The Cover-up:
1. Regardless of the outcome, should the President of the United States have a right to privacy in regards to the Oval Office tapes? Explain.
I believe that the President of the United States definitely should not have the right to privacy in regards to the Oval Office Tapes. This is because, regardless of the right of privacy, the tapes were an extreme significance to the Watergate Crisis and was an extremely valuable piece of evidence. If the president were to be committing illegal crimes, and such news like the evidence of the existence of the tapes were leaked, the President should not have the right to deny this evidence because it is his own privacy because it will help determine the justice that should be served in the case. And anyways, if the president is denying any access to a piece of evidence, it is probably because the evidence is not in their favor which just proves that the evidence should be leaked to find this justice.
2. Was President Nixon justified when he fired special prosecutor Archibald Cox? Explain.
I believe that President Nixon was not justified. At this point Nixon had been abusing his power in office. He basically was saying "I don't like the way this court case it going, so I'm just going to put an end to it by firing those associated with trying to force me into giving up the tapes." When he fired special prosecutor Archibald Cox he had only done this because Cox had been trying to get him to release the evidence of the tapes and was determined on doing so. Therefore Nixon fired him and had intervened with justice that could have been served by releasing the tapes.
3. Was Nixon creating a Constitutional crisis by refusing to hand-over the tapes? Explain.
Yes he was. By refusing to hand-over the tapes to the Court he had basically been saying screw you to the judicial branch and acting as if the executive branch had more power over the judicial when it reality all the branches had equal power of course. Nixon's action's led Congress to question whether the President had the authority or right to keep the tapes.
Closure:
4. Why do you think the American public was so outraged by Watergate?
The American Public was so outraged by the Watergate Crisis most likely because the plumbers, the five men acting in the watergate robbery, were paid 25,000 dollars of the CREEP's fundraiser money that had been donated by the American public. Basically, the Watergate incident was funded by the money of the american public for illegal purposes. Another reason for the outrage of the American Public would be the fact that president Nixon had deliberately lied to the American Public by stating that he had no business in the Watergate business and denied any knowledge of the crime. However when the tapers were released, the government was able to discover what Nixon knew and when he knew it; Nixon had known about the Watergate incident two days before his announcement to the public stating he knew nothing of it. Therefore the public now knew the president was lying to them, outraging them.
5. Do you think President Nixon should have resigned? Explain.
I do think it was smart of President Nixon to resign before he could have been impeached. There was no way that Nixon was going to come out of the case winning, there was too much evidence against him. Therefore by resigning he is saving himself the embarrassment and shame of being impeached. Therefore by resigning he has saved himself some pride, compared to feeling the shame of being impeached.
6. Do you think President Nixon should have been prosecuted? Explain.
I definitely do feel that President Nixon should have been prosecuted because of the illegal crimes he had been committing. Nixon had been committing these crimes for a long time during his presidency, the Watergate Crisis is only an example of one crime he committed that had finally gone wrong. Nixon knew about the Watergate break-in, however he continued to deny any involvement of himself or his administration. He had been lying to the Supreme Court and the American public, and therefore obstructing justice. Also throughout the crisis had had been obstructing crisis. For example he tried to force the CIA to get the FBI to stop the investigation, he fired Cox just because things in the case were not going his way and he did not want to give up the tapes that Cox had been so determined on obtaining, and he had refused to hand over the tapes and therefore had been abusing his power in office. Just because Nixon is president he should not be treated any differently in this case because he had been obstructing justice, and therefore should have been punished.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Watergate: Nixon's Downfall
1. How were the "plumbers" connected to President Nixon?
The plumbers were connected to President Nixon because, they were the burglars hired by President Nixon to break into the DNC. The white house, with President Nixon's consent, tried everything to get rid of the evidence. They urged the FBI to stop the investigation into the burglary on the grounds of national security. In addition to that the CRP payed the "plumbers" 450,000 dollars to keep silent after they were indicted September of 1972.
2. Who was the judge? Why did he hand out maximum sentences?
The judge was John Sirca. He handed out maximum sentences because he had believed that the burglars had not acted by themselves, he indicated that they had lied under oath.
3. How were Mitchell and Dean connected to Nixon?
Mitchell and Dean were connected to Nixon because Nixon had dissmissed White House counsel John Dean and and announced the resignations of Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and attorney General Richard Kleindienst, who had recently replaced John Mitchell. Nixon was seen as trying to cover-up the burglary.
4. How were Haldeman and Erlichman connected to Nixon?
Haldeman and Erlichman were connected to Nixon because he had announced their resignation from the White House, which was seen as a cover-up made by President Nixon.
5. What did the following men tell the Senate about Nixon?
a. Dean: Dean stated that President Nixon had been deeply involved in the cover up. He had even said that he and Nixon, along with several advisers, discussed strategies for continuing the deceit.
b. Butterfield: Butterfield told the court that President Nixon had taped virtually all of the conversations in the White House. He claimed that the taping system was used by Nixon to "help Nixon write his memoirs." However for the Senate Committee that tape were key to revealing what Nixon knew, and when he knew.
6. Who was fired or forced to resign in the "massacre"?
President Nixon had ordered Attorney General Richardson to fire Cox (who had appointed to investigate the case.) refused to fire Cox and resigned. Next, the deputy attorney general also refused the order by Nixon and was fired. And finally, Cox was fired by General Robert Bork.
7. Why weren't investigators satisified with the transcripts?
Investigators were satisfied with the transcripts because they demanded the unedited tapes, since Nixon had sent out ones edited rather than the untampered tapes.
8. What did the tapes reveal?
The tapes revealed that President Nixon had known about the role of administrators in the burglary and that he approved the plan to distract or take the investigation away from the FBI. It also revealed the eighteen minute conversation between Haldeman and Nixon which ended up disclosing the investigation completely.
9. Why did Vice President Spiro Agnew resign?
Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned because it was revealed that he took bribery from engineering firms while he was the governor of Maryland, and he thought that he'd be impeached because he thought he had no chance in winning the trial.
