Unit 11: The Cold War Era
(1945-1990)
(1945-1990)
Essential Questions
What factors and incidents pushed the United States and the Soviet Union to the brink of war in the 1960s? Why did the United States consider containing Communism a top priority? What did LBJ increase the number of ground forces in Vietnam? Why was Richard Nixon impeached? |
Upcoming Assessments
Cold War and Vietnam War Vocabulary Test Wednesday, April 25, 2018 Make-up Date: Thursday, April 26, 2018 Cold War and Vietnam War Unit Test Tuesday, May 1, 2018 Make-up Date: Wednesday, May 2, 2018 Unit 11 Essay (Extra Credit)
Theory of Kennedy Assassination Paragraph 1: Introduction (with thesis): "Of the theories surrounding the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the most accurate theory would be..."
Paragraph 2: What is one theory you oppose? Why? Paragraph 3: What is another theory you oppose? Why? Paragraph 4: What is the theory you most strongly support? Why? Paragraph 5: Conclusion To see a list of theories, click here |
Unit 11 Lessons
Lesson #1: Introduction to the Cold War
Class Notes Capitalism vs. Communism Article Assignment: Capitalism vs. Communism Venn Diagram
Assignment Deadline: April 20, 2018 |
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Lesson #3: Events of the Cold War (Webquest)
Events of the Cold War Chart Assignment: Working with a partner, please complete the eight category chart provided through web-based research.
Assignment Deadline: April 20, 2018 |
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Lesson #4: Race to the Top
The Arms Race Questions to Consider (answer in Bell)
Assignment: Chart of the Nuclear Arms Race Assignment Deadline: April 25, 2018 Please select a decade from 1940-1991 that is organized by the decade: 1940s; 1950s; 1960s; 1970s; 1980-1991. I. Search the selected web sites for major events and developments in nuclear weapons design, testing, and deployment; Cold War confrontations (that involved the potential use or implied threat of nuclear weapons); and any important agreements between nations to slow the arms race:
II. Use your charts for discussion, create a list of 5 entries for this decade:
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Lesson #5: The Homefront
How to Spot a Communist Reading Nest of Communists Assignment: Working with a partner, please read and discuss the two articles and complete a Venn diagram collaboratively.
Music of the Vietnam War Protests of the Vietnam War |
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Lesson #6: Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis
Overview of the Cuban Missile Crisis Response: How close did the United States come to World War III? Explain. (Answer in Bell) Assignment: SAS® Curriculum Pathways: Cuban Missile Crisis Assignment Deadline: April 27, 2018 Please e-mail to Mr. Andrews or print and turn in to the box. Mr. Andrews' e-mail: [email protected] |
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Lesson #7: Americanization
Class Notes Introduction the Vietnam War Americanization vs. Vietnamization What was Nixon's Vietnamization Policy? We Were Soldiers Movie (TV version) Assignment: SAS® Curriculum Pathways: Johnson and Vietnam War Assignment Deadline: May 1, 2018 Please e-mail to Mr. Andrews or print and turn in to the box. Mr. Andrews' e-mail: [email protected] |
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Lesson #8: Vietnamization
Class Notes
Class Notes
Lesson #9: Watergate
Response: Why was Richard Nixon impeached?
Clinton and Nixon: Obstruction of Justice |
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Primary Causes of the Cold War
*Communism vs. Democracy: The Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States had vastly different forms of government, which led to tension between the two nations. The United States became concerned with the spread of Communism (Domino Theory) and wanted to limit Communism throughout the world (Policy of Containment). Financial Motives: While the Soviet Union wanted to receive large sums of money in the form of reparations from Germany, the United States and Great Britain wanted to support the rebuilding of post-Nazi Germany. Mutual Mistrust: The Soviet Union and the United States became skeptical and concerned with one another's motives, especially within the political, military, and economic arenas. *Nuclear Weapons: Following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, the Soviet Union feared the nuclear capability of the United States. The Soviet Union began stockpiling nuclear weapons of their own. |
The Cold War shaped our modern world as it is. It shaped our world by three main factors; fear, technology, and our relationship with other countries. It shaped our modern world by fear because it prompted us to engage against the Soviets. Due to the perception of Soviets living in harsh conditions and having no regards to human rights, the U.S. felt it was their duty to prevent the spread of communism, and promote capitalism to other countries. Technology was another factor that shaped our modern world because there was competition for both Americans and Soviets to one-up each other. An example would be that even though the Soviets launched the Sputnik satellite up in space, the Americans were able to place a man on the moon. The last factor was our foreign policy, in which we used extensively during the Cold War. To understand our current relationship with the world, we need to trace the relationship back to the Cold War. With that, we can understand how and why either the country took pride in the relationship with us or despised us. Examples include South Korea, which took pride with the U.S. and compare that with Iran, who despised the U.S.
