allow teachers to
evaluate students according to standards that have been previously developed and maintained in the
classroom. It is recommended, however, that teachers evaluate student worksheets in conjunction
with their involvement in class discussions. Suggested rubrics can found in the Appendix.
Additional Sources:
The Appendix contains answer keys, an annotated list of Web sites on the Vietnam War, rubrics, and
supplementary materials available from www.socialstudies.com.
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OVERVIEW: THE VIETNAM WAR
I knew from the start that I was bound to be crucified either way I moved. If I left the woman I
really loved—the Great Society—in order to get involved with that bitch of a war on the other side
of the world, then I would lose everything at home… But if I left that war and let the Communists
take over South Vietnam, then I would be seen as a coward and my nation would be seen as an
appeaser and we would both find it impossible to accomplish anything for anybody anywhere on the
entire globe.
1
—President Lyndon B. Johnson
The roots of the conflict between the United States and the North Vietnamese went all the
way back to when French authorities and military personnel arrived on Vietnamese soil during
the second half of the nineteenth century. The French conquest of Indochina was part of a larger
pattern of European imperialism, as the French took advantage of the Vietnamese land and people
to export rice, rubber, and coal. During the early 20th century, however, resentment of French rule
helped spur the rise of Vietnamese nationalism. It was during this time that Ho Chi Minh, who
would later lead the North Vietnamese in the war against the United States, became a committed
Communist revolutionary.
2
In 1945, at the end of World War II and Japanese/French occupation, Ho Chi Minh declared
Vietnam to be an independent country, free of imperial rule. Years of fighting between the French
and Vietnamese followed. The U.S. sent aid, committing money and resources to support the French
in the hopes of preventing the spread of communism. Ultimately, however, the French were dealt
a devastating defeat at Dien Bien Phu; shortly afterward at the Geneva Conference, they formally
withdrew from Vietnam, and a treaty divided the country at the 17th parallel. The northern half
of Vietnam, ruled by Ho Chi Minh, was committed to communism and the southern half of
Vietnam was committed to democracy. The Kennedy and Johnson administrations, in the wake
of the Cold War, felt it necessary to prevent the spread of communism into South Vietnam at all
costs. The “Domino theory,” subscribed to by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and other
Johnson advisers, maintained that if one country became communist, neighboring countries would
themselves become communist, falling like dominoes.
In 1964, after a skirmish between North Vietnamese ships and U.S. destroyers in the Tonkin
Gulf just off Vietnam, Johnson presented Congress with what came to be known as the Gulf of
Tonkin resolution. The resolution essentially gave Johnson the power to increase the American
military presence in Southeast Asia, and marked the beginning of full-scale U.S. involvement in
the conflict between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. It would take roughly fifteen years for the
United States to find peace both at home and abroad. The fighting in Vietnam was characterized by
“search and destroy” missions, often leading frustrated U.S. soldiers into poor and/or unoccupied
villages. Troops neither spoke the language, nor could they easily identify the enemy. The
Vietcong—familiar with the climate, terrain, and seasonsengaged the United States in guerilla
warfare on their own territory,. The U.S. engaged in massive bombing campaigns that often spilled
1. “Vietnam, An American Ordeal” by George Donelson Moss pg. 157.
2. Please note that it is difficult to summarize the entirety of the Vietnam War in two pages or less. I recommend, “Vietnam, An
American Ordeal” by George Donelson Moss as an excellent resource on the U.S./Vietnam Conflict.
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over into neighboring Laos or Cambodia. Atrocities occurred on both sides; the most famous case
involved American soldiers occurred in 1968 and came to be known as the My Lai Massacre. In the
Quang Ngai Province U.S. troops killed roughly 300 to 400 innocent civilians while searching for
Vietcong guerrillas. The incident received widespread media attention, and provoked both shock
and outrage back home. Lt. William Calley became the public face of the massacre, and was the first
American to be court-martialed for committing atrocities during war.