10. What did the House Judiciary Committee charge President Nixon with?
The House Judiciary Committee charged President Nixon with high crimes and misdameanors. They came to the conclusion that the president should be impeached because of the scandal, which the crimes and misdameanors of the scandal made the committee discuss and decide wheither or not President Nixon should be impeached. Also, they convicted him with obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress for not obeying to release the tapes to Congress after they told him to.
11. How did the Watergate scandal create a constitutional crisis?
The Watergate scandal created a constitutional crisis because Congress had to revisit the constitution and fix how much power the President could have and fix the guidelines for the reasons why a president should be considered or should be impeached.
The plumbers were connected to President Nixon because, they were the burglars hired by President Nixon to break into the DNC. The white house, with President Nixon's consent, tried everything to get rid of the evidence. They urged the FBI to stop the investigation into the burglary on the grounds of national security. In addition to that the CRP payed the "plumbers" 450,000 dollars to keep silent after they were indicted September of 1972.
2. Who was the judge? Why did he hand out maximum sentences?
The judge was John Sirca. He handed out maximum sentences because he had believed that the burglars had not acted by themselves, he indicated that they had lied under oath.
3. How were Mitchell and Dean connected to Nixon?
Mitchell and Dean were connected to Nixon because Nixon had dissmissed White House counsel John Dean and and announced the resignations of Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and attorney General Richard Kleindienst, who had recently replaced John Mitchell. Nixon was seen as trying to cover-up the burglary.
4. How were Haldeman and Erlichman connected to Nixon?
Haldeman and Erlichman were connected to Nixon because he had announced their resignation from the White House, which was seen as a cover-up made by President Nixon.
5. What did the following men tell the Senate about Nixon?
a. Dean: Dean stated that President Nixon had been deeply involved in the cover up. He had even said that he and Nixon, along with several advisers, discussed strategies for continuing the deceit.
b. Butterfield: Butterfield told the court that President Nixon had taped virtually all of the conversations in the White House. He claimed that the taping system was used by Nixon to "help Nixon write his memoirs." However for the Senate Committee that tape were key to revealing what Nixon knew, and when he knew.
6. Who was fired or forced to resign in the "massacre"?
President Nixon had ordered Attorney General Richardson to fire Cox (who had appointed to investigate the case.) refused to fire Cox and resigned. Next, the deputy attorney general also refused the order by Nixon and was fired. And finally, Cox was fired by General Robert Bork.
7. Why weren't investigators satisified with the transcripts?
Investigators were satisfied with the transcripts because they demanded the unedited tapes, since Nixon had sent out ones edited rather than the untampered tapes.
8. What did the tapes reveal?
The tapes revealed that President Nixon had known about the role of administrators in the burglary and that he approved the plan to distract or take the investigation away from the FBI. It also revealed the eighteen minute conversation between Haldeman and Nixon which ended up disclosing the investigation completely.
9. Why did Vice President Spiro Agnew resign?
Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned because it was revealed that he took bribery from engineering firms while he was the governor of Maryland, and he thought that he'd be impeached because he thought he had no chance in winning the trial.
10. What did the House Judiciary Committee charge President Nixon with?
The House Judiciary Committee charged President Nixon with high crimes and misdameanors. They came to the conclusion that the president should be impeached because of the scandal, which the crimes and misdameanors of the scandal made the committee discuss and decide wheither or not President Nixon should be impeached. Also, they convicted him with obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress for not obeying to release the tapes to Congress after they told him to.
11. How did the Watergate scandal create a constitutional crisis?
The Watergate scandal created a constitutional crisis because Congress had to revisit the constitution and fix how much power the President could have and fix the guidelines for the reasons why a president should be considered or should be impeached.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Women Fight for Equality
Directions: As you read about the rise of a new women’s movement, take notes to explain how each of the following helped to create or advance the movement.
1. Experiences in the workplace: By 1960 women the percentage of women working for wages increased by 40 percent. But still during the time certain jobs were considered "mens jobs" therefore women were shut out. The country largely ignored this discrimination until finally President Kennedy appointed the Presidential Commission on the status of women in 1961. Because of this women were seldom promoted to management positions, regardless of their education, experience, and ability. These newly publicized facts awakened women of their unequal status in their country.
2. Experiences in social activism: These experiences led women to organize small groups to discuss their concerns. These discussions led to "consciousness raising."
3. "Consciousness raising": During these sessions women shared their lives together and discovered that their experiences were not unique. They reflected a much larger pattern of sexism. Thus raising the awareness of the problem and causing more females to realize just how serious and common the issue is.
4. Feminism: The belief that women should have economic, political, and social equality with men. Feminism was the spark to the women's movement and was the theory behind it. Therefore it was of a huge importance to the women's movement, since it had created it.
5. Betty Friedan and The Feminine Mystique: Betty Friedan wrote the book "The Feminine Mystique." This book captured the very discontent that many women were feeling, and quickly became a best seller and helped galvanize many women across the country. Betty Friedan and her book had been one of the very reasons why women started to gain more interest in the problem and how to cause it, since by the late 1960's women had been working together for change.
6. Civil Rights Act of 1964: The civil rights act of 1964 had caused women to gain strength with the passage of the act, which prohibited discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, and gender. It also created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to handle discrimination claims. This helped advance the movement because it had helped women gain the strength they needed to fulfill the movement.
7. National Organization for Women (NOW): The Organization was created to pursue women's goals. NOW members pushed for the creation of child-care-facilities that would enable mothers to pursue jobs and education. It also pressured the EEOC to enforce more vigorously the ban on gender discrimination in hiring. NOW's efforts had prompted the EEOC to declare sex-segregated job ads illegal and to issue guidelines to employers, stating that they could no longer refuse to hire women for traditionally male jobs. Therefore the National Organization for Women advanced the movement tremendously by enforcing the ban on gender discrimination.
8. Gloria Steinem and Ms. Magazine: Gloria Steinem was one of the most important prominent figures in the movement after she and a few other women founded Ms. Magazine, which treated contemporary issues from a feminist perspective. She also helped founded the National Women's Political Caucus, which encouraged women to seek political office. Her actions were advanced the movement by this.