To study the Cold War era is to study about the culture of the time. One of the main themes during the Cold War in U.S. history is the fear of Communism (also known as the Red Scare). The fear of communism through propaganda shaped our foreign policy. From the late 1940s to the 1960s, it was all about containing Communism. In the 1970s, it was about Detente. And in the 1980s to the dawn of the 1990s, it was about calling the Soviet Union an evil empire which then caused the nation to collapse, leaving the United States as the only reigning country.
Another theme of the Cold War era in the U.S. was the increasing development of technology. Most of the modern technologies we used today, such as the internet and the organization NASA, had its origins in the Cold War. The increasing amount of technology was used as a way to combat against the Russians, to gain a step ahead of them due to the fear of communism. Because of the increasing use of technology, it led to the development of nuclear weapons and the arms race once the U.S. discovered that the Russians had nuclear weapons.
The last theme of the Cold War era was the United States' foreign policy towards other nations. With the overall fear of communism and the development of new technologies, the U.S. looked to other nations to make sure that they do not fall under communist rule. Many nations today either admire the United States or despised it, and the feelings can be traced back to the Cold War. Many European countries favored the United States, Asian nations are either pro or anti, the Middle East is full of hatred against, and the Latin countries have mixed feelings towards the U.S.
That is why to understand the modern world we live in today, we study the Cold War. To see which nations tend to fare off better than others economically, we look to the Cold War. There is a reason why there are categories of either "Developed nation" and "Developing nation". The nations that followed the American free-economy model tends to be more prosperous compared to the nations that were following the Soviet centrally-planned economy model.
To study the Cold War era is to study about the culture of the time. One of the main themes during the Cold War in U.S. history is the fear of Communism (also known as the Red Scare). The fear of communism through propaganda shaped our foreign policy. From the late 1940s to the 1960s, it was all about containing Communism. In the 1970s, it was about Detente. And in the 1980s to the dawn of the 1990s, it was about calling the Soviet Union an evil empire which then caused the nation to collapse, leaving the United States as the only reigning country.
Another theme of the Cold War era in the U.S. was the increasing development of technology. Most of the modern technologies we used today, such as the internet and the organization NASA, had its origins in the Cold War. The increasing amount of technology was used as a way to combat against the Russians, to gain a step ahead of them due to the fear of communism. Because of the increasing use of technology, it led to the development of nuclear weapons and the arms race once the U.S. discovered that the Russians had nuclear weapons.
The last theme of the Cold War era was the United States' foreign policy towards other nations. With the overall fear of communism and the development of new technologies, the U.S. looked to other nations to make sure that they do not fall under communist rule. Many nations today either admire the United States or despised it, and the feelings can be traced back to the Cold War. Many European countries favored the United States, Asian nations are either pro or anti, the Middle East is full of hatred against, and the Latin countries have mixed feelings towards the U.S.
That is why to understand the modern world we live in today, we study the Cold War. To see which nations tend to fare off better than others economically, we look to the Cold War. There is a reason why there are categories of either "Developed nation" and "Developing nation". The nations that followed the American free-economy model tends to be more prosperous compared to the nations that were following the Soviet centrally-planned economy model.
The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was the longest in U.S. history, until the war in Afghanistan that began in 2002. It was extremely divisive in the U.S., Europe, Australia and elsewhere. Because the U.S. failed to achieve a military victory and the Republic of South Vietnam was ultimately taken over by North Vietnam, the Vietnam experience became known as "the only war America ever lost." It remains a very controversial topic that continues to affect political and military decisions today.
