Born on the Fourth of July, Stop the Sun, To Heal a Nation

For your final readings of Times of Change, I would like you to set aside some time on Monday (Memorial Day) to read the choices above. Once you are done, I would like for you to post in your blog a note to the men and women on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. After what you have learned over the past few days, and what you saw when we went to D.C., what would you want to say to them?

Dear those that have served in Vietnam,

Thank you for serving our country and protecting us. What you fought for may have not been exactly right but you did your duty. Most of you didn't quit when it was getting tough but kept on fighting for what you were ordered to do. So i would like to say to you, thank you for serving our country.

Farmer Nguyen, massacre at My Lai, A Nun at Ninh Hoa

What do these two poems and the article say about the impact of the war on the native Vietnamese?
That they were scared of the U.S soldiers and didn't want them hear. The Vietnamese were scared of them being here and the U.S. soldiers were killing them.
Can you think of any other ways in which the war will impact the native Vietnamese?
When the war is over their way of making money will be scarce because of the bombing and the napalm. Also the countryside will be gone mostly.

I Feel Like I’m Fixing To Die Rag by Joe McDonald

This song by Country Joe and the Fish became one of the first protest songs of the Vietnam Era. Read the lyrics to the song, and then respond to the following:

What is the song asking the “big strong men to do”? To help fight in the war

… the “generals” to do? To kill the commies

… “Wall Street” to do? To sell supplies for the war effort and they can make money

… “mothers” to do? To send their sons to fight in that war

Write down four specific lines from the song that display sarcasm, cynicism, or anti-war sentiment.
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.
What are we fighting for? Don't ask me, I don't give a damn
Be the first one on your block to have your boy come home in a box.
Uncle Sam needs your help again.

Jack Smith

What challenges does Jack Smith face as a soldier in Vietnam? (a bulleted list is fine)

• Fear
• Knowing what to do in combat
• Scared of dieing
• Seeing the dead and wounded
• Being shot at
• Seeing your friends get killed
• Being "green" and having your commanders "green"
• Freezing up because you are scared as an attacking force strikes
• Being wounded
• Enduring pain and suffering
  
  
  How does Smith’s attitude toward war change?
• He starts out being excited about it, then he doesn't like it because his friends are being killed and he's being shot at.

Times of change: The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

What is the main thesis of the essay? That the attack on US ships may have been a lie to start the war.

What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution? The approval to defend U.S. ships in that area.

What evidence does the author give to support his thesis? The president didn't take an oath.

How does this link to the theme of the first reading, “A Dubious Crusade”? That there is doubt.

Times of change: History by Vuong-Riddick

History by Thuong Vuong-Riddick

What is the overall theme of Vuong-Riddick's poem? That Vietnam has always been taken over by another country and promised them that they would help them but really they lied.

Times of change: A Dubious Crusade

Look up both words in the title of the short essay. What do they mean? DUBIOUS: doubtful. CRUSADE: any vigorous, aggressive movement for the defense or advancement of an idea

Relate the title to the reading. What is Warren saying? That the war was doubtful and aggressive.
How do you think this will relate to the rest of our study if Vietnam? People will start to think that the war wasn't such a good idea and won't support it as much as they did.

10 things someone should know about the Korean War

1. In June of 1950, North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel into South Korea.
2. The United States took sides with South Korea and helped them fight back.
3. In the early part of the fighting South Korea was pushed back to the southern most major city in South Korea but in just two days, they had been pushed back a considerable amount.
4. MacArthur wanted to bomb China with 50 atomic bombs so they wouldn't help any more but Truman didn't want to because it might make the USSR get involved and start a world war.
5. Truman fired MacArthur because he wouldn't stop asking to do it and retired as a hero.
6. China threaten the UN if they kept on pushing on, then they would have to get involved. UN ignored the threat and kept on pushing on, making China get involved.
7. As the war went on it became unpopular.
8. "Ike" went and talked about a truce.
9. He warned that if anything else arose that they would go in and use nuclear weapons and carry the war into China.
10. The boundaries stayed the same and the war ended in July of 1953.

Has MLK's "dream" been realized? - Labor

African Americans and other minority groups have definitely made progress in employment rates. In 1980, 10.9 blacks out of 106.9 different races were employed. In 2004, 16.9 blacks out of 147.4 different races were employed. That's a difference of six which is really good. Same for other groups like Hispanics. In 1980 6.1 Hispanics out of 106.9 different races were employed. In 2004 19.3 Hispanics out of 106.9 different races were employed. Employment has really gone up for African Americans and minority groups since the time of MLK.

To any good news, there is usually bad news. In 1980 1,553,000 blacks were unemployed out of 7,637,000 unemployed. In the 1980s, blacks had the second to lowest unemployment rate with Hispanics having the lowest and whites haveingthe highest. In 2004, 1,729,000 blacks were unemployed to the total of 8,149,000 unemployed. Blacks again were second with the lowest unemployment rate with Hispanics having the lowest. African Americans and minority groups have done very well in getting them self employed and staying out of unemployment.

African Americans and Hispanics have done very well in staying employed compared to whites.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Why does the author feel that whites owe King the greatest debt? Because MLK liberated them from the burden of America's centuries-old hypocrisy about race. The country would be very different with out of and many people would be killed, both black and white if he didn't help them. Whites do owe King a debt because he put an end to racism sooner than whites could do it alone.


Was King "the right man at the right time"? Yes, because he helped stop segregation and the blacks being the race lower then all others. Through his ideas, America would probably not be the same and blacks would keep on suffering through their lives. He did the right things at the right time. He was "the right man at the right time".


Would King be upset with the current use of his most often quoted line? Why or why not? Yes, because people are using his quote to get people to support their actions. People would think if some company uses his quote and says the MLK was with them then people that supported him would also support this business when really he probably wouldn't have agreed with them.

Civil Disobedience

It would be hard for me to be non-violence. If something is done to me that is wrong, most likely I would do something back to them. An eye for an eye. Martin Luther King Jr. would just keep on doing his job even if he had been shot down, he would just get back up and start where he left off. You have to have thick skin to block attacks and even if you are peaceful but getting your ideas across others may attack you even if you didn' t harm that person or group.

Unit 8 Preview

I'm looking forward to learning about the war in Vietnam and the Cold War. I can't wait for unit 8!! .