9. Congress: Congress passed a ban on gender discrimination in "any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." This was a huge advance to the movement because after Congress's actions several all-male colleges opened their doors to women. Also, that same year Congress had expanded the powers of the EEOC and gave working parents a tax break for child care expenses which was a huge help.
10. Supreme Court: The Supreme Court ruled in Roe vs Wade, one of the more controversial positions that NOW and other feminist groups supported. (Women do have the right to abortion during the first three months of pregnancy) However the issue still divides Americans today, although it shows the Supreme Court making an effort to support women in their movement.
11. The Equal rights Amendment would have guaranteed equal rights under the law, regardless of gender. Who opposed this amendment? Why? Phyllis Schlafy, along with conservative religious groups, were against the amendment because they were scared that it would lead to "a parade of horribles." Such as the drafting of women, the end of laws protecting homemakers, the end of a husband's responsibility to provide for his family, and same-sex marriages. Schlafy had claimed that radical feminists "hate men, marriage, and children" and were oppressed "only in their distorted minds."
1. Experiences in the workplace: By 1960 women the percentage of women working for wages increased by 40 percent. But still during the time certain jobs were considered "mens jobs" therefore women were shut out. The country largely ignored this discrimination until finally President Kennedy appointed the Presidential Commission on the status of women in 1961. Because of this women were seldom promoted to management positions, regardless of their education, experience, and ability. These newly publicized facts awakened women of their unequal status in their country.
2. Experiences in social activism: These experiences led women to organize small groups to discuss their concerns. These discussions led to "consciousness raising."
3. "Consciousness raising": During these sessions women shared their lives together and discovered that their experiences were not unique. They reflected a much larger pattern of sexism. Thus raising the awareness of the problem and causing more females to realize just how serious and common the issue is.
4. Feminism: The belief that women should have economic, political, and social equality with men. Feminism was the spark to the women's movement and was the theory behind it. Therefore it was of a huge importance to the women's movement, since it had created it.
5. Betty Friedan and The Feminine Mystique: Betty Friedan wrote the book "The Feminine Mystique." This book captured the very discontent that many women were feeling, and quickly became a best seller and helped galvanize many women across the country. Betty Friedan and her book had been one of the very reasons why women started to gain more interest in the problem and how to cause it, since by the late 1960's women had been working together for change.
6. Civil Rights Act of 1964: The civil rights act of 1964 had caused women to gain strength with the passage of the act, which prohibited discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, and gender. It also created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to handle discrimination claims. This helped advance the movement because it had helped women gain the strength they needed to fulfill the movement.
7. National Organization for Women (NOW): The Organization was created to pursue women's goals. NOW members pushed for the creation of child-care-facilities that would enable mothers to pursue jobs and education. It also pressured the EEOC to enforce more vigorously the ban on gender discrimination in hiring. NOW's efforts had prompted the EEOC to declare sex-segregated job ads illegal and to issue guidelines to employers, stating that they could no longer refuse to hire women for traditionally male jobs. Therefore the National Organization for Women advanced the movement tremendously by enforcing the ban on gender discrimination.
8. Gloria Steinem and Ms. Magazine: Gloria Steinem was one of the most important prominent figures in the movement after she and a few other women founded Ms. Magazine, which treated contemporary issues from a feminist perspective. She also helped founded the National Women's Political Caucus, which encouraged women to seek political office. Her actions were advanced the movement by this.
9. Congress: Congress passed a ban on gender discrimination in "any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." This was a huge advance to the movement because after Congress's actions several all-male colleges opened their doors to women. Also, that same year Congress had expanded the powers of the EEOC and gave working parents a tax break for child care expenses which was a huge help.
10. Supreme Court: The Supreme Court ruled in Roe vs Wade, one of the more controversial positions that NOW and other feminist groups supported. (Women do have the right to abortion during the first three months of pregnancy) However the issue still divides Americans today, although it shows the Supreme Court making an effort to support women in their movement.
11. The Equal rights Amendment would have guaranteed equal rights under the law, regardless of gender. Who opposed this amendment? Why? Phyllis Schlafy, along with conservative religious groups, were against the amendment because they were scared that it would lead to "a parade of horribles." Such as the drafting of women, the end of laws protecting homemakers, the end of a husband's responsibility to provide for his family, and same-sex marriages. Schlafy had claimed that radical feminists "hate men, marriage, and children" and were oppressed "only in their distorted minds."
Monday, May 10, 2010
Why did the USA lose the Vietnam War?
Why did the USA lose the Vietnam War?
The Americans did not lose purely for military reasons. There were other factors as well.
Write an explanation AND cite a source which shows the importance of the following six factors:
1. US military tactics in Vietnam: During the Vietnam War the US military used a lot of ineffective tactics. These were the search & destroy tactics, the orange and napalm bombs, and finally their extensive bombing on North Vietnam. The search & destroy tactics were very very ineffective. This is because the US military had been burning down villages, and in the midst of it killing many innocent civilians mistaken for Viet Cong fighters hiding in these villages. The US had wasted their time, they found very few Viet Cong fighters and probably killed more innocent civilians rather than what they were looking for, Viet Cong. Next the orange and napalm bombs also did very little. They had not only killed innocent people, but children as well which certainly did not make the US look good to the American public when pictures leaked of children running from the Napalm bombs. (Source 42) And finally, their bombing tactics did very little to the Communists. It only slowed them down, since the Communists were able to pick up right from where they started after the bombs with a major assault attack against the US military. They had also bombed the ancient Hue (source 41) that had caused outraged amongst the American public questioning the US military and their morals during the Vietnam War.
2. The unpopularity of the South Vietnamese regime: The unpopularity of the South Vietnamese regime was another factor as to why the US lost the Vietnam War. The United States had supported Ngo Dinh Diem, who's regime was extremely corrupt. He was an extreme anti-communist who showed little respect for the Buddhist religion. Buddhist priests would protest by lightning themselves on fire in public (source 33) But America "knew of no one better." and kept supporting Diem. They needed somebody strong to help them defeat the communists. He wouldn't even hold any elections for positions of power, he would appoint members of his own family. The unpopularity of the South Vietnamese Regime was the reason for the formation of the Viet Cong. Because of the actions of these anti-communist governments, support among the ordinary peasants for the Communist- led National Front for the liberation of South Vietnam was set up, the movement is referred to as Viet Cong.
