T-18 Advanced Social Studies – Session One

Name: ______SS Teacher: ______Period: ___

Background Info to the Vietnam War (Read the Vietnam War – Part One)

Demonstrate what you learned by identifying the importance of each of the following.

Ho Chi Minh:

Viet Minh:

17th Parallel:

Hanoi/Saigon:

Viet Cong:

North Vietnam’s allies:

Domino Theory:

Gulf of Tonkin Incident:

Connect – Write a paragraph of 50-75 words. Compare and contrast this situation to another episode (or episodes) we have learned about this year. You might consider colonialism in Africa or India, Spheres of Influence in China, China under Mao or the Korean War.) Be sure you use specialized vocabulary, such as nationalism, imperialism, autocracy, or democracy.

T-18 Advanced Social Studies – Session Two

Name: ______SS Teacher: ______Period: ___

Debate: Should the US send troops to South Vietnam? (Read the “Vietnam Conflict”)

Students should identify at least six arguments from the pro section (by “Walter Eastland”) and six arguments from the con section (by “Michelle Manning”). A bulleted list would be great. Complete sentences are not necessary. After compiling the twelve arguments, complete the essay outline on the opposite side. You do NOT have to actually write the essay!

Pro

Con

T-18 Advanced Social Studies – Session One TEACHER COPY

Name: ______SS Teacher: ______Period: ___

Background Info to the Vietnam War (Read the Vietnam War – Part One)

Demonstrate what you learned by identifying the importance of each of the following.

Ho Chi Minh: Communist leader who won independence for Vietnam by defeating the French.

Viet Minh: North Vietnamese communist fighters

17th Parallel: dividing line between South and North Vietnam, drawn at an international Peace Conference

Hanoi/Saigon – Capitals of North and South Vietnam, respectively

Viet Cong – South Vietnamese communist fighters (fought against South Vietnam)

North Vietnam’s allies:China and the Soviet Union

Domino Theory:Belief that if one country fell to communism, surrounding countries would as well.

Gulf of Tonkin Incident:US accused North Vietnam of attacking US Navy ships. It served to increase involvement in Vietnam.

Connect–Write a paragraph of 50-75 words. Compare and contrast this situation to another episode (or episodes) we have learned about this year. You might consider colonialism in Africa or India, Spheres of Influence in China, China under Mao or the Korean War.) Be sure you use specialized vocabulary, such as nationalism, imperialism, autocracy, or democracy.

NOTE to teacher: Remind students that they should begin with a topic sentence (thesis) that introduces the topic. If they do not have time to finish, that’s okay. They should, at a minimum, write the topic sentence.

If anyone needs work to do, give them the “WHICH ONE DOES NOT BELONG activity. The will need to get a SS textbook for this.

You will give this back to the student for Session Two!

T-18 Advanced Social Studies – Session Two TEACHER COPY

Name: ______SS Teacher: ______Period: ___

Debate: Should the US send troops to South Vietnam? (Read the “Vietnam Conflict”)

Students should identify at least six arguments from the pro section (by “Walter Eastland”) and six arguments from the con section (by “Michelle Manning”). A bulleted list would be great. Complete sentences are not necessary. After compiling the twelve arguments, complete the essay outline on the opposite side. You do NOT have to actually write the essay! Use yesterday’s notes as a resource.

Pro

  1. Communism is the most dangerous enemy we have faced.
  2. Stalin and Mao killed more people than Hitler
  3. Communism is committed to expansion
  4. Our goal is to contain communism and it has worked
  5. The South Vietnamese should not have participated in election because communist nations never have fair elections.
  6. We must keep our commitment to the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization.
  7. South Vietnam’s government may not be perfect, but no government that has been communist has ever returned to democracy.
  8. Even though the government is not perfect, it is better than communism.

Con

  1. France was just the latest of a long line of countries to oppress Vietnam. Supporting France was a mistake.
  2. Ho Chi Minh was a communist, but many of his followers were simple fighting for freedom.
  3. Since we are identified with the French, any government that we support will be unpopular with the Vietnamese people.
  4. We claim to defend democracy but there is no democracy in South Vietnam.
  5. South Vietnam is ruled by dictators that do not have the support of the Vietnamese people.
  6. Vietnam is of no value to the United States.
  7. It is so close to China that we might get involved in a war with them.
  8. The SEATO treaty requires us to defend Vietnam from invasion. This is not an invasion but civil war.
  9. Helping South Vietnam will turn a mistake into a disaster.

If anyone needs work to do, give them the “WHICH ONE DOES NOT BELONG activity. The will need to get a SS textbook for this.

Should the United States have intervened in South Vietnam?

Standard: SS7H3: a. How did nationalism lead to independence in Vietnam? e. What were the reasons for foreign involvement in Vietnam in terms of the containment of communism?

Materials:

Session One Handout (50): Note-taking guide on the front, reading on the back.

Session Two Handout (50): Note-taking guide on the front, essay organizer on the back.

Vietnam Conflict (50) - Session Two’s reading

“WHICH ONE DOES NOT BELONG” handout (50) for students that finish early. They will need a textbook.

Teacher Pack - 1 Set

Instructions (See the teacher version of the handouts for more info.)

Session One: Distribute the Session One handout. Students should read “The Vietnam War-Part One. (Individually, or out loud… it’s up to you.) Students individually should follow the instruction on the handout. At the end, allow them to work together if need be. Students may write their paragraph on their own sheet of paper. Take this up, stapling the paragraph to the handout.

Session Two: Distribute the Session Two handout. Also, return the previous day’s work to the students. Silently, they should read “Vietnam Conflict.” In groups they may analyze the reading for pro and con examples. Then they should fill out the essay organizer on the back of their handout.