Le+Duc+Tho

Le Duc Tho (Henry Kissinger) Vietnam was dominated by Chinese imperial and French colonial powers for centuries. In the early 1900s, after another futile appeal to France for increased civil rights, various Vietnamese nationalist movements began to emerge. Demanding more self-governance and freedom from France, these nationalist armies continued their fight until WW II, when France became occupied by Nazi Germany and lost their colonial holding to Japan. Japan exploited the country’s natural resources and people to aid in the Japanese war effort, causing further anger and resentment among the Vietnamese people. Upon Japan’s surrender, Vietnam national Ho Chi Minh, leader of the Viet Minh party, declared Vietnam an independent country. France; however, refused to recognize Vietnam’s independence and returned to reclaim their prosperous colony. They forced the Viet Minh to the North, causing Ho to contact the United States for assistance. Thinking the United States would understand their country’s desire for independent rule, Ho Chi Minh instead discovered that his Communist leanings marked him as dangerous to the U.S. Because of the Cold War with Communist USSR, the United States instead sided with France. The American involvement in the subsequent Vietnamese War has been one of the most controversial military efforts in American history. Le Duc Tho, an ambassador for North Vietnam, became involved in a series of secret meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to coordinate a series of ceasefires in Vietnam. Their efforts, known as the Paris Peace Accords, effectively removed American troops out of Vietnam. Both Kissinger and Tho were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973. Kissinger accepted his award with “humility.” Tho rejected the award; however, telling Kissinger that peace had not been really restored in South Vietnam.

I find the role that perspective plays in history very interesting. Although the Vietnam War is hard for even many adults to understand, I believe that it holds some very valuable lessons for students regarding the telling of history from different points of view. For example, it is ironic that the United States, which, as a colony, fought so desperately to be free from its imperial rule would fail to act on behalf of a country trying to do the same. The United States decried Communism as evil and vilified Ho Chi Minh because of his affiliation. However, Vietnam has been Communist since the United States departed the country and has not posed an immediate threat to us. I want my students to think critically about the information they read and hear. I want them to understand that history is told through “point of view.” Because the level of thinking for such lessons is quite advanced, the teaching would need to be direct and guided, gradually allowing students to begin to draw their own conclusions based on provided data. Activities based on propaganda, advertising, and election campaigns can serve as scaffolding toward lessons which apply critical thinking to history. The assessment to determine their understanding of the concepts would be evidenced in their responses to query and completion of projects which illustrate their critical thinking skills.