3. The experience of the Viet Cong and the inexperience of the American soldiers: The Viet Cong fighters clearly showed much more experience than the American soldiers during the Vietnam War, leading to the defeat of the US. The Viet Cong fighters had the upper hand since they were fighting in their home, they knew their land well while the America soldiers had not a clue on where they were going. The Viet Cong soldiers used their advantage well and decided to use Guerilla tactics, which was extremely effective. As seen in source Source 37, American soldiers would search and search through the jungles, but the Viet Cong was hiding in the jungle unable to be seen by the US giving them the upper hand. Viet Cong fighters had been extremely hard to find for the US soldiers because of this, leading to why the US had such a hard time defeating them.
4. Domestic opposition to the war in the U.S: During the Vietnam War the American public did not support the American soldiers being there. Many many people were opposed to the war, and therefore many anti- war protests were formed. Nasty pictures began to leak out of screaming children running fro US Napalm bombs (source 42) Along with information about the My Lai Massacre (source 50), that shocked the world. Because of this discomfort throughout the American public about their soldiers taking apart of these horrible acts, it had caused a raucous throughout the American Public demanding that the war was put to an end. The numerous amount of protests were effective in making the President think about why they were in Vietnam. This loss of support made America think about leaving Vietnam, in which they did enabling them to lose the war.
5. Chinese and Soviet support for the Viet Cong: Both the Chinese and Soviet Union had supplied Viet Cong with weapons, which was very helpful to the Viet Cong. China had been very against the US winning the Vietnam War. As shown in source 38, they didn't want America to be in Vietnam. Along with this, the Soviet Union had been supporting Viet Cong because they wanted to spread communism so they felt that they had to support Vietnam as much as possible in order to spread the communism. Clearly Viet Cong had its supporters, while the US did not. The US had the help of the South Vietnamese regime, but they were no help. They depended on the American soldiers, and therefore kind of sat bat and watched the US do all of the work. The US had been alone in the war pretty much, while Viet Cong had been supporters which is a main reason the US lost the Vietnam War.
6. 'But did they really lose?' Summarize the argument put forward in Source 57, and your view on it.:V
Source 57 makes the argument that America did not lose the Vietnam War. It makes the point that the American Military had not been defeated in Vietnam, The US had not lost the war in Vietnam- the South Vietnamese did, and the fall of Saigon. Source 57 states that American military had not been defeated because they had preformed a major military defeat for the VC and NVA. Next, the fall of Saigon had happened two years after the US military had left, therefore how could they lose a war that they had already stopped fighting? In my opinion, I believe that the Vietnam war was a loss for us. This is because we had involved ourselves in a war we were not prepared for, and that we failed at successfully defeating communism, our primary goal for being apart of the Vietnam. Since we did not achieve our goals, we did not win the war we lost. Source 57 does make a good argument as to how this isn't personally a defeat for our country. But in my perspective we wasted our time being there to get rid of communism, and we could not defeat it meaning we failed.
Add other if you think there are factors you should consider.
The Americans did not lose purely for military reasons. There were other factors as well.
Write an explanation AND cite a source which shows the importance of the following six factors:
1. US military tactics in Vietnam: During the Vietnam War the US military used a lot of ineffective tactics. These were the search & destroy tactics, the orange and napalm bombs, and finally their extensive bombing on North Vietnam. The search & destroy tactics were very very ineffective. This is because the US military had been burning down villages, and in the midst of it killing many innocent civilians mistaken for Viet Cong fighters hiding in these villages. The US had wasted their time, they found very few Viet Cong fighters and probably killed more innocent civilians rather than what they were looking for, Viet Cong. Next the orange and napalm bombs also did very little. They had not only killed innocent people, but children as well which certainly did not make the US look good to the American public when pictures leaked of children running from the Napalm bombs. (Source 42) And finally, their bombing tactics did very little to the Communists. It only slowed them down, since the Communists were able to pick up right from where they started after the bombs with a major assault attack against the US military. They had also bombed the ancient Hue (source 41) that had caused outraged amongst the American public questioning the US military and their morals during the Vietnam War.
2. The unpopularity of the South Vietnamese regime: The unpopularity of the South Vietnamese regime was another factor as to why the US lost the Vietnam War. The United States had supported Ngo Dinh Diem, who's regime was extremely corrupt. He was an extreme anti-communist who showed little respect for the Buddhist religion. Buddhist priests would protest by lightning themselves on fire in public (source 33) But America "knew of no one better." and kept supporting Diem. They needed somebody strong to help them defeat the communists. He wouldn't even hold any elections for positions of power, he would appoint members of his own family. The unpopularity of the South Vietnamese Regime was the reason for the formation of the Viet Cong. Because of the actions of these anti-communist governments, support among the ordinary peasants for the Communist- led National Front for the liberation of South Vietnam was set up, the movement is referred to as Viet Cong.
3. The experience of the Viet Cong and the inexperience of the American soldiers: The Viet Cong fighters clearly showed much more experience than the American soldiers during the Vietnam War, leading to the defeat of the US. The Viet Cong fighters had the upper hand since they were fighting in their home, they knew their land well while the America soldiers had not a clue on where they were going. The Viet Cong soldiers used their advantage well and decided to use Guerilla tactics, which was extremely effective. As seen in source Source 37, American soldiers would search and search through the jungles, but the Viet Cong was hiding in the jungle unable to be seen by the US giving them the upper hand. Viet Cong fighters had been extremely hard to find for the US soldiers because of this, leading to why the US had such a hard time defeating them.
