Table of Contents

Vocabulary 4-6

Early Years of Vietnam 7-8

1968 9-10

1960s Culture 11-12

Later Years of Vietnam 13-15

Nixon's Presidency 16-17

Ford's Presidency 18-19

Carter's Presidency 20-21

Reagan's Presidency 22-23

George H.W. Bush Presidency 24

Bill Clinton's Presidency 25-26

George W. Bush's Presidency 27-28

Barack Obama's Presidency 29-30

Vocabulary

Ho Chi Minh: leader of the Indochinese Communist Party

Dien Bien Phu: where the Vietminh overran the French outpost

Geneva Accords: a 1954 peace agreement that divided Vietnam into Communist-controlled North Vietnam and non-Communist South Vietnam until unification elections could be held in 1956

Ngo Dinh Diem: South Vietnam's anti-communist president

Vietcong: the South Vietnamese Communists who, with North Vietnamese support, fought against the government of South Vietnam in the Vietnam War

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: authorized LBJ to take necessary measures to retaliate if needed

Ho Chi Minh Trail: a network of paths used by North Vietnma to transport supplies to the Vietcong in South Vietnam

Napalm: a gasoline-based substance used in bombs that U.S. planes dropped in Vietnam in order to burn away jungle and expose Vietcong hideouts

Agent Orange: leaf-killing, toxic chemical

Credibility Gap: difference between what the Johnson administration was reporting and what was really happening

Vietnamization: President Nixon's strategy for ending us involvement in the Vietnam war, involving the gradual withdrawal of us troops and their replacement with south Vietnamese forces

Silent Majority: Americans who supported the US efforts in VietnamMy Lai Massacre: 200 innocent Vietnamese citizens who lived in My Lai were killed by a US platoon on March 16, 1968

Kent State University: massive student protest that led to four people being killed

Pentagon Papers: proved that LBJ was lying about his intentions with the Vietnam War

War Powers Act: a President must inform Congress within 48 hours of sending forces into a hostile area without a declaration of war

Early Years of Vietnam

Why US got involved: They viewed Vietnam as the first domino to fall and spread communism to Southeast Asia. This is called the "Domino Theory". They were so hopeless to resist communism that they entered the war.

Who was Robert McNamara: He was the U.S. secretary of defense from 1961 to 1968 who revamped Pentagon operations. He also played a major role in the nation’s military involvement in the Vietnam War.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: This authorized Johnson to take any measures that he believed were necessary to retaliate and to promote the maintenance of international peace and security in southeast Asia.

The draft: Many considered the draft quite unfair. People would make up fake health conditions, say they were homosexual, or go to college so they could get out of it.

What fighting in Vietnam was like compared to other wars: It was a civil war before the United States got involved.

Why the Tet Offensive changed the public perception of war: The America's people gave up belief that there was a way to win the war.

1968

Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination: On April 4th, 1968 MLK was shot and killed by James Earl Ray on a motel balcony in Memphis, TN.

Robert Kennedy Assassination: On June 5th, 1968, Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed by Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angelos, CA.

Tet Offensive: This was a series of surprise attacks by the Vietcong (rebel forces sponsored by North Vietnam) and North Vietnamese forces, on scores of cities, towns, and hamlets throughout South Vietnam. It was from January 30th, 1968 to September 23rd, 1968 and was considered a turning point in war.

Walter Cronkike's opinion: His opinions was important due to the fact that he was trusted by the people who didn't trust the government. When he announced that the war war was impossible to win. This influenced people to believe that the United States couldn't win the war.

1960's Culture

What is a hippie? This is someone who refuses to conform to the mainstream customs of American morals.

Popular drugs: Marijuana and LSD were highly used drugs used in the 1960's.

Politics: Many assassinations of strong leaders, Space Race, Cold War, Cuban Missle Crisis.

Civil Rights Movement: Fighting against segregation and for equal rights for African Americans.

Later Years of Vietnam

Nixon's Strategy on Vietnam: He created a strategy that he called, "Vietnamization". This was a policy that had a purpose to end the United States involvement through a plan to expand, equip, and train South Vietnamese citizens.

What happened to Kent State? On May 4th, 1970, four students at Kent State University were shot and killed after numbers of the Ohio national guard opened fire during a Vietnam War protest.

Why the trial surrounding the My Lai Massacre was so significant: This trial was hidden from the public.

When the United States left Vietnam: March 29th, 1973.

How the soldiers were treated when they came home: A large amount of people believed that the war was pointless and bad for the country. Many of the soldiers were treated less human-like.

Amount of soldiers that died and were wounded in Vietnam: Around 58,000.

How much did the United States spend on the Vietnam War: More than 173 billion dollars.

Nixon's Precidency

*37th president

*1969-1974

The Watergate Scandal: On June 17th, 1972, several burglars were arrested in the office of the Demacratic National Committee. The individuals who were arrested were also connected to Nixon's reelection campaign and they'd been caught wiretapping phones and stealing documents. He tried to cover up his crime, but later, his role was exposed in August of 1974, and announced that he was resigning before getting impeached.

Ford's Precidency

*38th president

*1974-1977

Ford took office after Nixon resigned. Ford became the first president to not be elected in nation's history. Ford presided over the worst economy in the four decades since the Great Depression, with growing inflation and a recession during his tenure. In one of the most controversial acts, he granted president Nixon a pardon for his involvement with the Watergate Scandal. This pardon probably lost Ford the presidency when he lost to Jimmy Carter in 1976.