Vietnam War Vocabulary Group Member #1

French Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh

Vietminh

French Indochina War

Domino Theory

Dien Bien Phu

General Giap

Geneva Accords

Ngo Dinh Diem

Vietcong

Ho Chi Minh Trail

Buddhist monks vs Diem

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

General Westmoreland

ARVN

Napalm

Agent Orange

Search and destroy

Tet Offensive

My Lai Massacre

Hanoi Hilton

Vietnamization

Kent State Universtiy

Carpet Bombing

President Nixon

Paris Peace Talks

Henry Kissinger

1973 Peace Treaty

War Powers Act

Fall of Saigon

Operation Rolling Thunder

Tunnels of Cu Chi

Amerasians

Deep Dive on the Vietnam War Group Member #2

In this section uncover more of the finer details about the Vietnam War.

  1. April 1965 Protest on the White House and Washington Monument
  2. George Kennan’s policy on Vietnam [how this differs from his view on the Containment policy under Truman]
  3. Students for Democratic Society (SDS) Port Huron Statement
  4. Data on the cost of the Vietnam war. $$, Death Tolls, Social Costs, Political Costs, Human Costs from both the United States and Vietnam.
  5. [uncover one additional event here]

Analyze Vietnam War Protest Songs Group Member #3

The Vietnam War was also known for its many protest songs. The lyrics of these protest songs put the war in context or puts a certain light on the meaning of the lyrical phrase. For example: In the song Fortunate Son by Credence Clearwater Revival, the lyrics reveal the following - it ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son. In context, the phase tells us the son’s of congressmen who voted for the war did would not have to fight in the war.

  1. Choose 5 Vietnam War protest songs.
  2. Write down the lyrics of the songs and explain the context of the song.
  3. The Context shines a light on the meaning of the phrase.

Media/Vietnam in the News Group Member #4

Look for video clips of the Vietnam War from the nightly news. These news broadcasts informed Americans on a nightly basis what was happening in Vietnam.

  1. Tet Offensive
  2. Walter Cronkite’s broadcasts [especially where he declares the war unwinnable]
  3. Morley Safer’s Aug 5, 1965 broadcast
  4. Johnson’s declaration about his refusal to seek the nomination of the Democratic party for his second term.
  5. [additional media clip]

Pay particular attention to the statements the broadcasters and journalists are making. Look for bias or reporting that has a particular slant either or against the war.

Each group member is responsible for finding the information for their portion.

Your responsibility is to develop answers to the following question:

What did the United States Lose in Vietnam?