Kennedy and Johnson Administrations and the Vietnam War Study Guide Vocabulary

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms related to the Kennedy and Johnson administrations and the Vietnam War.

John F. Kennedy

35th U.S. president, led during the Cold War and was assassinated in 1963.

Richard M. Nixon

37th U.S. president, resigned after the Watergate scandal.

Fidel Castro

Communist leader of Cuba who ruled for decades.

Flexible Response

Kennedy's military strategy to use different types of forces, not just nukes.

Peace Corps

Program started by Kennedy to send Americans to help developing countries.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

Failed U.S.-backed attack to overthrow Castro in Cuba.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 showdown over Soviet missiles in Cuba; almost led to nuclear war.

Nikita Khrushchev

Leader of the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Hot Line

Direct phone link between U.S. and Soviet leaders after the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

1963 deal banning nuclear tests above ground.

Berlin Wall

Wall built by East Germany to stop people escaping to West Berlin.

New Frontier

Kennedy’s plan for improving the U.S. economy, education, and civil rights.

Deficit Spending

Government practice of spending more money than it brings in.

Space Race

Competition between the U.S. and USSR to explore space.

Warren Commission

Group that investigated JFK’s assassination and said Oswald acted alone.

Lyndon B. Johnson

36th U.S. president, known for civil rights work and the Vietnam War.

War on Poverty

Johnson’s programs to fight poverty in America.

Great Society

Johnson’s plan for health care, education, and civil rights reforms.

Medicare

Government health insurance for people 65 and older.

Medicaid

Government health insurance for low-income people.

Warren Court

Supreme Court under Chief Justice Earl Warren; expanded civil rights.

Ho Chi Minh

Communist leader of North Vietnam.

Domino Theory

Idea that if one country fell to communism, others would too.

SEATO

Alliance to stop communism in Southeast Asia, like NATO for Asia.

Vietcong

Communist fighters in South Vietnam who opposed the U.S. and South Vietnam.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Gave Johnson power to send troops to Vietnam without declaring war.

William Westmoreland

U.S. general in charge during most of the Vietnam War.

Napalm

Explosive chemical used in bombs during the Vietnam War.

Hawk

Person who supported the Vietnam War.

Dove

Person who opposed the Vietnam War.

Draftee

Someone forced to serve in the military during the war.

SDS

Students for a Democratic Society; protested the Vietnam War.

'Credibility Gap'

Public distrust of what the government said about the Vietnam War.

Tet Offensive

Huge surprise attack by North Vietnam that turned U.S. public opinion against the war.

Eugene McCarthy

Anti-war candidate who challenged Johnson for the presidency.

Robert Kennedy

JFK’s brother, anti-war candidate, assassinated in 1968.

Vietnamization

Nixon’s plan to slowly pull U.S. troops out and have South Vietnam fight their own war.

My Lai

Massacre of Vietnamese civilians by U.S. troops, caused outrage.

Pentagon Papers

Secret documents that showed the U.S. government lied about the Vietnam War.

Paris Peace Accords

1973 agreement to end U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

War Powers Act

Law that limited the president’s ability to send troops without Congress approval.

Henry Kissinger

Nixon’s top advisor who helped end the Vietnam War.

Realpolitik

Politics based on practical goals, not moral ideas.

Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT)

U.S. and USSR agreement to limit nuclear weapons.

Detente

Period of easing Cold War tensions between the U.S. and USSR.