Tag Archives: all about Vietnam War

An Independent Country, Late 20th Century

America the Great? The New Reality of the 1970s

August 22, 2017 americanadmin Leave a comment

The Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal left Americans feeling discouraged and battered. No longer was America the country with all the answers. Some problems couldn’t be solved, and the challenges weren’t over. Through the 1970s, the country encountered one struggle after another.

Fun Facts:

In the 1960s, America started importing oil from other countries to fuel its growing energy needs.
By the 1970s, most of America’s oil came from countries in the Middle East – members of OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. In 1973, OPEC countries stopped shipping oil to America. OPEC leaders were angry that America was supporting Israel in a war against Egypt and Syria.
In 1979, OPEC raised oil prices by 60 percent in response to a global oil shortage. In America, gas prices; gas stations often ran out of gas. Cars waited in long lines outside of gas stations to get gas. People had to pay more to heat their homes. Americans responded by buying smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, carpooling, and turning down their heaters.
Jimmy Carter took office in 1976. He hoped to promote peace and improve human rights conditions around the world.
The economy grew slowly. People lost their jobs while at the same time, their expenses grew. The prosperity of the 1950s and 1960s was over.
The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to prop up a pro-Soviet government. In response, President Carter placed an embargo on shipments of grain to the Soviet Union. The U.S. also boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics, which were held in Moscow.
In 1979, the Shah of Iran was overthrown in a revolution. The Shah, who was dying, came to the U.S. for medical treatment. In retaliation, Iranian revolutionaries took 52 Americans hostage at the U.S. embassy in Iran. They wanted the Shah returned to Iran for trial. The Shah died in America but the revolutionaries continued to hold the hostages. They were finally released on January 31, 1981, the day Ronald Reagan took office as president. They had been held hostage for 444 days.

Vocabulary

Import: to buy from another country
Embargo: an official ban on trade
Boycott: to limit or sever a political or social relationship as a form of protest

Questions and Answers:

Question: Could an energy crisis happen again?

Answer: The energy crisis of the 1970s made Americans more aware of the danger of relying too much on other countries for oil. Since then, scientists have been working hard to develop new technologies and find energy resources, such as wind and solar energy, here in the U.S. These technologies are expensive and take time to develop. We are still a long way off from being energy efficient. At the same time, we have to balance our need for more energy with maintaining a healthy environment.

Learn More

Visit Energy Star Kids to play some conservation games and learn more about energy.

An Independent Country, Late 20th Century

Nixon and the Watergate Scandal

August 22, 2017 americanadmin Leave a comment

President Nixon had high hopes when he took office. He hoped to win the Vietnam War and be remembered as a peacemaker. He succeeded at some of his goals, but he’s most remembered for the presidential scandal Watergate.

Fun Facts

President Nixon removed 25,000 troops from Vietnam in June, 1969 and continued the Paris peace talks Johnson had begun during his presidency.
At the same time, Nixon ordered a secret bombing mission in Cambodia to stop Viet Cong leaders from sneaking weapons and troops into South Vietnam. After pulling troops out of Vietnam, Nixon promised South Vietnamese leaders that America would still help them if necessary. This was a promise he couldn’t keep.
In 1971, Nixon visited China. Since Communists took over China after World War II in 1948, U.S. leaders had refused to deal with the country. Although strongly against Communism, Nixon wanted to improve relationships through understanding. His visit was a success.
Nixon also visited Moscow in the Soviet Union in 1972. The two countries agreed to work together on space exploration.
Nixon easily won the election in 1972, but his political career began to unravel after that. During the election, five men broke into the Democratic Party headquarters. This was not an ordinary burglary. The men had wiretapping equipment and were there to gather information against the Democratic Party that could be used by Nixon’s campaign.
The incident was brushed under the carpet until one of the burglars wrote a letter to the trial judge, John J. Sirica. The letter said that administration officials had planned the break-in.
The Senate formed a special committee to investigate the allegations. Nixon tried to cover up the Watergate burglary, refusing to hand over recorded conversations to authorities. The Supreme Court ruled that he must hand over the tapes.
In 1974, Nixon released the tapes which showed that he had lied about his involvement in the break-in. The House of Representatives found reason to impeach him and it seemed clear that the Senate would convict him. Nixon resigned on August 8, 1974, rather than face impeachment. He is the only U.S. president ever to resign.

