One of the key issues for Richard Nixon’s 1968 presidential bid was the war in Vietnam. He promised to withdraw U.S. troops from Vietnam, and over his first term, troop numbers decreased, but bombing significantly increased. Nixon won the 1972 election in a landslide. In this inquiry, students will investigate the compelling question, “How do international factors affect political movements?”
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About the inquiry
Compelling Question
How do international factors affect political movements?
Standards
D2.His.5.9-12. Analyze how historical contexts shaped and continue to shape people's perspectives.
Instructional Snapshot
Class begins with a collaborative source analysis of President Nixon’s 1979 “Address to the nation on the War in Vietnam”. As students work in small groups to identify Nixon’s stated goals for U.S. involvement in Vietnam, they record their findings on the graphic organizer.
Students then move to the deliberation stage by comparing Nixon’s goals with data (Sources B-D), which show U.S. troop levels and other metrics related to U.S. involvement in Vietnam over time. Using the data, students determine if the data supports or refutes each stated goal, explaining their reasoning. Finally, students hypothesize the role Vietnam played in Nixon’s success in the 1972 presidential campaign, recording their final thoughts on their organizer.
Formative Tasks
COLLABORATE: Identify Nixon’s goals for the Vietnam War from his national address.
DELIBERATE: Reconcile Nixon’s goals for the Vietnam War with data regarding military troop levels.
PRODUCE: Hypothesize the role Vietnam played in Nixon’s success during the 1972 presidential election.
Sources
Source A: Richard Nixon, “Address to the Nation on the War in Vietnam”, November 3 1969, The American Presidency Project accessed via Library of Congress
Source B: Vietnam War Resources,” Military Statistics”, Gilder Lehrman Institute
Source C: Charles Franklin, “A Statistical Companion to The Vietnam War”, 2017, Medium
Source D: “Historical Presidential Elections”, 270 to Win
Summative Performance Task
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Taking Informed Action
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