Vietnam
by: Meagan Miller
Key Terms to Know
- Cold War- A war between communism and democracy that didn't end in a actual war between the US and USSR but resulted in indirect conflicts with one another.
- Containment- The US policy of containing communism throughout the world so communism doesn't spread.
- DMZ- Demilitarized zone, is a line dividing two opposing military forces.
- Domino Theory- The US theory that if one nation turns communist then the rest of the countries around it will fall until theres not as many democracy countries.
- Draft- A law that forced men to fight in the military during times when there was war.
- General William Westmoreland- Commanded the Tet offense.
- Ho Chi Minh- A Vietnamese communist communist revolutionary who was the prime minister of North Vietnam during the Vietnam war.
- My Lai Massacre- Massacre in the town of My Lai that started when US soldiers were looking for Velt Cong soldiers in South Vietnam.
- National Liberation Front- A socialist party.
- Ngo Dinh Diem- The first president of South Korea.
- Pentagon Papers- Papers stolen from the pentagon and then published in the New York Times.
- Tet Offensive- The largest military campaign in Vietnam.
- Viet Cong- Band of communist southern Vietnamese Guerrillas.
- Vietnamization- A Richard Nixon idea that gave the South Korean Government war equipment.
cold war
containment
DMZ
Draft
Westmoreland
Ho Chi Minh
My Lai Massacre
National Liberation Front
Ngo Dinh Diem
Pentagon Papers
Tet offensive
Viet Cong
Vietnamization
Tonkin Incident
This gave president Johnson almost unlimited power to stop communism. The Gulf of Tonkin incident had a major impact on the US. It led the United States into a very expensive conflict. Johnson eliminated Vietnam as a topic of the campaign for the 1964 presidential election. Its estimated that more than 50,000 Americans died in Vietnam, while Vietnamese victims numbered over 2 million.
Most Important Events in The Vietnam War
1. February 1950
Truman supports French government in Vietnam
2. May 1954
North Vietnamese prevail at Dien Bien Phu
3. July 21, 1954
Geneva Conference splits Vietnam at the 17th parallel
4. 1961
JFK initiates operation Farm Gate and sends Green Berets to Vietnam
5. August 1964
Gulf of Tonkin incident
6. 1971-1973
US troops withdrawal from Vietnam
7. 1973
US draft is terminated
8. April 21, 1975
South Vietnamese president Thieu resigns
9. April 29-30, 1975
Helicopter evacuations from the US embassy to Saigon
10. July 2, 1976
North and South Vietnam under communist rule
Truman supports French Government
Helps them out
Vietnamese prevail at Dien Bien Phu
A huge success fro Vietnam
Geneva Conference splits Vietnam at the 17th parallel
Vietnam is split in half and divided
John Mccain
John Mccain spent over 5 years in captivity as a POW in North Vietnam, and wrote about it on May 1973. He received the medal of honor for escaping, in all he received more than 70 medals during service in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. He went on to run for president and became a politician.
Top 10 songs
1. The rolling stone, Gimme Shelter- How drafted people were scared of what was going to happen on the battlefield.
2. Buffalo spring field, for what its worth- Talking about a protest during the Vietnam war.
3. war, edwin star- Described how drafted soldiers felt during the war.
4. fortunate sons, willy and the poor boys
5. stevie wonder, front line
6. the doors, the unknown soldier
7. billy Joel, goodnight saigon
8. REM, orange crush
9. born in the USA, Bruce springsteen
10. john lennon, happy x-mas
Hugh Thompson (A hero)
Hugh Thompson was a hero because he saved a ton of peoples lives. He also worked as a veterans counselor after he left the military which helped people.
William Calley Article
Mail Online (Villian) A lot of peoples lives were under the US's responsibility. The exact enemy was not clear and it was the US's fault.