Sample - Students Collaborating to Create Content Page
Although this activity could have taken place on a discussion, using the content page gave them good practice and empowered them to start creating course content.
Vietnam War - editable content page
Please contribute to this discussion no later than 11:59 PM on Sunday. Be sure to add your initials after your posting.
•The war was profoundly divisive and disillusioning for the American people. How did the United States get into the Vietnam quagmire, and why was it a tragic failure? (NOTE: This is an interactive content page. Anyone in the class can add content and comments. Please don't delete anyone else's contributions. Click Edit in the top right above this box to contribute, and be sure to click Save at the bottom when you are done.)
The U.S. got into this "quagmire" way back in the 40s and 50s. It was the colonialism imposed by the French and English in the Asian countries that started U.S. involvement. - JR
I think that some leaders, especially American presidents, are so power-hungry that they get involved in EVERYTHING. Why do you think they call the American president the "leader of the free world"? Countries like Vietnam were easy to conquer because they were not developed and didn't have a big army, lots of weapons, etc. Plus Americans always seem to think it's their responsibility to spread democracy everywhere, even in countries that are operating on their own without that form of government. I think America failed in Vietnam because it lost sight of what it was fighting for--power. - SS
I respectfully disagree with you. Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson knew the American people were terrified of a potential Communist world dominance, so they had to take whatever steps they could to prevent that from happening. - FA
But what about the U.S. desire for world dominance? I don't think the U.S. ever got over seeing England and France colonization of so many other places in the world, especially in "under-developed" nations in Asia and Africa. So here was a chance to get a foot in the door and to start to push France out. - NM
What's a quagmire? - JJ
Here's a good definition Links to an external site.. - DV
OK, and look at this map. Vietnam is in dark pink under China. What kind of world dominance can you achieve by "colonizing" a country of that size? - BP
Yes, but it's not about size, it's about power. The U.S. saw Vietnam as a sort of "doorway" into a lot of other important Asian countries such as China, Japan, and India. This was an opportunity to promote democracy in a geographic region dominated by lots of other forms of government, including Communism. - FA
I think the U.S. failed because the American public wasn't sure why we were fighting, so they didn't support the war like they did for WWI and WWII. - MM
Where is vietnam on the map? bc
I like this clip; it shows the war through the eyes of the soldiers who were there. My uncle did two tours in Cambodia and he still has nightmares. HB
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlM1-lj5x8c
Links to an external site.
They look so young! Especially that one Vietnamese kid with the rifle. - TY
That is some very moving footage. But let's get back to the original questions. Why do you think the U.S. got involved? And why do most scholars and historians consider the war a failure? Can anyone find a good website to support their ideas? -- LL
Good job, class! Now let's turn this into a mini-lesson on why the United States got involved in the Vietnam War. Please click on the next page to create your finished product.
(There was a lot more in the original student content page . . . edited here for space.)