#4: Vietnam & the Anti-War Movement

#4: Vietnam & the Anti-War Movement

Only 6 more Zoom classes until the STAAR test!

Multiple Choice

The primary reason given by US leaders to justify military involvement in Vietnam was that it would --

• promote reconstruction after World War II

• maintain the policy of detente

• fulfill prior United Nations obiligations

• keep communism from spreading throughout the region

Domino Theory

After communist leader Ho Chi Minh gained control of communist North Vietnam, America began to fear that if South Vietnam fell too, Vietnam would be the 1st domino to fall in Southeast Asia.

Multiple Choice

In 1963, which US President was assassinated in Dallas, Texas making Lyndon B Johnson (LBJ) the next President of the United States?

• Dwight D Eisenhower

• John F Kennedy

• Richard Nixon

Multiple Choice

Following the attack on the USS Maddox, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in which --

• Congress declared war on Vietnam & authorized the mobilization of US troops.

• Congress gave the President full authority to do what was necessary without a declaration of war.

To contain the spread of communism in South Vietnam, LBJ escalated American involvement.

Open Ended

What do you already know about the Vietnam War? Or the hippies? Counterculture? The 1960s?

Fighting in Vietnam

• US goal = defeat Southern Vietcong & support democracy

• Vietnam is mostly jungle & the Vietcong KNOW the land & live amongst civilians in cities

• the Vietcong use guerilla tactics to disguise themselves & launch sneak attacks

• the US struggled to find the Vietcong who were constantly being resupplied through the Ho Chi Minh trail

"The Living Room War"

• General Westmoreland reported daily Vietcong deaths to show that America was winning this "war of attrition" & wearing down the Vietcong resistance

• LBJ & the American government promised victory was coming any day

• BUT through television, millions of Americans watched combat footage from Vietnam

• TV stations also shared daily numbers of US soldiers killing in action

A credibility gap grew between what the Johnson administration reported and what was REALLY happening in Vietnam.

The Credibility Gap

• the Johnson administration was lying to the American public

• HAWKS supported the war & wanted it to continue

• DOVES criticized the war & wanted its immediate end

Student Resistance to the Draft

• since WWI, men HAD to register for he military when they turned 18 & could be called to war in the draft from ages 18 to 26

• in 1966, LBJ said students had to be in "good academic standing" to receive a deferment

• 35,000 young men were being drafted EVERY month

• young people pointed out the irony that they could be sent to war at 18 but couldn't vote until age 21

• some see these anti-war protestors as cowards, as un-patriotic Americans

Multiple Select

How did the anti-war movement protest against the Vietnam War? HINT: 3

• College "teach-ins"

• Sit ins

• Burning draft cards

• Mass demonstrations

• Freedom Rides

The Tet Offensive

• Lunar New Year in Vietnam = Tet

• in honor of Tet in 1968, there was a 10 day cease fire for celebrations AND funerals

• Vietcong snuck in fights & arms via coffins

• on the night of Tet, the Vietcong launched a suprise attack on 100 towns, 12 US air bases, & the US embassy

• the Tet Offensive destroyed American faith in LBJ & America's ability to win the war

1968 was a BIG Year

• January = Americans suprised by Vietcong attack in the Tet Offensive

• March = LBJ says America will stop bombing South Vietnam, begin peace talks, & he won't run for re-election

• April = MLK Jr is assassinated

• June = Democratic candidate for Presidency Robert Kennedy assassinated

• August = thousands of anti-war protestors clashed with Chicago police at the Democratic National Convention

• November = Conservative Republic Richard Nixon is elected President of the US

President Nixon's "Peace with Honor"

• the "Vietnamization" plan meant US troops would gradually withdrawal & South Vietnamese troops would take over

• in secret, Nixon wanted to deliver a knock out blow BEFORE withdrawal

• Nixon ordered US troops to bomb neighboring Cambodia & Laos to destroy the Ho Chi Minh Trail in 1970

the 26th Amendment

lowered the voting age to 18 so that students could vote on the laws that impacted them, like the draft.

In 1975, the last US troops were withdrawn from Vietnam as North Vietnamese forces invaded, captured Saigon, & South Vietnam fell.

Vietnam was unified under 1 communist government as it remains to this day.

Vietnam was the longest & most divisive war in US History.

58,000 American soldiers died.

2,000,000 Vietnamese CIVILIANS were killed in the conflict.

Multiple Choice

The domino theory, which provided the basis for US entry into the Vietnam War, was the belief that intervention was necessary to prevent -

• the expansion of communism across Southeast Asia

• the inclusion of Taiwan in the Warsaw Pact

• the loss of UN military bases in Asia

• the rise of China as a dominant economic power

Multiple Choice

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution increased the power of the executive branch by -

• allowing the president to use military force without a declaration of war by Congress

• authorizing the president to choose the Senate Majority Leader

• allowing the president to introduce bills to Congress

• expanding the president's right to executive privilege

Multiple Choice

Which article would most likely quote this excerpt?

• "Embedding Journalists in Combat during the Korean War"

• "The Role of the Office of War Information during World War II"

• "Improvement in Media Production during the Persian Gulf War"

• "The Role of the Media during the Vietnam War"

Multiple Choice

This amendment gained support based on the belief that people should have the right to vote if they are old enough to--

• drive motorized vehicles

• serve as members of juries

• pay federal income taxes

• be drafted into the military

Multiple Choice

How does this resolution demonstrate the principle of checks and balances?

• It expands the power of judicial review to military courts.

• It allows the executive o determine the length of military conflicts.

• It allows Congress to limit the military authority of the executive branch.

• It gives Congress oversight of military strategy and operations.

After class today,

• master the 30 Quizlet flashcards linked in assignment #4

• make sure you've completed assignments 1, 2, & 3 AND that you're happy with your grade