4. Domestic opposition to the war in the U.S: During the Vietnam War the American public did not support the American soldiers being there. Many many people were opposed to the war, and therefore many anti- war protests were formed. Nasty pictures began to leak out of screaming children running fro US Napalm bombs (source 42) Along with information about the My Lai Massacre (source 50), that shocked the world. Because of this discomfort throughout the American public about their soldiers taking apart of these horrible acts, it had caused a raucous throughout the American Public demanding that the war was put to an end. The numerous amount of protests were effective in making the President think about why they were in Vietnam. This loss of support made America think about leaving Vietnam, in which they did enabling them to lose the war.
5. Chinese and Soviet support for the Viet Cong: Both the Chinese and Soviet Union had supplied Viet Cong with weapons, which was very helpful to the Viet Cong. China had been very against the US winning the Vietnam War. As shown in source 38, they didn't want America to be in Vietnam. Along with this, the Soviet Union had been supporting Viet Cong because they wanted to spread communism so they felt that they had to support Vietnam as much as possible in order to spread the communism. Clearly Viet Cong had its supporters, while the US did not. The US had the help of the South Vietnamese regime, but they were no help. They depended on the American soldiers, and therefore kind of sat bat and watched the US do all of the work. The US had been alone in the war pretty much, while Viet Cong had been supporters which is a main reason the US lost the Vietnam War.
6. 'But did they really lose?' Summarize the argument put forward in Source 57, and your view on it.:V
Source 57 makes the argument that America did not lose the Vietnam War. It makes the point that the American Military had not been defeated in Vietnam, The US had not lost the war in Vietnam- the South Vietnamese did, and the fall of Saigon. Source 57 states that American military had not been defeated because they had preformed a major military defeat for the VC and NVA. Next, the fall of Saigon had happened two years after the US military had left, therefore how could they lose a war that they had already stopped fighting? In my opinion, I believe that the Vietnam war was a loss for us. This is because we had involved ourselves in a war we were not prepared for, and that we failed at successfully defeating communism, our primary goal for being apart of the Vietnam. Since we did not achieve our goals, we did not win the war we lost. Source 57 does make a good argument as to how this isn't personally a defeat for our country. But in my perspective we wasted our time being there to get rid of communism, and we could not defeat it meaning we failed.
Add other if you think there are factors you should consider.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Vietnam War Opposition
You are an opponent of American involvement in Vietnam. Use the evidence in this chapter to begin formulating ideas to make a poster or a leaflet putting forward your views. You will work on this in class on Friday. You can include stories and images from pages 353-61. However, you must also include an explanation that will convince the supporters of containment that the policy is not working in Vietnam. OPTIONAL: Instead of opposing the war, you can support it. Feel free to make a COUNTER-ARGUMENT that the war is necessary to contain Communism.
1. Note all of the reasons why you feel the war in Vietnam is wrong.
-Many many innocent civilians were killed (by chemical weapons, search and destroy tactics)
-destroying villages where innocent civilians were
-The My Lai Massacre
-The Ancient Hue was destroyed
-Napalm bombs killing children (pictures shown of children running from the bombs)
-US army seemed weak
2. Note what you're trying to achieve with this poster. (e.g. to convince people to write to their Congressmen to get the troops out.)
To convince people that this war is disastrous, and we need to get the Congressmen to get our troops out before we kill anymore innocent civilians and take their homes away by destroying their villages.
3. List possible images for your poster. Think about: background (e.g. destroyed villages); the central image (e.g. picture of a young soldier); whether you will need words to explain your image.
-destroyed villages
-solider watching burning down village
-photographs of the My Lai Massacre
-Vietnamese children running from the US Napalm bombs
-people in the South Vietnamese sorting through the city of Hue looking through the wreckage of their homes
4. List some possible slogans for your poster.
-Is this what we sent our soldiers there for?
-Do we want the innocent Vietnamese blood shed on our country?
1. Note all of the reasons why you feel the war in Vietnam is wrong.
-Many many innocent civilians were killed (by chemical weapons, search and destroy tactics)
-destroying villages where innocent civilians were
-The My Lai Massacre
-The Ancient Hue was destroyed
-Napalm bombs killing children (pictures shown of children running from the bombs)
-US army seemed weak
2. Note what you're trying to achieve with this poster. (e.g. to convince people to write to their Congressmen to get the troops out.)
To convince people that this war is disastrous, and we need to get the Congressmen to get our troops out before we kill anymore innocent civilians and take their homes away by destroying their villages.
3. List possible images for your poster. Think about: background (e.g. destroyed villages); the central image (e.g. picture of a young soldier); whether you will need words to explain your image.
-destroyed villages
-solider watching burning down village
-photographs of the My Lai Massacre
-Vietnamese children running from the US Napalm bombs
-people in the South Vietnamese sorting through the city of Hue looking through the wreckage of their homes
4. List some possible slogans for your poster.
-Is this what we sent our soldiers there for?
-Do we want the innocent Vietnamese blood shed on our country?
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Vietnam War Turning Points
1. Why was the Tet Offensive a turning point? Explain your answer.
The Tet Offensive was a major turning point during the Vietnam War because it raised hard questions about the war in the USA. For example, there were nearly 500,000 troops in Vietnam and the USA was spending $20 billion a year on the war. This raised questions as to why the Communists had been able to launch a major offensive that took the US forces completely by surprise. Another for example, the US and South Vietnamese forces quickly retook the towns captured in the offensive but in the process they used enormous amounts of artillery and air power. Many civilians were killed, and the ancient Hue was destroyed. Was this right?
2. Are Sources 51 and 52 making the same point about the My Lai Massacre?
Sources 51 and 52 are not making the same point about the My Lai Massacre. This is because sources 51 is opposing the reasons behing the My Lai Massacre, claiming it was a Nai type of thing and they had not gone there to be Nazi's. The source also makes the point that they had gone there to be courageous on the behalf of their country and they had not known what they were doing. Source 52 however states tha tit was not a massacre of innocent civilians, they were only killing pawns who supported communism, something they needed to stop.