Casualties in the Vietnam War
The U.S. suffered over 47,000 killed in action plus another 11,000 noncombat deaths; over 150,000 were wounded and 10,000 missing. Casualties for the Republic of South Vietnam will never be adequately resolved. Low estimates calculate 110,000 combat KIA and a half-million wounded. Civilian loss of life was also very heavy, with the lowest estimates around 415,000.
Similarly, casualty totals among the VC and NVA and the number of dead and wounded civilians in North Vietnam cannot be determined exactly. In April 1995, Vietnam’s communist government said 1.1 million combatants had died between 1954 and 1975, and another 600,000 wounded.
Civilian deaths during that time period were estimated at 2 million, but the U.S. estimate of civilians killed in the north at 30,000.
Among South Vietnam’s other allies, Australia had over 400 killed and 2,400 wounded; New Zealand, over 80 KIA ; Republic of Korea, 4,400 KIA; and Thailand 350 killed.
North Vietnam, South Vietnam
Vietnam has a long history of being ruled by foreign powers, and this led many Vietnamese to see the United States’ involvement in their country as neo-colonialism. China conquered the northern part of modern Vietnam in 111 BC and retained control until 938 AD; it continued to exert some control over the Vietnamese until 1885. Originally, Vietnam ended at the 17th parallel, but it gradually conquered all the area southward along the coastline of the South China Sea and west to Cambodia. Population in the south was mostly clustered in a few areas along the coast; the north always enjoyed a larger population. The two sections were not unlike North and South in the United States prior to the Civil War; their people did not fully trust each other.
France’s military involvement in Vietnam began when it sent warships in 1847, ostensibly to protect Christians from the ruling emperor Gia Long. Before the 1880s, the French controlled Vietnam. In the early 20th century, Vietnamese nationalism began to rise, clashing with the French colonial rulers. By the time of World War II, a number of groups sought Vietnamese independence but as Vo Nguyen Giap—who would build Vietnam’s post–WWII army—expressed it, the communists were the best organized and most action-oriented of these groups.
During the Second World War, Vichy France could do little to protect its colony from Japanese occupation. Post-war, the French tried to re-establish control but faced organized opposition from the Viet Minh (short for Viet Nam Doc Lap Dong Minh Hoi, or League for the Independence of Vietnam), led by Ho Chi Minh and Giap. The French suffered a major defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, leading to negotiations that ended with the Geneva Agreements, July 21, 1954. Under those agreements, Cambodia and Laos—which had been part of the French colony—received their independence. Vietnam, however, was divided at the 17th parallel. Ho Chi Minh led a communist government in the north (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) with its capital at Hanoi, and a new Republic of South Vietnam was established under President Ngo Dinh Diem, with its capital at Saigon.
The division was supposed to be temporary: elections were to be held in both sections in 1956 to determine the country’s future. When the time came, however, Diem resisted the elections; the more populous north would certainly win. Hanoi re-activated the Viet Minh to conduct guerrilla operations in the south, with the intent of destabilizing President Diem’s government. In July 1959, North Vietnam’s leaders passed an ordinance called for continued socialist revolution in the north and a simultaneous revolution in South Vietnam.
Some 80,000 Vietnamese from the south had moved to the north after the Geneva Agreements were signed. (Ten times as many Vietnamese had fled the north, where the Communist Party was killing off its rivals, seizing property, and oppressing the large Catholic population.) A cadre was drawn from those who went north; they were trained, equipped and sent back to the south to aid in organizing and guiding the insurgency. (Some in the North Vietnamese government thought the course of war in the south was unwise, but they were overruled.) Although publicly the war in the south was described as a civil war within South Vietnam, it was guided, equipped and reinforced by the communist leadership in Hanoi.
The insurgency was called the National Liberation Front (PLF); however, its soldiers and operatives became more commonly known by their opponents as the Viet Cong (VC), short for Vietnamese Communists. The VC were often supplemented by units of the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN), more often called simply the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) by those fighting against it. Following the Tet Offensive of 1968, the NVA had to assume the major combat role because the VC was decimated during the offensive.
The Vietnam War was the longest in U.S. history, until the war in Afghanistan that began in 2002. It was extremely divisive in the U.S., Europe, Australia and elsewhere. Because the U.S. failed to achieve a military victory and the Republic of South Vietnam was ultimately taken over by North Vietnam, the Vietnam experience became known as "the only war America ever lost." It remains a very controversial topic that continues to affect political and military decisions today.
