Reasons for Involvement
This communist rebel group threatened the non-communist government of South Vietnam
Vietcong
The first sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam.
Operation Rolling Thunder
This Vietcong strategy made it difficult for the US to locate the enemy
Tunnels
This group of Americans was disproportionately drafted into the Vietnam War
Working-class
This massacre resulted in the death of 400-500 South Vietnamese civilians and fueled anti-war protests at home.
My Lai Massacre
Communist
American troops moving beyond advisory roles and taking over combat responsibilities while the South Vietnamese begin taking a more secondary role.
Americanization
This creative Vietcong strategy crippled and maimed American troops, wearing them down physically and mentally.
Boobytraps
This group of Americans supported the war and President Johnson's total victory approach
Hawks
US forces set to withdraw as S. Vietnam assumed more combat duties.
Vietnamization
This Cold War theory assumes that if one country falls to communism, all surrounding countries will fall too
Domino Theory
This jellied gasoline bomb exploded on impact and cover large areas of rainforest in flames.
Napalm Bombs
Type of warfare used by the Vietcong that featured hit-and-run tactics, unconventional military strategies and consistent harassment
Guerilla Warfare
This incident expanded American casualties over the Vietnam War into the United States
What happened to Vietnam after the Paris Peace Accords were signed?
N and S Vietnamese continued to fight for 2 years and Vietnam ultimately unified under a communist country
This President sent roughly 15,000 troops to South Vietnam in 1961 to help support the South Vietnamese army fight against the Vietcong
President Kennedy
Cause: to kill of plant life and reveal enemy location.
Effect: the chemical caused ecological devastation and a long-term human-health crisis.
This military aircraft became crucial for the Americans to enter into dense jungles
Helicopter
This President announced the war would expand into Cambodia despite promising ending the war with peace and honor
President Nixon
The Act was an attempt to regain some of the power that the executive branch gained from the Gulf of Tonkin resolution.
The War Powers Act
This incident occurred when the USS Maddox was under attack by the North Vietnamese, leading to the US escalating their forces in Vietnam
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident
The Vietnam War was costly in these two ways:
1. Money
2. American lives
This large scale offensive attack on American was the turning point of the war that led to the US pursuing peace instead of victory.
Tet Offensive
Differing reports between the government and the media which led to distrust of the government
Credibility Gap
The estimated dollar amount the United States spent on the Vietnam War
$1 Trillion