Do not yell out the answer

• Which geographical region in colonial North America was best known for its cold climate and strong Puritan population?

• A. Middle Passage • B. New England • C. middle colonies • D. Southern colonies

Explanation

• Many of the New England settlers were Puritans escaping from religious persecution in England. The region's northern location and poor farmland meant that its winters were cold and difficult.

RECAP

• In your head, think of one word to describe US foreign relations during the Cold War.

Cuban Revolution

In 1958, Fidel Castro took over Cuba. The US refused to help because the CIA said the revolution was full

of communists. The US cut ties with Cuba after Castro confiscated US property in

Cuba. Cuba was then forced to turn to the Soviet Union for assistance.

The Bay of Pigs An unsuccessful April

17, 1961 United States CIA-backed invasion of Cuba.

The US was attempting to overthrow Fidel Castro’s communist government.

It greatly damaged the American image around the world.

The Cuban Missile Crisis In 1962, Russia began placing nuclear weapons in

Cuba. The US demanded that these weapons be removed

from Cuba. The nuclear missiles given to Cuba could have easily

reached Washington D.C. and the entire eastern seaboard.

The US established a naval blockade around Cuba to prevent more weapons from entering Cuba.

Russian ships turned around before confronting the blockade and prevented an escalation of the crisis. It is the moment when the Cold War came closest to a

nuclear war.

VietnamVideo

The Two Vietnams

· Vietnam, a former French colony, was divided into two sections in 1954.

· South Vietnam, led by Ngo Dinh Diem, was democratic and backed by the U.S.

· North Vietnam, led by Ho Chi Minh, was communist and backed by the Soviet Union.

Growing American Involvement

· The U.S. believed that if South Vietnam fell to the communists, the rest of the nations in Southeast Asia would as well in a theory called the domino theory.

US in Vietnam (1951-1975)Aid to French in Vietnam in 1951First US casualty 1959JFK sends in special forces troops 1961Tet Offensive 1968Vietnam Draft 1969US evacuates in 1975

· As the fighting escalated, the U.S. relied on the draft for raising troops.

· By 1968, over half a million Americans were fighting in the Vietnam War.

· In addition, it was very difficult to identify which South Vietnamese were our allies and which were supporting the Vietcong.

· Jungle warfare was difficult, and it was hard to locate the enemy.

The Uncertain Enemy

Ex Vietcong showing secret tunnels, November 7, 2004

"Napalm is the most terrible pain you can imagine," said Kim Phuc. “Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. Napalm generates temperatures of 800 to 1,200 degrees Celsius.“ Phuc sustained third-degree burns to half her body and was not expected to live. Phuc saved her life by ripping off her burning clothes.

Agent Orange was the nickname given to a herbicide and defoliant used by the U.S. military in its Herbicidal Warfare program during the Vietnam War.

A guerrilla in the Mekong Delta paddles through a mangrove forest defoliated by Agent Orange (1970).

Effects of Agent OrangeImages taken from Agent Orange: "Collateral Damage" in Vietnam by Philip Jones Griffiths

The Tet Offensive: A Turning Point

· In January of 1968, the Vietcong launched surprise attacks on cities throughout South Vietnam.

· The American embassy was attacked as well in the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon.

· The Tet Offensive proved to the world that no part of South Vietnam was safe, even with the presence of half a million American troops.

· The attacks were known as the Tet Offensive because they occurred during Tet, the Vietnamese News Year’s holiday.

The Tet Offensive: An Audio Description by NPR

Protests at Home· Thousands of Americans protested against the war, especially on college campuses.

Anti-Vietnam War protests, Ohio State University

Video: Country Joe and the Fish, Woodstock Music Festival (1969) 3:18

· On May 4, 1970, the Ohio National Guard killed 4 anti-war protesters at Kent State University.

This Pulitzer Prize winning photo shows Mary Ann Vecchio screaming as she kneels over the body of student Jeffrey Miller at Kent State University. National Guardsmen had fired into a crowd of demonstrators, killing four and wounding nine.

Self Immolation of Buddhist Monk

Protest Through Music

• Song Clips• Give Peace a Chance

· However, the U.S. continued to send billions of dollars in support of the South Vietnamese.

Peace Without Victory

· In January 1973, the U.S. reached a cease-fire agreement with North Vietnam and brought their troops home.

· In April of 1975, the communists captured the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon, renamed it Ho Chi Minh City, and reunited Vietnam under one communist flag.

Video: People rush to leave Saigon as the city falls to the Vietcong. April 30, 1975 (9 min.)

Summary

Cuban Missile Crisis Tet Offensive Domino Theory

Korean War Vietnam War Containment

Kent State Protest Bay of Pigs