The Vietnam War, Domestic Protests, and the Path to Conclusion

Vocabulary flashcards covering key events, casualty figures, political terminology, and protest incidents related to the Vietnam War as detailed in the lecture.

Ho Chi Minh Trail

A passage through Laos and Cambodia utilized by North Vietnamese communist soldiers under Ho Chi Minh to infiltrate and invade South Vietnam.

Yale University Bombing Study

A historical study based on data, archives, physical evidence, and eyewitness reports that estimated $275,000$ Cambodian civilians were killed in the U.S. bombing campaign.

Tonkin Resolution

A 1964 congressional measure used to defend South Vietnam from North Vietnam that was not a formal declaration of war.

Kent State Shootings

A confrontation where Ohio National Guard soldiers, ordered by the governor to shut down campus anti-war demonstrations, assumed sniper positions and shot and killed four student protesters.

Doublespeak and Newspeak

Terms from George Orwell's novel 1984 referring to dishonest, offensive, or distorted language deployed by governments to shape public perception through the media.

Jackson State Shootings

A May 14 incident where National Guardsmen fired into a dormitory at a historically Black university in Mississippi, killing three African American students who were not protesting.

Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)

The South Vietnamese military forces allied with the United States that suffered approximately $245,000$ soldiers killed during the conflict.

Authoritarianism

A political governance model, such as those found in China and Vietnam, in which a country is permanently controlled by a single party and state without change.

Competitive Authoritarianism

A non-democratic political system where one faction or person controls the government, but shifts of power may occur between competing factions over four- to eight-year cycles.

Demoside

Murderous campaigns carried out during wartime in which civilian populations are intentionally targeted and killed.

Draft Exemption

A status granted to drafted men who reported with their draft cards but were disqualified from combat and military service due to medical ailments such as bad vision or diabetes.

Vietnam Veterans Historical Museum

A privately funded museum located on 18th Street in Chicago, established by veteran Marcellus, featuring dog tags representing the $58,000$ Americans killed in the war.