Casualties in the Vietnam War
The U.S. suffered over 47,000 killed in action plus another 11,000 noncombat deaths; over 150,000 were wounded and 10,000 missing. Casualties for the Republic of South Vietnam will never be adequately resolved. Low estimates calculate 110,000 combat KIA and a half-million wounded. Civilian loss of life was also very heavy, with the lowest estimates around 415,000.
Similarly, casualty totals among the VC and NVA and the number of dead and wounded civilians in North Vietnam cannot be determined exactly. In April 1995, Vietnam’s communist government said 1.1 million combatants had died between 1954 and 1975, and another 600,000 wounded.
Civilian deaths during that time period were estimated at 2 million, but the U.S. estimate of civilians killed in the north at 30,000.
Among South Vietnam’s other allies, Australia had over 400 killed and 2,400 wounded; New Zealand, over 80 KIA ; Republic of Korea, 4,400 KIA; and Thailand 350 killed.
North Vietnam, South Vietnam
Vietnam has a long history of being ruled by foreign powers, and this led many Vietnamese to see the United States’ involvement in their country as neo-colonialism. China conquered the northern part of modern Vietnam in 111 BC and retained control until 938 AD; it continued to exert some control over the Vietnamese until 1885. Originally, Vietnam ended at the 17th parallel, but it gradually conquered all the area southward along the coastline of the South China Sea and west to Cambodia. Population in the south was mostly clustered in a few areas along the coast; the north always enjoyed a larger population. The two sections were not unlike North and South in the United States prior to the Civil War; their people did not fully trust each other.
France’s military involvement in Vietnam began when it sent warships in 1847, ostensibly to protect Christians from the ruling emperor Gia Long. Before the 1880s, the French controlled Vietnam. In the early 20th century, Vietnamese nationalism began to rise, clashing with the French colonial rulers. By the time of World War II, a number of groups sought Vietnamese independence but as Vo Nguyen Giap—who would build Vietnam’s post–WWII army—expressed it, the communists were the best organized and most action-oriented of these groups.
During the Second World War, Vichy France could do little to protect its colony from Japanese occupation. Post-war, the French tried to re-establish control but faced organized opposition from the Viet Minh (short for Viet Nam Doc Lap Dong Minh Hoi, or League for the Independence of Vietnam), led by Ho Chi Minh and Giap. The French suffered a major defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, leading to negotiations that ended with the Geneva Agreements, July 21, 1954. Under those agreements, Cambodia and Laos—which had been part of the French colony—received their independence. Vietnam, however, was divided at the 17th parallel. Ho Chi Minh led a communist government in the north (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) with its capital at Hanoi, and a new Republic of South Vietnam was established under President Ngo Dinh Diem, with its capital at Saigon.
The division was supposed to be temporary: elections were to be held in both sections in 1956 to determine the country’s future. When the time came, however, Diem resisted the elections; the more populous north would certainly win. Hanoi re-activated the Viet Minh to conduct guerrilla operations in the south, with the intent of destabilizing President Diem’s government. In July 1959, North Vietnam’s leaders passed an ordinance called for continued socialist revolution in the north and a simultaneous revolution in South Vietnam.
Some 80,000 Vietnamese from the south had moved to the north after the Geneva Agreements were signed. (Ten times as many Vietnamese had fled the north, where the Communist Party was killing off its rivals, seizing property, and oppressing the large Catholic population.) A cadre was drawn from those who went north; they were trained, equipped and sent back to the south to aid in organizing and guiding the insurgency. (Some in the North Vietnamese government thought the course of war in the south was unwise, but they were overruled.) Although publicly the war in the south was described as a civil war within South Vietnam, it was guided, equipped and reinforced by the communist leadership in Hanoi.
The insurgency was called the National Liberation Front (PLF); however, its soldiers and operatives became more commonly known by their opponents as the Viet Cong (VC), short for Vietnamese Communists. The VC were often supplemented by units of the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN), more often called simply the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) by those fighting against it. Following the Tet Offensive of 1968, the NVA had to assume the major combat role because the VC was decimated during the offensive.
Music Protesting the Vietnam War
Music, as in all ages, is a means of expressing feelings. The Vietnam War Era was marked by a large amount of feeling and passion with regards to the US policy in Vietnam. And, while the war occurred in a time when music was changing and protest was more common, the music reflected the era.