3. Why do you think it took 12 months for anyone to do anything about the massacre?
I think that it took 12 months for anyone to do anything about the My Lai Massacre because the revelations of the massacre would of course cause a great discrediting to the US army. Also there had already been photographs of horrid images of screaming children running from the Napalm Bombs the US had set off against Viet Cong, so the US had already been losing the support from the American people. If this were to get out, it would have enraged many antiwar protesters and cause a huge outrage among the people.
4. Why was the massacre so shocking to the American public?
The Massacre was so shocking to the American people because nobody thought the US army was capable of doing such horrid, and horrendous things such as killing 400 innocent civilians. Of which mostly were women, children, and old men. It was a deed that no person at the time would think America would commit.
The Tet Offensive was a major turning point during the Vietnam War because it raised hard questions about the war in the USA. For example, there were nearly 500,000 troops in Vietnam and the USA was spending $20 billion a year on the war. This raised questions as to why the Communists had been able to launch a major offensive that took the US forces completely by surprise. Another for example, the US and South Vietnamese forces quickly retook the towns captured in the offensive but in the process they used enormous amounts of artillery and air power. Many civilians were killed, and the ancient Hue was destroyed. Was this right?
2. Are Sources 51 and 52 making the same point about the My Lai Massacre?
Sources 51 and 52 are not making the same point about the My Lai Massacre. This is because sources 51 is opposing the reasons behing the My Lai Massacre, claiming it was a Nai type of thing and they had not gone there to be Nazi's. The source also makes the point that they had gone there to be courageous on the behalf of their country and they had not known what they were doing. Source 52 however states tha tit was not a massacre of innocent civilians, they were only killing pawns who supported communism, something they needed to stop.
3. Why do you think it took 12 months for anyone to do anything about the massacre?
I think that it took 12 months for anyone to do anything about the My Lai Massacre because the revelations of the massacre would of course cause a great discrediting to the US army. Also there had already been photographs of horrid images of screaming children running from the Napalm Bombs the US had set off against Viet Cong, so the US had already been losing the support from the American people. If this were to get out, it would have enraged many antiwar protesters and cause a huge outrage among the people.
4. Why was the massacre so shocking to the American public?
The Massacre was so shocking to the American people because nobody thought the US army was capable of doing such horrid, and horrendous things such as killing 400 innocent civilians. Of which mostly were women, children, and old men. It was a deed that no person at the time would think America would commit.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
The U.S. struggles against the Communist in Vietnam
1. Now think about the overall picture - how the strengths and weaknesses work together.
a) Were the armies finely balanced or was the balance strongly weighted to one side or the other?
I would say that the balance was strongly weighted to the army of the Viet Cong. The Viet Cong had soldiers that seemed fearless. Compared to the army of the US that lived in constant fear of ambushes and booby traps set by Viet Cong. Viet Cong soldiers showed their strengths since they did not need any weapons to prove it. Although the US had these weapons and technology that were strong, Viet Cong had their soldiers who refused to give in, and who would hide in the jungles with no uniforms or known base camps/head quarters.
b) Which quality was most important in determining who won the war? Was one feature so important that being ahead in that area meant that other advantages or disadvantages did not matter?
The Effective Tactics was the most important quality in determining who wont he war. I believe this because the Guerilla Tactics were extremely effective and caused much frustration for the US army. I think that yes this feature was so important that behing ahead in this area meant that most of the other advantages did not matter. For example, good supplies and weapons/the right technology did not matter for the Viet Cong. The Viet Cong had been so powerful with their Guerilla Tactics that the amount of weapons and technology did not matter. The US had outgunned them in weapons but that gave them no upper hand since the Viet Cong army had been hiding all over the place in jungles, and provided traps that stopped the US army before they could even use their weapons on them. Also, the US had developed new technology like the "Agent Orange" and the "Napalm" Both highly toxic weapons. These weapons and new technology didn't really phase Viet Cong. Actually, it caused less support from the Vietnamese People and less support also from the American People. The Vietnam War was a media war, and when pictures came out with crying burning children from the Napalm bombs the US army would use America was stunned. Either way, technology and weapons did not phase Viet Cong with their powerful and strong guerilla tactics.
The failure of the U.S. army to beat the Communist in Vietnam was the result of its own weaknesses and Viet Cong strengths.
2. Now write up your answer. Use this structure:
a. The U.S. weaknesses were: Their Search & Destroy tactics which caused them much hatred among the Vietnamese Population, their bombing tactics which did no real damage to the Communists, and their fearful soldiers who had lost their morale for the war and were very fearful of the Viet Cong and their booby traps and ambushes. First, the Search & Destroy tactics were only a little effective. The US did find and kill some Viet Cong fighters, but in total there were much more problems that were included in the tactic. For example, inexperienced troops often walked into traps, innocent villages were destroyed, civilian casualties were extremely high, and many innocent civilians were murdered causing the support of the Vietnamese People to turn to the Viet Cong. When you compare the Search & Destroy tactics by the US to the Guerilla Tactics by the Viet Cong, it is clear that the guerilla tactics had no problems included, while the Search & Destroy tactic had much problems following behind. The Searach & Destroy tactic did nothing good for the US except anger the Vietnamese people. Next, the bombing tactics done by the US did no real damage to the Communists at all, it only slowed them down. Therefore the US army kind of wasted it's time I'd say. And finally, the soldiers of the US army had lost their morale and were very fearful. A fearful soldier isn't a strong one because their not able to take risks and kill. Also, when a soldier loses their morale they don't have anything pushing them to fight well. They weren't really fighting for anything if they lost their morale, therefore a loss in their morale meant a weaker soldier since they would not fight as well.
b. At the same time, the Communist strengths were: Their motivated and committed soldiers, and their ability to keep going. The soldiers of the communists were very motivated, they refused to give in showing their strengths compared to those of the US army. Also, their ability to keep going after being hit was very impressive. After the US's extensive bombing raids on the Communists military and industrial targets, they were able to continue to operate their supply lines. And even after major air raids on North Vietnamese in 1972, the Communists were still able to launch a major assault on the South.