Antiwar protests became more and more prevalent as the U.S. commitment in Vietnam
escalated. They were fueled by and joined with many of the social movements going on at the
same time such as the civil rights movement, the Womens Liberation movement, and 1960s
counterculture, and “flower power.” Protesters engaged in acts of civil disobedience, and although
most rallies were peaceful, some turned violent, leading to beatings, arrests, and even the deaths
of some antiwar advocates. Students rioted on university campuses, conscientious objectors rose in
numbers, and draft dodgers fled to Canada or Mexico.
The war finally came to an end for the U.S. in 1973, when Secretary of State Henry Kissinger
and President Nixon agreed to sign the Paris Accords, ending U.S. involvement and bringing soldiers
(and prisoners of war) home. Two years later, North Vietnamese troops captured Saigon, the South
Vietnamese capital, bringing the war to an end and unifying the country under communist rule.
Although the American War in Vietnam ended in 1973, the United States did not normalize its
relations with the Vietnamese government until the 1990s.
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French Colonialism
Teacher Page
Overview:
The goal of this activity is to give students an understanding of French colonialism in Vietnam.
Students read the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence, a speech delivered by Ho Chi Minh in
Hanoi on September 2nd, 1945.
Objectives:
Students will:
• understand and interpret the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence
• draw conclusions on Vietnamese society under French colonial rule
Web Sites Used in this Lesson:
All Web links for this lesson can be found at: http://www.socialstudies.com/uslinks.html
The Vietnamese Declaration of Independence
In addition, a list of Web pages from the Library of Congress that provide students
with background information on French colonial rule in Vietnam can be found at http://
socialstudies.com/uslinks.html.
Strategies:
Discuss French colonialism in Vietnam and the transition of power from the French to the Japanese.
Have students complete the worksheet, then discuss the document’s historical significance with the
whole class. Following this lesson, the class should discuss the Geneva Accords and developments
in Vietnam prior to 1960 in order to learn how the U.S. became involved in defending democracy in
South Vietnam.
Wrap-Up:
After students complete the worksheet, review answers as a class and use the following questions to
lead a discussion.
1. Why was Vietnam a politically unstable country following World War II?
2.
W
as Ho Chi Minh an effective leader? What do we learn from his speech that leads us to believe
he would become an effective leader?
3.
H
ow might the spirit of Ho Chi Minhs declaration have functioned later in the war against the
United States?
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Extension Activity:
Have students read the Geneva Accords and debate the conclusions drawn in the Geneva Accords.
Pose the following question: “In their involvement in Vietnam, did the U.S. repeat mistakes made
earlier by the French?
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Sample from: 'DBA: The Vietnam War' | Product code: ZP186
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Name:
Period:
French Colonialism
Student Worksheet
Introduction:
France established a stronghold in the southern region of Vietnam during the later half of the
nineteenth century. By 1883, French authority extended over the entire country. The French conquest
of Indochina was part of a larger pattern of European imperialism, as the French took advantage of
both the Vietnamese land and people to export rice, rubber, and coal. During the early 20th century,
however, resentment of French rule helped spur the rise of Vietnamese nationalism. It was during this
rise of nationalism that Ho Chi Minh stepped onto the scene and became a committed communist
revolutionary. He would later lead the North Vietnamese in the war against the United States.
All web links for this lesson can be found at: http://www.socialstudies.com/uslinks.html
Directions:
The Vietnamese Declaration of Independence
President Ho Chi Minh delivered this address in Hanoi on September 2nd, 1945. Answer the
following questions regarding this document:
1. Why might Ho Chi Minh have borrowed phrases from the United States Declaration of
Independence and the French Rights of Man and the Citizen?
2. According to the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence, how were the Vietnamese treated
under French Imperial rule?
3. What are some of the Vietnamese grievances against the French? Provide two or three
specific examples.
4. Who ruled Vietnam after 1940? Why?
3
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Sample from: 'DBA: The Vietnam War' | Product code: ZP186
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5. How and why did the Vietnamese justify their independence from France?
6. Was Vietnam an independent nation following World War II? Why or why not?
4
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Sample from: 'DBA: The Vietnam War' | Product code: ZP186
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