Key Events- Global
What "incident" did LBJ use/lie about to justify his escalation of the Vietnam War?
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
What were the Kent State Shootings?
Incident where National Guard soldiers opened up on students protesting at Kent State. 4 were killed.
Who were the two types of soldiers US troops fought in Vietnam?
1. North Vietnamese Army (NVA) - North Vietnamese soldiers supplied by Russia and China.
2. Viet Cong (VC) - North Vietnamese soldiers in South Vietnam. Tended to be guerilla fighters.
What is containment?
Stopping the spread of communism beyond its current borders.
What was different about the Vietnam War?
1. First televised war
2. No clear "good guys" or "bad guys"
3. Difference in government v. media
What is Vietnamization?
The process of handing over responsibility of defending S. Vietnam to the ARVN so that American soldiers could leave.
What was the Moratorium on the Vietnam War?
A series of protests that happened around the world in 1969. Biggest protest in US history!
What is a Draft Dodger? Bonus points: 100 points for every reason you can give for dodging the draft! (6 possible!!)
Someone who avoids the draft by a variety of means: fleeing the country, conscientious objector, enlisting in another branch of the military, getting married, going to college, claiming a medical condition.
What is a proxy war?
A war that is not officially fought between two sides through direct combat.
What are the 4 reasons no one wants to talk about the Vietnam War?
1. Difficulty in fighting
2. Very controversial
3. Loss of trust in government
4. We lost the war!
What two events during the Vietnam War changed American perception of the war? How did this compare to what the government was saying about the war?
1. My Lai Massacre - Event where a US company killed 500 women, children, and elderly in revenge for a previous attack. Shows the brutality of American soldiers in the Vietnam War and would damage the opinion of US soldiers back home.
2. Tet Offensive - Massive North Vietnamese attack against US and ARVN forces on the Vietnamese new year (Tet), January 30th, 1968. 35 targets were attacked simultaneously. LBJ had been saying the NVA would be easily defeated. The Tet Offensive showed the LBJ was either lying or didn’t understand the enemy.
What were the Pentagon Papers?
Classified report on the Vietnam War that was leaked to the press. Showed that the presidency had been lying about the Vietnam War and fueled public outrage.
Who was Thich Quang Duc? Bonus points: Who was he protesting?
1. Buddhist monk who set himself on fire in protest of Diem’s rule.
2. Ngo Dinh Diem- “Democratic” leader of South Vietnam. He seized power and began running the country as a dictator. Ultimately drove more Vietnamese towards the Viet Minh.
What is the Domino Theory?
The US idea that if one Asian country were to fall to communism, the others would soon follow. This idea justified American intervention in Vietnam.
Name 4 of the 6 legacies of the Vietnam War.
1. Shatters faith in America
2. A new understanding about war- Military Industrial Complex
3. Distrust of presidential power
4. A new army- no more draft
5. PTSD
6. Vietnam Syndrome
When France and Vietnam met to agree on a ceasefire in Vietnam. Vietnam was divided at the 17th parallel.
What was the Watergate Scandal?
Most famous political scandal in history. When Nixon paid his “Plumbers” to break into the Democratic National Committee office to spy on the candidate running against Nixon. Plumbers were caught, an investigation began and eventually Nixon had to resign or be impeached and removed.
Who did the US troops fight alongside and train in Vietnam?
ARVN- Army of the Republic of Vietnam
What is Executive Privilege?
The idea that a president can withhold information from the public for security reasons.
Why were people for the Vietnam War? Why were people against the Vietnam War?
For:
1. Stop the spread of communism
Against:
1. The idea that Vietnam could choose the government it wanted.
2. It is immoral
3. It is a Vietnamese Civil War
4. The Vietnam War was just American imperialism.
What two events mark the end of the Vietnam War? Hint: One marks the end of US involvement and one marks the end of fighting in Vietnam.
1. Paris Peace Accords - Ceasefire agreement between the US/ARVN troops and NVA/Viet Cong. Officially ended the US fighting in the Vietnam War.
2. The Fall of Saigon - When the capital of S. Vietnam was captured by North Vietnamese troops. This symbolized the takeover of all of Vietnam by N. Vietnamese troops.
What was the first large protest against the Vietnam War? When was it? Bonus points: How many people marched?
1. March on the Pentagon
2. 1967
3. 50,000 people
List all of the presidents involved in the Vietnam War. Bonus points- can you tell me their part in the Vietnam story? (100 points per president)
1. President Truman - Initially provided supplies and money to France’s military cause in Vietnam.
2. President Eisenhower - Continued financial support of France and provided some military advisors. Provided significant aid to S. Vietnam to help its development.
3. President Kennedy - Continued aid for S. Vietnam. Increased military advisors and introduced special forces.
4. President Johnson- Dramatically escalated the U.S. presence in Vietnam. Basically started the Vietnam War. Accused of lying to get his war in Vietnam.
5. President Nixon - Elected to end the war in Vietnam. Begins draw down but also responsible for expansion of the war into Laos and Cambodia.
How was the Vietnam War fought? Use specific methods/styles of fighting in your answer.
Carpet bombing- heavily bombing widespread areas to cause devastation.
Search and destroy missions- literally go out and find the enemy and then destroy them with airpower, etc.
Guerilla warfare - A style of warfare that uses ambushes, sneak attacks, booby traps, etc. Avoids open-field battles. Used by weak/poor combatants in war.
Agent Orange - Cancer-causing herbicide used by the US during the Vietnam War.
Napalm - Flammable gel used in fire bombs and flamethrowers.
Who/what did Ho Chi Minh quote when he declared North Vietnam independent from the French? What was his goal? Was his goal achieved? Bonus points: Tell me about the history of Vietnam before the Vietnam War.
1. Thomas Jefferson/The Declaration of Independence
2. To get the US to back the North Vietnamese
3. No! They were communist!