Vocabulary

Watergate: Watergate was the name of the hotel complex in Washington D.C. where the break-in occurred.
Impeach: to charge a public official with misconduct
Convict: to find guilty

Questions and Answers:

Question: What happened after President Nixon resigned?

Answer: In 1973, Vice President Spiro Agnew was charged with accepting bribes while governor of Maryland. He was also charged with tax evasion. President Nixon chose Gerald R. Ford to replace Agnew. When Nixon resigned, Ford became president.

Learn More

Visit Scholastic to read more about the Watergate scandal.

An Independent Country, Late 20th Century

The Vietnam War

August 22, 2017 americanadmin Leave a comment

In the late 1800s, the area that is now Vietnam was colonized by France and called French Indochina. It remained under French control for many years, but in 1945, Communist leader Ho Chi Minh defeated the French. The country was divided into two parts: North and South Vietnam.

After World War II, Communism spread through much of Eastern Europe and Asia. American leaders viewed Communism as a threat to freedom and democracy and wanted to contain its growth. They did not want Communist North Vietnam to take over South Vietnam, further enlarging Communist territory. In the 1950s, the U.S. began sending money and providing military training to South Vietnam.

In 1964, President Johnson asked Congress to approve a resolution that would allow him to take more aggressive action against Vietnam. This resolution led to U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

Fun Facts:

President Johnson’s request for a resolution came after reports that North Vietnamese gunboats had fired on two U.S. destroyers.
Fighting in Vietnam was nothing like fighting in Europe during World War II. Dense jungles, mosquitoes, heat, and malaria made progress difficult. Enemy Viet Cong soldiers could hide in villages, attack, and disappear. Fields were full of booby traps and mines and hundreds of miles of tunnels ran under villages, allowing enemy soldiers to escape quickly.
Americans were deeply divided over the war. Some thought it was necessary, believing that if the Viet Cong won, Communism would spread to Cambodia and Laos. Others believed the war was too difficult to win and the sacrifices were too great. Thousands of American soldiers died and many innocent civilians were killed in Vietnam by American bombs.
In January, 1968, the Viet Cong launched an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, several American bases, and 36 cities in South Vietnam. Soon after, President Johnson announced an end to American bombing in Vietnam.
Before the end of his presidency, President Johnson had started peace talks with the Viet Cong. President Nixon continued these talks in Paris, but at the same time, he launched secret bombing campaigns in Cambodia. His goal was to stop the North Vietnamese from delivering weapons and men through Cambodia to South Vietnam.
Nixon had ordered the withdrawal of 25,000 U.S. troops from Vietnam in June of 1969. When Communist troops threatened to take over Cambodia, Nixon ordered troops to invade that country. At home, anti-war sentiments increased. In 1971, more than 200,000 protesters marched in Washington, D.C.
By 1972, troops, politicians, and the American public were disheartened. Victory against the Viet Cong seemed impossible. In January, 1973, American leaders and the Viet Cong signed the Paris Peace Accords. All U.S. forces left Vietnam and more than 500 American prisoners of war were released.
In March, 1975, the Communists broke their peace truce, attacking cities throughout South Vietnam. Millions of refugees fled and the few remaining American troops and government workers were evacuated by helicopter. America had lost the war and the Communists had complete control of Vietnam.

Vocabulary:

Mine: an explosive device buried in the soil that goes off when disturbed
Truce: an agreement of peace

Questions and Answers:

Question: What happened after the Vietnam War?

Answer: After World War II, troops received a hero’s welcome home. After Vietnam, troops were often blamed or humiliated for not winning the war. Many soldiers had been tortured or endured horrible experiences. They suffered from “post-traumatic stress disorder.” Some used drugs and alcohol to forget. Others had difficulty finding jobs. Some committed suicide.

At the same time, the American people felt confused, betrayed, and angry. They began to distrust their leaders, a problem that continues today. They were horrified to learn of American soldiers killing innocent women and children in Vietnam. One example is the My Lai massacre. Troops opened fire on a Vietnamese village believed to be held by Communists. At least 400 villagers were killed.

Learn More

Visit KidsConnect for lesson plans about the Vietnam War.

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