Please listen to the protest songs and try to consider their meaning in the broader Vietnam War era.
Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Eve of Destruction - Barry McGuire
Where Have All the Flowers Gone - Kingston Trio
War - Edwin Starr
Blowin’ in the Wind & Give Peace a Chance - Peter, Paul, & Mary
For What It’s Worth - Buffalo Springfield
Draft Dodger Rag - Phil Ochs
Music, as in all ages, is a means of expressing feelings. The Vietnam War Era was marked by a large amount of feeling and passion with regards to the US policy in Vietnam. And, while the war occurred in a time when music was changing and protest was more common, the music reflected the era.
Please listen to the protest songs and try to consider their meaning in the broader Vietnam War era.
Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Eve of Destruction - Barry McGuire
Where Have All the Flowers Gone - Kingston Trio
War - Edwin Starr
Blowin’ in the Wind & Give Peace a Chance - Peter, Paul, & Mary
For What It’s Worth - Buffalo Springfield
Draft Dodger Rag - Phil Ochs
"Our policy in southeast Asia has been consistent and unchanged since 1954. I summarized it on June 2 in four simple propositions: America keeps her word. Here as elsewhere, we must and shall honor our commitments.The issue is the future of southeast Asia as a whole. A threat to any nation in that region is a threat to all, and a threat to us. Our purpose is peace. We have no military, political, or territorial ambitions in the area.This is not just a jungle war, but a struggle for freedom on every front of human activity. Our military and economic assistance to South Vietnam and Laos in particular has the purpose of helping these countries to repel aggression and strengthen their independence." |
"The picture of the world's greatest superpower killing or seriously injuring 1,000 noncombatants a week while trying to pound a tiny backward nation into submission on an issue whose merits are hotly disputed, is not a pretty one." |
The Cold War Vocabulary (15)
The Cold War: a state of military and political tension following World War II.
Ho Chi Minh: Communist leader of North Vietnam.
John F. Kennedy: President of the United States from 1961-1963; assassinated in Dallas, Texas in November 1963.
Nikita Khrushchev: the head of the Soviet Communist Party and leader of the Soviet Union from 1958 to 1962.
Gamal Abdel Nasser: president of Egypt who seized the British-controlled Suez Canal in 1956.
Harry S. Truman: Vice President of the United States under Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR); became President of the United States upon Roosevelt's death in 1945.
Bay of Pigs Invasion: failed U.S. invasion of Cuba and effort to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro in 1961.
Cuban Missile Crisis: the crisis that occurred when Cuban leader Fidel Castro sought economic and military assistance from the Soviet Union after the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
Policy of Containment: U.S. foreign policy doctrine that argued that Communism should be contained to prevent its spread throughout the world.
Domino Theory: the belief that if one country fell to Communism, others were sure to follow.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): an organization formed in 1949 that bound the United States, Canada, most of Western Europe, Greece and Turkey against the Soviet Union and the Eastern bloc countries of Europe.
Space Race: the Cold War competition between the United States and Soviet Union for supremacy in the exploration of outer space.
Suez Crisis: the crisis that erupted after Egypt seized control of the Suez Canal from Great Britain in 1956.
Warsaw Pact: the agreement signed by the Soviet Union and Eastern bloc countries of Europe pledging mutual defense against NATO countries.
38th Parallel: divided the Korean peninsula after World War II; North was communist and led by Kim Il Sung; South was democratic and led by Syngman Rhee.
The Vietnam War Vocabulary (15 terms)
William Calley: the U.S. army lieutenant and leader of the forces who carried out the My Lai Massacre in 1968.
Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ): President of the United States during the first part of the Vietnam War; authorized a Policy of Escalation and Operation Rolling Thunder.
Robert S. McNamera: the Secretary of Defense under U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Ngo Dinh Diem: leader of the South Vietnamese Republic of Vietnam from 1955 to 1963.
Richard M. Nixon: President of the United States during the second part of the Vietnam War; authorized a Policy of Withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Vietnam.
17th Parallel: the dividing line between North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
Agent Orange: the chemical herbicide and defoliant that U.S. forces sprayed extensively in order to kill vegetation in the Vietnamese jungles and expose enemy hideouts.
