Vocabulary
What is the difference between Doves and Hawks?
Hawks: supported strong military action and continuing the war
Doves: opposed the war and wanted peaceful solutions
Who was the most trusted newsman during the Vietnam War?
Walter Cronkite
What was the Tet Offensive?
Coordinated surprise attacks on towns that held US troops.
What were the 4 major points of the Vietnam War that people were protesting about?
Draft- unfair
War casualties rising
Credibility Gap rising
War was immoral
What does G.I. stand for?
Government Issue or General Issue
A type of fighting that uses surprise attacks, ambushes, booby traps, and hit-and-run tactices instead of traditional battles is known as...
Guerrilla Warfare
What kind of images were US citizens able to see for the first time?
Combat footage
Bombing aftermath
Soldier experiences
Interviews with leaders and civilians
Why did the South Vietnamese National Liberation Froces support the communist forces attacks on major cities during Tet Nguyen Dan?
They chose the Tet Holiday because it is a traditionally time of peace, truce, festivals and people would be with their relatives- provided cover for the movement and fireworks covered their gunshots.
What happened at Kent State in 1970?
Student protests lead to the Nationa Guard being called in. The Guard shot into the crowd killing 4 students and wounding 9.
What are 2 challenges U.S soldiers faced during daily life in Vietnam?
Extreme heat and jungle conditions
Constant fear of ambush
Long patrols
Unclear Enemies
Isolation from home
What is the Domino Theory?
The belief that if one country became communist, neighboring countries would soon follow.
This war is called "the first televised war".
Vietnam War
Why is the Tet Offensive known as the "Turning Point" in the Vietnam War?
Caused the credibility Gap to widen and protests grew. President Johnson decided he would not run again.
How did the events of Kent State increase the Credibility Gap?
Government reported that the students fired first and were putting Guard members lives in harms way.
Survivors of Kent State report that they were being peaceful, they were round up to the green lawn, and then the Guard shot into the crowd.
The differences increased distrust in the government.
How did long deployments and unclear goals impact soldier morale during the war?
Long deployments and unclear goals caused frustration, confusion, and low morale among many soldiers.
A U.S foreign policy during the cold war aimed at stopping the spread of communism to the other countries is....
Containment
When news coverage presents events in a way that influences how people think, often by focusing on certain details or viewpoints we call this...
Media Bias
True or False: the US Embassy was attacked in Saigon?
True
As protesting increased what was the governments response to protesters?
Increased police presence, National Guard deployment, FBI surveilled the protest groups, and President Nixon labeled some protesters as "unpatriotic."
What role did letters home, interviews, or oral histories play in helping Americans understand GI life in Vietnam?
Letters and interviews shared personal experiences that made the war feel real to Americans, sometimes contradicting official government messages
TV sometimes showed brutal reality that contrasted with optimistic government statements. These differences caused this to grow over time.
Credibility Gap
How did Walter Cronkite's reporting impact the Vietnam War?
His commentary influenced public perceptions of the wars progress and morality.
How many phases made up the Tet Offensive?
3
When does protest become powerful?
When it is sustained over time, nonviolent, and mobilizes a diverse, broad-based coalition that shifts the loyalties of key pillars of support by utilizing varied tactics while maintaining clear, strategic objectives.
How might GI experiences have changed public opinion about the Vietnam War once those stories reached the media?
GI stories showed the human cost of the war, helping turn public opinion against continued fighting as media coverage became more critical.