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The Vietnam Era (19541975)
Luke Cunningham
Theme
• President John F. Kennedy was faced with the
embarrassment of the Bay of Pigs invasion, and
the Cuban missile crisis. On top of that he
brought the United States to war with Vietnam
due to the containment policy. The nation was
divided during the war because it was so
unpopular, and largely protested.
President
Kennedy and the
USSR leader
Khrushchev are
shown in this
political cartoon
trying to prevent a
nuclear war. This
represents the
soviet retreat
during the Cuban
missile crisis
Pictures such as this came back from the war in Vietnam,
and they sparked protests because they show the injury
and casualties that Americans faced. There were also
pictures of innocent Vietnamese that were being
prosecuted.
During the Vietnam
war, the nation was
divided into the
supporters (Hawks)
and the protesters
(Doves). The
protesters were
commonly college
students, and were
often called “Hippies”
The Fall of Saigon was where the United States citizens learned that we
weren't really winning the war, and the Vietcong were still strong enough to
attack. Peace talks began shortly after this.
President Nixon started a policy of Détente between the United States and the
communist countries. He made peace not only with the USSR but also in the
Peoples Republic of China.
President John F. Kennedy
• Avoided Nuclear war
with the USSR during
the Cuban missile crisis
through negotiation
• Started the Peace Corps
to help people in
developing nations
President Lyndon B. Johnson
• Became president after
Kennedy was
assassinated.
• Caused the escalation of
the Vietnam conflict
after the gulf of Tonkin
resolution.
President Richard Nixon
• Proclaimed a détente
between the United
States and the
Communists.
• Announced
Vietnamization to slowly
withdraw American
troops from Vietnam
and replace them with
Vietnamese soldiers.
Crisis in Cuba
• The Cuban missile crisis, and the Bay of pigs
invasion were both signs that the Soviet Union
was a major threat to the United States and to
the outbreak of a nuclear war.
Communist Containment
• The containment policy caused the United
States to have to aid the war in Laos, Korea, and
Vietnam. Containment wasn’t working well.
Korea and China had fallen to communism.
The Vietnam War
• The south Vietnamese were being invaded by
the communist Vietcong and the North
Vietnamese. Because they were independent,
and were being threatened by communism,
America had to step in due to containment.
Johnson called for escalation of the military due
to supposed attacks on American ships, and the
war raged until South Vietnam was lost.
Protest Against the War
• Many colleges had to be shut down for long
periods of time due to large amounts of student
protesters. They protested because of high
casualties, and the draft. The protests often grew
violent, and in one incident 6 protesting college
students were shot.
Détente with Communism
• During Nixon's presidency, he declared détente,
and eased the tension between the United States
and the Communists by going to the USSR and
The Peoples Republic of China to have
diplomatic meetings with the leaders and
promote peace.