Vietnam and the 1960s

gulf of Tonkin resolution- Gave president authority to escalate in war without declaration from Congress

Tet offensive- Communist assault on Vietnamese cities

Wars Powers Act- congress attempts to reclaim its constitutional powers by setting limits

Paris peace accords- The agreement that ended the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War.

Gurilla warfare - The surprise by small bands of fighters

Lyndon B. Johnson- President of the U.S. following thedeath of JFK. Ordered Operation
Rolling Thunder & created the “Great Society”.
Viet Minh- Communist North Vietnamese Army under the command of Ho
Chi Minh.
Vietnamization President Richard Nixon's strategy
for ending U.S involvement in the
vietnam war,by gradually
withdrawing American troops and
replacing them with South
Vietnamese forces.
Roy Benavidez Awarded the Congressional Medal
of Honor for heroism on the
battlefield, which included saving
many other soldiers' lives during
the Vietnam war.
Fall of Saigon Communist North Vietnamese and
Viet Cong forces captured the
South Vietnamese capital forcing
South Vietnam to surrender and
bringing about an end to the
Vietnam War.
Geneva Accords
(1954)
Ended the First Indochina War and
separated Vietnam along the 17th
parallel, with North Vietnam under
communist rule.

Vietnam War
(1964 - 1975)
(also called the Second
Indochina War): In Western
countries the Vietnam War usually
refers to the conflict of 1964-75,
involving the North Vietnamese
Army and Viet Cong against the
United States, its Western allies
and South Vietnamese forces. In
Vietnam.
Viet Cong South Vietnamese who fought to
overthrow the Diem government
and reunite the country under
communist rule.
Agent Orange A chemical, used by the US
military to destroy forest cover &
crops of the North Vietnamese -
used to expose Viet Cong
hideouts.
Richard Nixon President elected after LBJ
decided not to run for re-election-
he wanted the S.Vietnamese to do
more of their own fighting and get
U.S. soldiers home -
Vietnamization.
William Westmoreland General who was in charge of US
forces in South Vietnam.
17th Parallel The geographical line that divided
Communist North & Democratic
South Vietnam from 1955 - 1975,
until South Vietnam was seized by
North Vietnam in 1975.
My Lai Massacre Innocent S. Vietnamese women,
children and elderly were brutally
killed by U.S. soldiers.
Dwight D. Eisenhower 34th President of the United States
(1953 - 1961). Negotiated truce for
the Korean War.

New Frontier
JFK's plan: He promised to
revitalize the stagnant economy
and enact reform legislation in
education, health care, and civil
rights and advocated the space
program
John F. Kennedy
35th President of the United States
(1961 - 1963). Kennedy served at
the height of the Cold War, and the
majority of his foreign policy
concerned relations with the Soviet
Union and Cuba.
Silent Majority
Phrase introduced by President
Richard Nixon to refer to a
significant number of Americans
who supported his policies but
chose to not express their views.
26th Amendment
In response to the Vietnam war
draft, this was passed to give 18
year olds the right to vote in every
state.
Kent State University
(incident)
An Ohio University where National
Guardsmen opened fire on
students protesting the Vietnam
War on May 4, 1970, wounding
nine and killing four.
Pentagon Papers
Series of secret reports leaked to
the press that detailed American
military actions in Vietnam and
demonstrated that the government
had misled the public
Executive Branch The President & Advisors,
Departments, & Agencies -
responsible for enforcing the laws
of the land.
Legislative Branch
Congress (the Senate and House
of Representatives) - Makes Laws
& Declares War.
Great Society
LBJ's program to end
poverty/discrimination-(Medicare,
Welfare, Civil Rights Act 1964).

Tinker v. Des Moines
The Supreme Court upholds the
free speech right of students to
silently protest the Vietnam war at
school by wearing armbands.
Credibility Gap
Americans came to doubt official
reports by U.S. government about
progress in the war
Miranda v. Arizona
Supreme Court decision in 1966,
giving those accused of crimes the
right to hear constitutional
protections read to them by police
upon arrest
Conscription
State required military enlistment
(AKA: Draft)
Public Disillusionment
A feeling of disappointment or
dissatisfaction when something or
someone does not meet your
expectations.
Counterculture
Movement of mostly young
Americans who had become
disillusioned with the Vietnam War
and the injustices in society.
Judicial Branch Supreme Court - decides the
constitutionality of federal laws and
resolves other disputes about
federal laws.
Doves US Citizens who opposed the
Vietnam War.
Hawks US Citizens who supported the
Vietnam War.
Henry Kissenger National Security Advisor that
worked with Nixon and secretly
met with one of North Vietnam's
negotiators to end the war
bands of fightersVietnam War.