American History Research Project- The Vietnam War

 

Sparked in the late 1950s, the Vietnam War was a terrible battle that dealt with the struggles of communism versus mankind. It began by the division of Vietnam into two parts- the north, and the south. The south fought against communism, while the north fought for it. The ultimate goal of the United States at the time was to stop communism from spreading, so they firmly stood by on the south side and got involved. Unfortunately, the north side was intelligent and ruthless, and the Viet Cong was known for using guerilla warfare that severely destroyed American troops. Also, during the Tet Offensive, innocent women and children were victims of bombings in South Vietnam. Due to these ongoing, horrific events, the South hardly stood a chance against the Viet Cong and the northern communist government, and remains to this day, a poverty-stricken country that will never know the word "democracy".


The War didn't just affect soldiers- innocent children's homes were bombed, their lives devastated



Young boys serve as soldiers for the Viet Cong government

     I knew a little bit about the Vietnam War, but not a whole lot, since I've never studied it in school history before, However, it has interested me ever since I traveled to Vietnam with my mom two years ago. I feel that it's important that I learn not only about a significant moment in the United States, but also in my birth country's history, as well.
    
     I remember attending a war memorial museum in one of the country's northern provinces with a guide who had been raised in the north. He had a very different perspective on the War than one of our other guides from the south had- he had strong communism ideals because it was all he had ever known and grown up with, and he held resentment toward American involvement during the War.

     While there, everyone was clearly able to tell that I was American, but with a Vietnamese ethnicity. Never really having crossed my mind before, the same question sometimes comes up today: "What would it be like to be a true Vietnamese?" And in that I mean a person that actually lives in the country, not an American that appears to be Vietnamese. I'm not entirely sure what it even means to be a Communist, but I know for sure that if I lived in Vietnam, it would be a very different life from the one I have now.


Sources:
http://history1900s.about.com/od/vietnamwar/a/vietnamwar_2.htm

http://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/history/

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/628478/Vietnam-War

Video:
http://video.pbs.org/video/2166430461/

 

Chapter 12 Section 5 Notes

Allied Plan- French democracy = German surrender
- goal met- Paris liberated

Battle of the Bulge
- Germans attack Belgium (want to restrict trade w/ Allies), Bastogne (hope to advance over Allies)
- U.S. significantly weakens German power
- cut off fuel, strong army

- Germans
- kicked out of Russia
- attacked by strong Russian, U.S. forces in east and west
- Berlin invasion = V-E Day

- Truman- faced w/ cruel situations

- B-29s have rough times, Iwo Jima solves
- bloody battle, Japan used to the severe land

- napalm bombs help Allied forces, Japan intensely weakened
- fires, asphyxiation

- Okinawa more convenient than Iwo Jima, serves as American naval base
- atomic bomb the answer?
- Japan- now want peace, but emperor, too
- Manhattan Project- atomic bomb project
   -many object to a.b.
- Hiroshima, Nagasaki bombings = V-J Day
- UN keep peace, solve international disputes/problems
- Japanese, Germans punished by IMT

Earth Day assignment

The film "A Fierce Green Fire" recognizes the many harmful effects that humans have made on the environment in the late 20th century. It describes the Sierra Club's movement to keep water resources in a healthy, natural environment, by stopping dams from being built in the Grand Canyon. Other protests occurred elsewhere, in the Love Canal neighborhood. Fearful and angry feelings of many people living in Love Canal experienced oil and chemical leakages, and the deaths of many children sparked the battle even further. Russian animal killing in the ice caps also became prevalent during this time- whales and seal pups were slaughtered because their oils completed the manufacturing of weapons. Finally, protests were also made by the seringuieros to protect forest life in the deep Amazon jungle. Global warming became a big issue, due to increased CO2 awareness during the late '90s.

"Watch Film: A Fierce Green Fire." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.

     Since the '70s, the Endangered Species Act has helped many animals from becoming fatally "doomed". The Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marines Fisheries Service regulate animals in the ecosystem based on a variety of factors to determine if they need to be protected by the government.
http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Conservation/Endangered-Species-Act.aspx

     The Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act in the mid '60s, reduced the production of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons in cars, in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, by the National Air Pollution Control Administration.
http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/154696/

In order to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide from electricity, I think that motion-sensored lights should be installed, so that when a person walks out of the room, the lights automatically go off!