Lesson Plan
US National Archives

National Archives: Lesson Plans Congress, the President, and the War Powers

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Examine the power of Congress to make war by studying primary source documents from various wars throughout U.S. history. Students will analyze how the balance of authority between the legislative branch and executive branch has changed...
Handout
Digital History

Digital History: Into the Quagmire

For Students 9th - 10th
Vietnam is one of the longest wars fought, spanning multiple decades and U.S. presidencies. In this article, students will learn about France's defeat at and withdrawal after Dien Bien Phu, the Geneva Accords, and the policies of the...
Article
US Department of State

U.s. Involvement in the Vietnam War: The Gulf of Tonkin and Escalation, 1964

For Students 9th - 10th
Essay on U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War in 1964 and subsequent escalation in that conflict through the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
Website
University of Illinois

University of Illinois: Maps: Causes of the Vietnam War

For Students 9th - 10th
This essay from The Oxford Companion to American Military History goes into the causes of the Vietnam War and shows how the United States became embroiled incrementally from the 1950s up to 1965. An interesting section explains how the...
Article
US Department of State

Dien Bien Phu and the Fall of French Indochina, 1954

For Students 9th - 10th
Historical account of U.S. involvement and rise of Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam after the fall of French Indochina in 1954. Site contains photgraphs and topic related links.
Primary
Other

Chomsky.info: A Visit to Laos

For Students 9th - 10th
Scholarly 1970 essay by Noam Chomsky thoroughly details his visit to Laos, the history of U.S. involvement in Laos, and the impact of massive bombing on the country and its people. It's an interesting perspective from the Vietnam war era.
Handout
Other

Us flag.org: History of the Vietnam War Pow/mia Flag

For Students 9th - 10th
At this site you can investigate what prompted the design of the POW/MIA flag. What is the significance of this American symbol? Find out how this flag became a reality when you use this site.
Study Guide
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Period 8: 1945 1980

For Students 9th - 10th
This Khan Academy resource provides a table of contents with notes for several sections of AP US History: Period 8: 1945-1980.