c. The U.S. forces did have some successes. For example: When the US launched extensive bombing raids on the North Vietnamese targets they did come out with some successes. These were: it damaged the Vietnam's war effort and disrupted supply lines, it enabled the USA to strike at Communist forces even when it was reducing US ground forces in Vietnam after 1969, and finally from 1970 to 1972 intense bombing campaigns against Hanoi and the port of Haiphong forced the North Vietnamese to the negotiating table.
d. However, there were some major failures as well. Examples of these were: The biggest failure of the US during the Vietnam War was the My Lai Massacre. This was when in March 1968 a unit of Young America soldiers called Charlie Company started a search and destroy mission. They had been told that in the My Lai area there had been Viet Cong head quarters, and 200 Viet Cong guerrillas. The soldiers had been ordered to destroy all houses, dwellings, and livestock. Most of them were under the impression that they had been ordered to kill everyone in the villages. Between 300-400 civilians were killed, they were mostly women, children, and old men. No Viet Cong were found. Soon after Life Magazine, one of the most influential magazines in the USA, published photographs of the massacre at My Lai. This triggered an investigation that ended in the trial for mass murder of Leuitenant William Calley. The relevations at My Lai deeply shocked the American public and it was the clearest evidence that the war had gone wrong. In conclusion, the massacre at My Lai cost the US army much shame among the American public, and the lives of many innocent civilians for no lives of the Viet Cong.
e. The Viet Cong had some major successes, such as: their guerrilla tactics that led them to a success. Because they decided to fight the way a guerrilla does, they gave the US army a nightmare and therefore increased their chances of winning the Vietnam War. They did not wear any uniform, they did not have any known headquarters or base camps, they were hard to tell apart from other peasants living in the villages, and after they attacked they would escape into the jungles making life for the US army in Vietnam so much more difficult. Their aim of the guerrilla tactics was to wear down the US Army, in which they did with much success. In fact they did so much that most of the soldiers in the US army lost their morales to fight. Therefore the guerilla tactics that Viet Cong chose to use was one of their major successes in the Vietnam War.
f. However, they also suffered defeats, for example: The Tet Offensive of 1968. Viet Cong attacked over 100 cities and other military targets. US forces had to fight to regain control room by room. In many ways the Tet Offensive was a disaster for the US and the Viet Cong. Viet Cong had hoped that the South Vietnam would step up and help them but they did not. Viet Cong lost around 10,000 experienced fighters and were badly weakened by it.
g. If I had to identify one major American weakness, it would be the tactics they decided to take in the Vietnam war because: Their tactics didn't really do much as to helping them in the war, it only made things go slower and cause some problems along the way. First, their bombing tactics could no defeat the Communists, it could only slow them down. The Viet Cong continued to operate its supply lines even after major air raids by the US. The Communists were even still able to launch a major assault on the South. Also, the cost of the sir was was horrendous. The Communists had shot down 14,000 US and South Vietnamese aircrafts. Also, in 1967 the American Life America magazine calculated that it cost the USA $400,000 to kill one Viet Cong fighter, a figure that included 75 bombs and 400 artillery shells. Therefore the bombing tacts they chose to take only slowed down the Communists doing no real damage, cost them many soldiers, and to make matters worse cost them the embarrassment to the American public. The second war tactic chosen by the USA was Search & Destroy Tactics. These also did the US no real success. The US killed very few Viet Cong fighters by burning down villages, and also killed many many innocent civilians living in these villages. This cost them hatred among the Vietnamese people, making them lose the chance of the Vietnamese population from ever helping them out, and also it cost them time since they spent their time searching through the villages and jungles, and found nothing. The US should have changed their war tactics in the Vietnam War because clearly what they had been doing did very little for them in the long run.
h. The key Viet Cong strength was the guerrilla tactics because: like I had said before, if it wasn't for the guerrilla tactics done by the Viet Cong this war probably would had been a lot easier for the US army to defeat. The Guerilla Tactics caused frustration among the US soldiers, and therefore a lack in morale and a fear among most of the men. A fearful soldier with no morale to win isn't a strong one. Overall the guerrilla tactics caused so much frustration and it made the fighters of the Viet Cong very difficult to find, and therefore harder to kill. Also, another strength of the Viet Cong was their soldiers who refused to ever back down. Because Viet Cong was equipped with such people like that, they had more of a chance of winning.
a) Were the armies finely balanced or was the balance strongly weighted to one side or the other?
I would say that the balance was strongly weighted to the army of the Viet Cong. The Viet Cong had soldiers that seemed fearless. Compared to the army of the US that lived in constant fear of ambushes and booby traps set by Viet Cong. Viet Cong soldiers showed their strengths since they did not need any weapons to prove it. Although the US had these weapons and technology that were strong, Viet Cong had their soldiers who refused to give in, and who would hide in the jungles with no uniforms or known base camps/head quarters.
b) Which quality was most important in determining who won the war? Was one feature so important that being ahead in that area meant that other advantages or disadvantages did not matter?
The Effective Tactics was the most important quality in determining who wont he war. I believe this because the Guerilla Tactics were extremely effective and caused much frustration for the US army. I think that yes this feature was so important that behing ahead in this area meant that most of the other advantages did not matter. For example, good supplies and weapons/the right technology did not matter for the Viet Cong. The Viet Cong had been so powerful with their Guerilla Tactics that the amount of weapons and technology did not matter. The US had outgunned them in weapons but that gave them no upper hand since the Viet Cong army had been hiding all over the place in jungles, and provided traps that stopped the US army before they could even use their weapons on them. Also, the US had developed new technology like the "Agent Orange" and the "Napalm" Both highly toxic weapons. These weapons and new technology didn't really phase Viet Cong. Actually, it caused less support from the Vietnamese People and less support also from the American People. The Vietnam War was a media war, and when pictures came out with crying burning children from the Napalm bombs the US army would use America was stunned. Either way, technology and weapons did not phase Viet Cong with their powerful and strong guerilla tactics.
The failure of the U.S. army to beat the Communist in Vietnam was the result of its own weaknesses and Viet Cong strengths.