Demilitarized Zone (DMZ): the no-man's land surrounding the border of the 17th Parallel between North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: the 1964 legislation passed by Congress that allowed President Lyndon B. Johnson to escalate the war in Vietnam.
Napalm: a flammable, sprayable, gasoline-based gel used by the U.S. as a weapon throughout the Vietnam War.
Search and Destroy: a U.S. military strategy designed to send U.S. troops out into the field and jungles of Vietnam to proactively locate and kill enemy forces.
Tet Offensive: a massive offensive launched by Viet Cong guerrilla fighters on January 30, 1968.
Viet Cong (VC): the large guerrilla fighters hidden among South Vietnam's population who were extremely difficult to target and find; enemies of the United States.
North Vietnamese Army (NVA): the regular army of North Vietnam; enemies of the United States.
My Lai Massacre: a tragic event in 1968 in which U.S. forces, under the command of William Calley, slaughtered innocent civilians in a small Vietnamese village.
The Cold War: a state of military and political tension following World War II.
Ho Chi Minh: Communist leader of North Vietnam.
John F. Kennedy: President of the United States from 1961-1963; assassinated in Dallas, Texas in November 1963.
Nikita Khrushchev: the head of the Soviet Communist Party and leader of the Soviet Union from 1958 to 1962.
Gamal Abdel Nasser: president of Egypt who seized the British-controlled Suez Canal in 1956.
Harry S. Truman: Vice President of the United States under Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR); became President of the United States upon Roosevelt's death in 1945.
Bay of Pigs Invasion: failed U.S. invasion of Cuba and effort to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro in 1961.
Cuban Missile Crisis: the crisis that occurred when Cuban leader Fidel Castro sought economic and military assistance from the Soviet Union after the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
Policy of Containment: U.S. foreign policy doctrine that argued that Communism should be contained to prevent its spread throughout the world.
Domino Theory: the belief that if one country fell to Communism, others were sure to follow.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): an organization formed in 1949 that bound the United States, Canada, most of Western Europe, Greece and Turkey against the Soviet Union and the Eastern bloc countries of Europe.
Space Race: the Cold War competition between the United States and Soviet Union for supremacy in the exploration of outer space.
Suez Crisis: the crisis that erupted after Egypt seized control of the Suez Canal from Great Britain in 1956.
Warsaw Pact: the agreement signed by the Soviet Union and Eastern bloc countries of Europe pledging mutual defense against NATO countries.
38th Parallel: divided the Korean peninsula after World War II; North was communist and led by Kim Il Sung; South was democratic and led by Syngman Rhee.
The Vietnam War Vocabulary (15 terms)
William Calley: the U.S. army lieutenant and leader of the forces who carried out the My Lai Massacre in 1968.
Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ): President of the United States during the first part of the Vietnam War; authorized a Policy of Escalation and Operation Rolling Thunder.
Robert S. McNamera: the Secretary of Defense under U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Ngo Dinh Diem: leader of the South Vietnamese Republic of Vietnam from 1955 to 1963.
Richard M. Nixon: President of the United States during the second part of the Vietnam War; authorized a Policy of Withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Vietnam.
17th Parallel: the dividing line between North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
Agent Orange: the chemical herbicide and defoliant that U.S. forces sprayed extensively in order to kill vegetation in the Vietnamese jungles and expose enemy hideouts.
Demilitarized Zone (DMZ): the no-man's land surrounding the border of the 17th Parallel between North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: the 1964 legislation passed by Congress that allowed President Lyndon B. Johnson to escalate the war in Vietnam.
Napalm: a flammable, sprayable, gasoline-based gel used by the U.S. as a weapon throughout the Vietnam War.
Search and Destroy: a U.S. military strategy designed to send U.S. troops out into the field and jungles of Vietnam to proactively locate and kill enemy forces.
Tet Offensive: a massive offensive launched by Viet Cong guerrilla fighters on January 30, 1968.
Viet Cong (VC): the large guerrilla fighters hidden among South Vietnam's population who were extremely difficult to target and find; enemies of the United States.
North Vietnamese Army (NVA): the regular army of North Vietnam; enemies of the United States.
My Lai Massacre: a tragic event in 1968 in which U.S. forces, under the command of William Calley, slaughtered innocent civilians in a small Vietnamese village.