Vietnam War Vocab
A jellied gasoline used for bombs
Napalm
President Johnson feared that directly attacking North Vietnam would bring this Asian country into the war
China
An extended meeting or class held to discuss a social or political issue, first held at the University of Michigan, discussing issues surrounding the war and reaffirming their issues for opposing it
Teach-In
Policy of improving relations with the Soviet Union and China in hopes of persuading them to cut back their aid to North Vietnam
Linkage
Criticized America’s involvement in the Vietnam War and the disproportionate number of African American deaths
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
A person in favor of the United States withdrawing from the Vietnam War
Dove
A leader of the nationalist movement in Vietnam, founded the Indochinese Communist Party in 1930, and was President of North Vietnam from 1945 to 1969
Ho Chi Minh
In 1968 the American people were shocked that an enemy supposedly on the verge of defeat—the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese—could launch such a large-scale attack called
The Tet Offensive
Long after troops were home, the war lingered on for the American families whose relatives and friends were classified _____________ or ______________
Prisoners of War - Missing in Action
Nixon’s special assistant for national security affairs
Henry Kissinger
The belief that if one nation in Asia fell to the Communists, neighboring countries would follow
Domino Theory
On August 2, 1964, President Johnson announced that North Vietnamese torpedo boats had fired on two American destroyers in this body of water
The Gulf of Tonkin
On June 5th, 1968, this Presidential candidate appeared to be on his way to winning the Democratic nomination until he was gunned down by an Arab nationalist
Robert Kennedy
In January 1975, this South Asian country fell under the control of the Communist group the Khmer Rouge
DAILY DOUBLE
Cambodia
Pro-Western leader of South Vietnam early in the war who was overthrown in a coup and executed
Ngo Dinh Diem
Member of an armed band that carries out surprise attacks and sabotage rather than open warfare
Guerilla
To counter the guerilla tactics of the Vietcong, American troops tried to find enemy troops, bomb their positions, destroy their supply lines, and force them out into the open for combat; a tactic called
DAILY DOUBLE
"Search and Destroy"
This Republican Presidential candidate promised to unify the nation and restore law and order to American society; he also had a "secret plan" to bring "peace with honor" in Vietnam
Richard Nixon
In December 1972, to force North Vietnam to resume negotiations, the Nixon administration began the most destructive air raids of the war; American B-52s dropped thousands of tons of bombs on North Vietnamese targets for 11 straight days which was known as
The "Christmas Bombings"
Peace negotiator for the North Vietnamese
Le Duc Tho
The process of making South Vietnam assume more of the war effort by slowly withdrawing American troops from Vietnam
Vietnamization
These Accords provided for the temporary division of Vietnam along the 17th parallel and also called for elections to be held in 1956 to reunite the country under a single government
Geneva Accords
In 1971, this amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving all citizens age 18 and older the right to vote in all state and federal elections
The 26th Amendment
In 1973, Congress passed this Act; requiring the president to inform Congress of any commitment of troops abroad within 48 hours, and to withdraw them in 60-90 days, unless Congress explicitly approved the troop commitment
Outspoken segregationist who ran as an independent candidate in the 1968 election
George Wallace