Ford and Carter 23-24

Bush 25

Clinton 26

Obama 27

Timeline 28-35

Definitions

Ho Chi Minh- Communist leader for North Vietnam.

Dien Bien Phu- Location of where the Viet Minh overran the French outpost in Northwest Vietnam.

Geneva Accords- Temporarily divided Vietnam into the North and the South along the 17th parallel.

Ngo Dinh Diem- The anti-communist leader of South Vietnam.

Definitions

Vietcong- A communist group in South Vietnam who would attack the Diem government.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution- A resolution passed by congress on August 7th giving President Johnson the means to used military force for whatever in Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh Trail- A path along the boarders of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia that supplied arms to the Vietcong.

Definitions

Napalm- Gasoline-based bombs that were used to set fire to the jungle.

Agent Orange- A vegetation killing toxic chemical used by the U.S to

Credibility Gap- This is a gap between what President Johnson was telling the public about the war and what was really happening in the war.

Vietnamization- The process of the U.S pulling troops out of South Vietnam and allowing South Vietnam to take over.

Definitions

Silent Majority- The mainstream Americans who silently supported the U.S war efforts in Vietnam.

My Lai Massacre- The killing of innocent civilians in My Lai by American soldiers.

Kent State University- Shooting at the university due to riots over the war where four students were killed.

Pentagon Papers- A set of papers leaked by Daniel Ellsburg where the information about the war was leaked to the public.

Definitions

War Powers Act- An acted that stated the President must inform Congress within 48 hours of sending troops into areas where war had not been declared and the troop cannot remain passed 90 days without congresses approval.

Early Years of Vietnam

Why did the U.S get involved?

The U.S got involved with the war because they did not want Asia to fall to communism. More importantly they did not was South Vietnam to fall to communism because then it would created a domino affect meaning if one falls they all fall.

Who was Robert McNamara?

Robert McNamara was the U.S Secretary of Defensive for President Kennedy and President Johnson during their terms.

Early Years of Vietnam

What did the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution give Johnson the power to do?

Congress passed this resolution to allow Johnson to have the power to use military strength to protect the interests of Americans by whatever means necessary.

Who was able to get out of the draft?

Students who were going to college were deferred from the draft, they would change where they lived to be in front of a more lenient draft board, receive medical exemptions from sympathetic doctors, or they would join the Coast Guard or National Guard.

Early Years of Vietnam

Why was the draft unfair?

The draft was unfair because people who were capable of fighting in the war were getting out of it when they should be in it instead of the older men.

What was fighting like in Vietnam compared to other wars?

The fighting was more deadly because they would just blow up the jungles because it was hard to see and maneuver and it would kill lots of people. The Vietnamese also knew their surroundings unlike the Americans so they were able to kill more than the Americans.

Early Years of Vietnam

Why did the Tet Offensive change the public perception of the war?

The Tet Offensive changed the public perception of the war because they were being told that everything was taken care of and that war was being won easily. Then when the Tet Offensive was being shown on tv they were realizing how many people were dying and how the war was not being easily won so it changed how the public felt about the war. It made many people turn against the war and protest it.

1968

MLK Assassination

Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968 by James Earl Ray in Memphis Tennessee. He was in Memphis for the Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike. While staying at the Lorraine Hotel and standing on the balcony MLK was shot and killed which ended the civil rights movement and got the civil rights act passed.

Bobby Kennedy Assassination

Bobby Kennedy was assassinated on June 6, 1968 in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California by Sirhan Sirhan. He was in California to campaign for the 1968 election when he was shot and killed.

1968

Tet Offensive

On January 31, 1968 the North Vietnamese and the Vietcong launched nuclear attacks on major cities in South Vietnam. With these attacks on major cities in South Vietnam they hoped that they would surrender the war and stop the fighting.

Why did Walter Cronkite's opinion matter so much on the Tet Offensive?

He was a famous American journalist who said that based on what had happened the war could not be won and it would end in a stalemate.

Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll

What is a hippie?

A care free person who does not conform to societies expectations and usually takes hallucinogenic drugs to make them feel more free.

Hippies

Hippies were apart of the new carefree generation. They wore tie dye clothes and were very laid back. They did drugs such as LSD and were very into music. They went to music festivals and were very open about everything. Many hippies did not work and shared things such as clothing with other hippies. The most popular place for them was Haight and Ashbury in California.

Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll

Rock and Roll

Rock and roll was the popular music during the sixties for the younger generation. It was especially popular with hippies. Many of the famous rock and roll bands played at festivals on the weekend such as Woodstock Music Festival. Bob Dylan was a well known rock and roll musician.

Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll

Drugs

In the sixties drugs were very popular in the hippie community. Drugs such as LSD were popular and they were tried at parties to test the effects it had on people. They were taken to feel relaxed and they were not considered illegal at the time.

Peace With War

What was Nixon's strategy on Vietnam?

Nixon's strategy was to withdraw the troops slowly and to turn the war over to the South Vietnamese and this process was called Vietnamization. He wanted to cut of supplies that the North supplied to the Vietcong through the Ho Chi Minh trail and limit the U.S to only air strikes.

Kent State

Kent State which is located in Ohio is where students were rioting over the Vietnam war and the invasion of Cambodia. To try and stop the riots the Ohio National Guardsmen were called in and a shooting broke out where they killed four students.

Peace With War

Trial of the My Lai Massacre

The trial surrounding the My Lai Massacre was so significant because Calley ordered the killing of hundreds of civillians and he was charged with murder.

When did the U.S leave Vietnam?

On February 14, 1973 the U.S started the process of Vietnamization where they would slowly leave Vietnam and turn the fighting over to the South Vietnamese.

Peace With War

Soldier Treatment

When the soldiers arrived home their families were very happy to see them. On the other hand the public did not respond well. The soldiers could not wear their uniforms in public due to the name calling and torment and the public was not as supportive.

How many people died and were wounded in Vietnam?

During the Vietnam war 56,000 people died and 150,000 were wounded in Vietnam.

How much money did the U.S spend on the war?

The U.S spent over $350 billion dollars on the Vietnam war.

Nixon's Presidency

Watergate Scandal

The watergate scandal was a scandal used to try and help Nixon will his re-election campaign. During the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate building in Washington DC burglars were caught and arrested in the building. The burglars were trying to wire tap enemies phones and steal secret documents for Nixon to help with the re-election campaign. Nixon tried to cover up the scandal by paying people off and saying he had no part in it but, in the end he resigned from office during his second term instead of facing impeachment.

Regan's Presidency

Military Spending

Regan wanted to increase military spending by asking congress to spend $1,640 billion on the military project so he could project world military power. He wanted to be able to fight back on anything that came up or help the allies and wanted to increase the military equipment and supplies.

Relationship with the Soviet Union

During Regan's presidency the relationship with the Soviet Union was good. They signed a five year agreement called the SALT 1 Treaty which limited the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched missiles to 1972 levels.

Regan's Presidency

Berlin wall speech and the year the wall comes down.

On June 12, 1987 while in West Berlin President Regan gave a speech challenging Gorbachev to "tear it down." Regan wanted to open the barriers that had separated East and West Berlin for over 25 years. Finally on November 9, 1889 the wall was torn down.