2. Now write up your answer. Use this structure:
a. The U.S. weaknesses were: Their Search & Destroy tactics which caused them much hatred among the Vietnamese Population, their bombing tactics which did no real damage to the Communists, and their fearful soldiers who had lost their morale for the war and were very fearful of the Viet Cong and their booby traps and ambushes. First, the Search & Destroy tactics were only a little effective. The US did find and kill some Viet Cong fighters, but in total there were much more problems that were included in the tactic. For example, inexperienced troops often walked into traps, innocent villages were destroyed, civilian casualties were extremely high, and many innocent civilians were murdered causing the support of the Vietnamese People to turn to the Viet Cong. When you compare the Search & Destroy tactics by the US to the Guerilla Tactics by the Viet Cong, it is clear that the guerilla tactics had no problems included, while the Search & Destroy tactic had much problems following behind. The Searach & Destroy tactic did nothing good for the US except anger the Vietnamese people. Next, the bombing tactics done by the US did no real damage to the Communists at all, it only slowed them down. Therefore the US army kind of wasted it's time I'd say. And finally, the soldiers of the US army had lost their morale and were very fearful. A fearful soldier isn't a strong one because their not able to take risks and kill. Also, when a soldier loses their morale they don't have anything pushing them to fight well. They weren't really fighting for anything if they lost their morale, therefore a loss in their morale meant a weaker soldier since they would not fight as well.
b. At the same time, the Communist strengths were: Their motivated and committed soldiers, and their ability to keep going. The soldiers of the communists were very motivated, they refused to give in showing their strengths compared to those of the US army. Also, their ability to keep going after being hit was very impressive. After the US's extensive bombing raids on the Communists military and industrial targets, they were able to continue to operate their supply lines. And even after major air raids on North Vietnamese in 1972, the Communists were still able to launch a major assault on the South.
c. The U.S. forces did have some successes. For example: When the US launched extensive bombing raids on the North Vietnamese targets they did come out with some successes. These were: it damaged the Vietnam's war effort and disrupted supply lines, it enabled the USA to strike at Communist forces even when it was reducing US ground forces in Vietnam after 1969, and finally from 1970 to 1972 intense bombing campaigns against Hanoi and the port of Haiphong forced the North Vietnamese to the negotiating table.
d. However, there were some major failures as well. Examples of these were: The biggest failure of the US during the Vietnam War was the My Lai Massacre. This was when in March 1968 a unit of Young America soldiers called Charlie Company started a search and destroy mission. They had been told that in the My Lai area there had been Viet Cong head quarters, and 200 Viet Cong guerrillas. The soldiers had been ordered to destroy all houses, dwellings, and livestock. Most of them were under the impression that they had been ordered to kill everyone in the villages. Between 300-400 civilians were killed, they were mostly women, children, and old men. No Viet Cong were found. Soon after Life Magazine, one of the most influential magazines in the USA, published photographs of the massacre at My Lai. This triggered an investigation that ended in the trial for mass murder of Leuitenant William Calley. The relevations at My Lai deeply shocked the American public and it was the clearest evidence that the war had gone wrong. In conclusion, the massacre at My Lai cost the US army much shame among the American public, and the lives of many innocent civilians for no lives of the Viet Cong.
e. The Viet Cong had some major successes, such as: their guerrilla tactics that led them to a success. Because they decided to fight the way a guerrilla does, they gave the US army a nightmare and therefore increased their chances of winning the Vietnam War. They did not wear any uniform, they did not have any known headquarters or base camps, they were hard to tell apart from other peasants living in the villages, and after they attacked they would escape into the jungles making life for the US army in Vietnam so much more difficult. Their aim of the guerrilla tactics was to wear down the US Army, in which they did with much success. In fact they did so much that most of the soldiers in the US army lost their morales to fight. Therefore the guerilla tactics that Viet Cong chose to use was one of their major successes in the Vietnam War.
f. However, they also suffered defeats, for example: The Tet Offensive of 1968. Viet Cong attacked over 100 cities and other military targets. US forces had to fight to regain control room by room. In many ways the Tet Offensive was a disaster for the US and the Viet Cong. Viet Cong had hoped that the South Vietnam would step up and help them but they did not. Viet Cong lost around 10,000 experienced fighters and were badly weakened by it.
g. If I had to identify one major American weakness, it would be the tactics they decided to take in the Vietnam war because: Their tactics didn't really do much as to helping them in the war, it only made things go slower and cause some problems along the way. First, their bombing tactics could no defeat the Communists, it could only slow them down. The Viet Cong continued to operate its supply lines even after major air raids by the US. The Communists were even still able to launch a major assault on the South. Also, the cost of the sir was was horrendous. The Communists had shot down 14,000 US and South Vietnamese aircrafts. Also, in 1967 the American Life America magazine calculated that it cost the USA $400,000 to kill one Viet Cong fighter, a figure that included 75 bombs and 400 artillery shells. Therefore the bombing tacts they chose to take only slowed down the Communists doing no real damage, cost them many soldiers, and to make matters worse cost them the embarrassment to the American public. The second war tactic chosen by the USA was Search & Destroy Tactics. These also did the US no real success. The US killed very few Viet Cong fighters by burning down villages, and also killed many many innocent civilians living in these villages. This cost them hatred among the Vietnamese people, making them lose the chance of the Vietnamese population from ever helping them out, and also it cost them time since they spent their time searching through the villages and jungles, and found nothing. The US should have changed their war tactics in the Vietnam War because clearly what they had been doing did very little for them in the long run.
h. The key Viet Cong strength was the guerrilla tactics because: like I had said before, if it wasn't for the guerrilla tactics done by the Viet Cong this war probably would had been a lot easier for the US army to defeat. The Guerilla Tactics caused frustration among the US soldiers, and therefore a lack in morale and a fear among most of the men. A fearful soldier with no morale to win isn't a strong one. Overall the guerrilla tactics caused so much frustration and it made the fighters of the Viet Cong very difficult to find, and therefore harder to kill. Also, another strength of the Viet Cong was their soldiers who refused to ever back down. Because Viet Cong was equipped with such people like that, they had more of a chance of winning.
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