The War in Vietnam
What were the two primary groups (countries) that were fighting during the Vietnam War?
North Vietnam and South Vietnam
What event gave President Johnson the power to send troops to Vietnam without officially declaring war?
The attack of U.S. ships in the Gulf of Tonkin
What form of media was newly widespread during the Vietnam War and impacted the American public's view of the war more than any previous wars?
Television
Who was the U.S. president who sent large numbers of combat troops into Vietnam?
Lyndon B. Johnson
What was the nickname for young people who rejected traditional values and promoted peace?
Hippies
What two political superpowers fought a proxy war through Vietnam and which side did they each support?
The Soviet Union: North Vietnam
The United States: South Vietnam
What 1968 surprise attack by the Viet Cong shocked Americans watching at home?
The Tet Offensive
What terms were used to describe people who opposed the war and the people who supported the war?
Doves and Hawks
Who was president when the U.S. began withdrawing troops from Vietnam?
Richard Nixon
Which did NOT take place in the 1960's and 1970's?
- Women given the right to vote
- The Civil Rights Act (outlawing discrimination laws in employment, segregation in public places, and unequal voter applications)
- Voting age lowered to 18
Women given the right to vote. This happened in 1920.
What was the main goal of the U.S. in the Vietnam War?
To stop the spread of communism
What 1973 agreement officially ended the U.S. involvement in the war?
The Paris Peace Accords
What secret government documents revealed that the U.S. had been hiding information about the war to the American people?
The Pentagon Papers
Name 3 prominent people of the 1960's who were assassinated.
Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Malcom X
What was the draft? And why did so many people oppose it?
The draft was the requirement of able-bodied young men to join the military.
Many people didn't believe in the purpose and mission of the Vietnam War and didn't want to be sent to fight a war they didn't support.
What politically neutral country was heavily bombed without the American people knowing?
Cambodia (and Laos)
What happened in Saigon in 1975 to officially mark the end of the war (and the defeat of America's goal)?
The Fall of Saigon - North Vietnam captured the capital of South Vietnam, reuniting the country under communist rule.
What tragic event happened at Kent State University in 1970?
National Guard troops shot and killed student protesters
What was the name of the communist revolutionary who sparked the rise of communism in Vietnam?
Ho Chi Minh
The strong disapproval of this president's decisions caused him to decline running for a second term in office.
Lyndon B. Johnson
The idea that if one country became communist, its neighboring countries would also fall to communism was called what?
The Domino Theory
Explain what Operation Rolling Thunder was.
3 years of the U.S. bombing campaign in North Vietnam
Deep divisions within the country and loss of trust in political leaders.
Who was the National Security Advisor under Nixon who orchestrated the peace talks in Paris and also was directly involved in the secret bombings in Cambodia and the "Christmas bombings" in North Vietnam?
Henry Kissinger
Name one reason why many black Americans were opposed to the war in Vietnam.
- Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X were speaking out against the war and saying that it was taking resources away from the Civil Rights movement.
- Disproportionately high draft rates among black men
- Disproportionately high death rates among black soldiers in Vietnam
What was the name of the chemical that was sprayed throughout the land of Vietnam to destroy vegetation and resulted in severe long term side effects of both the Vietnamese and Americans?
Agent Orange
The Watergate Scandal prompted Richard Nixon to do something that no other U.S. president had ever done.
What was it?
Approximately 500,000 protestors marched in Washington, D.C. for the largest anti-war protest after the revealing of this massacre.
The My Lai Massacre
Name the "whistleblower" that released the Pentagon Papers to the press.
Daniel Ellsberg
What group advocated for Black self-defense and community programs?
The Black Panthers