1. society
2. unrest and war

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CARTOON
Name __________________________ Class _______________ Date ________________
A M E R I C A N H I STO RY P O L I T I C A L C A RTO O N S
Th e Vi e t n a m Wa r
UNDERSTANDING POLITICAL
CARTOONS
Study the political cartoon, and then
answer the questions that follow.
1. What opinion does the cartoonist
have about U.S. involvement in
Vietnam?
HRW material copyrighted under notice appearing earlier in this work.
2. What image suggests the American
public’s sentiment toward involvement in Vietnam?
The Boston Globe/Paul Szep
3. How does the cartoonist portray the history of U.S. government involvement in Vietnam?
ACTIVITY
Draw a maze similar to the one pictured in the cartoon that shows the timeline of U.S.
involvement in the Vietnam War.
American History Political Cartoons
55
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Car toon 28: Discussion and Answers
Discussion Guide
The United States gradually became more deeply involved in the conflict in Vietnam as
it continued to support the pro-democracy South Vietnamese government in its struggle
against the North Vietnamese communist government. Under President Kennedy, the
United States sent non-military advisers and material to Vietnam. By the end of 1962 there
were some 11,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam.
By 1965, during the administration of President Johnson, United States involvement had increased rapidly. They wanted not only to defend South Vietnam’s independence but to also maintain America’s credibility with other nations who depended on the
United States to be the world’s defender against the spread of communism.
By the time the South Vietnamese forces surrendered to the North Vietnamese in
1975, more than 1 million North and South Vietnamese civilians had been killed, some
185,000 to 225,000 South Vietnamese troops had died, and approximately 900,000 North
Vietnamese soldiers were killed. The Vietnam War was the United States’s longest war and
claimed some 58,000 American lives and cost the U.S. government some $200 billion.
Answers
UNDERSTANDING POLITICAL CARTOONS
1. U.S. couldn’t get out of Vietnam any other way but to escape and abandon the problem
it had created
2. Uncle Sam attempting to escape; American public was strongly in favor of withdrawing
from the conflict in Vietnam.
3. The maze suggests the complex situation the U.S. government was in and how it was
not easily able to extract itself; the U.S. not wanting to appear the loser but not wanting
to continue a costly and unpopular war
Activity
Mazes should include major changes and developments in U.S. involvement in Vietnam,
such as the increase in the number of troops, instigation of Vietnamization, withdrawal
of troops, and the Paris Peace talks.
56
American History Political Cartoons
HRW material copyrighted under notice appearing earlier in this work.
When Richard Nixon was elected to the presidency in 1968, public sentiment against
the war was high. To appease the nation, Nixon announced a program of “Vietnamization.”
Under this program the United States would withdraw its troops and instead provide the
South Vietnamese with military training, weapons, and advice. Nixon also initiated a series
of peace talks in Paris. Even though U.S. troops were withdrawn from Vietnam, North
Vietnamese aggression continued. Nixon then ordered the secret bombing of North
Vietnamese supply routes. Instead of suppressing the North Vietnamese, the bombings
only served to disperse the hostilities to the neighboring countries of Cambodia and Laos.
For the next four years, Nixon would repeat this strategy. Nixon’s actions toward Vietnam
caused many social protests from the American public.