AB

US History Exam Notes

Vietnam War

  • Tet Offensive:
    • Guerrilla fighters attacked American airbases in South Vietnam and most of the South’s major cities.
  • Napalm:
    • American soldiers dropped napalm, a jellied gasoline that explodes on contact, from airplanes.
  • Ho Chi Minh Trail:
    • The North Vietnamese used the Ho Chi Minh Trail to get supplies to the Vietcong fighting in South Vietnam.
  • Credibility Gap:
    • Many Americans felt a credibility gap existed between the government's claims and what they saw in the news.
  • Vietnamization Policy:
    • President Nixon initiated Vietnamization, gradually withdrawing U.S. troops while the South Vietnamese took on more combat duties.
  • Geneva Accords Effects:
    • The Geneva Accords had multiple effects:
      • They created a temporary division of Vietnam.
      • They called for elections to be held in Vietnam in 1956.
  • Gulf of Tonkin Resolution:
    • With the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, Congress essentially handed its war powers to the president.
  • Agent Orange Goals:
    • Agent Orange was used with the goals:
      • to devastate the Vietcong’s food sources
      • to destroy the Vietcong’s ability to hide in forested areas
  • Event Leading to Increased Troops:
    • The Tet Offensive led to a dramatic increase of U.S. troops in Vietnam.
  • Cronkite's Stance:
    • Cronkite was against the war in Vietnam.
  • Anti-Vietnam War Protests:
    • The anti-Vietnam War protests in the United States often focused on the unfair draft system.

Cold War

  • Bay of Pigs Failure:
    • The Bay of Pigs operation in Cuba failed because a popular uprising against Fidel Castro never materialized.
  • Cuban Missile Crisis Outcome:
    • The most significant outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis was the removal of long-range missiles from Cuba.
  • Kennedy's Motive for Space Race:
    • President Kennedy’s motive for proceeding with the space race against the Soviets was political.
  • Détente:
    • Détente is a policy involving relaxed tensions between nations.
  • Cold War Definition:
    • The term Cold War applies to a period of tension that does not involve a military action.
  • Eisenhower's Brinkmanship:
    • President Eisenhower’s foreign policy of brinkmanship threatened war, hoping an opponent would back down.
  • NATO Formation:
    • After World War II, NATO was formed between the United States and Western Europe.
  • Cold War Event:
    • The Cuban missile crisis is a key Cold War event.
  • Berlin Wall:
    • The Berlin Wall was constructed to keep Germans from traveling between communist and capitalist areas.
  • Nixon's Visit to China:
    • Richard Nixon visited China in 1972 to attempt to normalize relations.
  • Korean War Purpose:
    • The Korean War was fought mainly to prevent communism from spreading to South Korea.
  • Covert Operations:
    • Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy both authorized the use of covert operations by the CIA.
  • Bay of Pigs Target:
    • The Bay of Pigs invasion was President Kennedy’s attempt to stop communism from spreading to Cuba.
  • Containment of Russia:
    • The United States believed that containment of Russian expansion would result in the defeat of communism.
  • Truman Doctrine:
    • The Truman Doctrine promised that the United States would aid any group fighting communism.
  • Warsaw Pact:
    • Eastern European countries formed the Warsaw Pact in response to the formation of NATO.
  • China-Soviet Alliance:
    • An alliance between China and the Soviet Union in 1950 was a threat to the United States because the United States feared the two countries would support communist revolutions elsewhere.
  • CIA Operations:
    • The CIA was known for covert operations.
  • Truman's Pledge:
    • President Truman pledged to help other countries resist communism.
  • Truman's Action:
    • President Truman asking Congress for funds to fight communism in Greece and Turkey was an example of his carrying out this pledge.

Vietnam War & 1960s Protests

  • Nixon’s Vietnamization Plan:
    • included slowly withdrawing troops from Vietnam
    • helping organize elections in South Vietnam
  • 1960s Protests:
    • During the decade of the 1960’s, young people, Black people, American Indians, Hispanic Americans, and women were among the groups protesting various aspects of American society.
    • All of the following were protested against by one or more of these following groups EXCEPT the excessive cost of the social security system.
  • Gulf of Tonkin Justification:
    • Accounts of North Vietnamese torpedo-boat attacks on United States destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin during the summer of 1964 were used to justify escalation of the American war effort.
  • Kent State University Event:
    • Kent State University was the site in 1970 of an antiwar demonstration in which four students were killed by members of the National Guard.
  • Tet Offensive Significance:
    • The 1968 Tet Offensive was significant because it led to increased antiwar sentiment in the United States.
  • Key Difference between Korean War and Vietnam War
    • The press was more adversarial toward United States policy during the Korean War.
  • War Powers Act Context:
    • Presidents deepened United States military engagement in Vietnam without a declaration of war.
  • Pentagon Papers:
    • The Pentagon Papers refer to documents that suggested the American government was lying about the Vietnam War.
  • My Lai Highlighted:
    • To many antiwar activists, the events at My Lai highlighted the immorality and secrecy of the war.