Topic Test The Vietnam War Era

Critics of the Selective Service System argued that the draft was not fair. The system gave local draft boards considerable influence in selecting men for service, and it also granted deferments to college students and men who worked in certain designated occupations. Most of the 2.5 million men who served in Vietnam came from working-class and poor backgrounds. What measure did the Selective Service System take to address these criticisms of the draft in 1969?

A "lottery" system was implemented, in which recruits were picked at random.

The 26th Amendment In the turmoil surrounding the unpopular Vietnam War, lowering the national voting age became a controversial topic. Responding to arguments that those old enough to be drafted for military service, should be able to exercise the right to vote, Congress lowered the voting age as part of the Voting Rights Act of 1970. The Supreme Court upheld the legislation in a 5 to 4 vote in applying the lowered voting age to federal elections only. A constitutional amendment was required to uniformly reduce the age to 18. Endorsed by Speaker Carl Albert of Oklahoma, the amendment passed the House 400 to 19 on March 23, 1971. On June 30, 1971, Ohio became the 39th state to ratify the amendment; however the official ratification did not take effect until July 1 when the Government Services Administration opened for the day. With the 1972 elections looming, the 26th Amendment was ratified in record time. President Richard M. Nixon officially certified it on July 5. Why did it take some time before the provision lowering the voting age would apply nationwide?

An amendment requires ratification by individual states.

11/7/1973--Public Law. (LATEST SUMMARY) War Powers Resolution - Provides that in the absence of a declaration of war by the Congress, in any case in which the Armed Forces of the United States are introduced in hostilities, or in situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, such use of the Armed Forces of the United States in hostilities pursuant to this Act shall be reported within 48 hours in writing by the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate, together with a full account of the circumstances under which such hostilities were initiated, the estimated scope and duration of such hostilities, and the constitutional and legislative authority under which the introduction of hostilities took place. Provides that nothing in this Act is intended to alter the provisions of existing treaties. Sets forth the criteria for Congressional consideration of joint resolutions and concurrent resolutions introduced pursuant to this Act. Provides that this Act shall take effect on the date of its enactment. Enacted following the end of the Vietnam War, the War Powers Resolution (also known as the War Powers Act) can be seen as Congress' attempt to undo what previous piece of legislation?

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

What impact did George Wallace's third-party candidacy have on the 1968 presidential election?

It siphoned votes from Humphrey's candidacy, allowing Nixon to win.

What can you infer from the map about the nature of the Tet Offensive?

It was a coordinated series of attacks on American military outposts.

What can you infer about the Berlin Wall from this photo of an East German soldier leaping over to the western side of the Wall?

It was mainly intended to keep East Germans from escaping to the West.

In what way was the United States' decision to support the French in Indochina a departure from its usual foreign policy?

The U.S. was generally in favor of decolonization.

What objective did American military leaders hope to achieve in North Vietnam with military campaigns such as Operation Rolling Thunder?

They believed that the strikes would lower the enemy's morale and drive the North Vietnamese to negotiate a peace treaty.

What strategy did President Johnson's advisors Robert McNamara and General Westmoreland insist was necessary to winning the war in Vietnam?

committing more troops and taking a more active role in combat activities

What best describes the main difference between many American troops stationed in Vietnam before 1965 and those stationed there after that date?

Many troops stationed there before 1965 were volunteers, while many of those after were drafted into the service.

Based on the figures from the chart, the income tax rate was most likely raised 10% to account for

costs associated with the war effort.

What military strategy did President Nixon employ in Vietnam early on in his presidency?

the "Vietnamization" of combat operations

The term "Third World" was originally coined to refer to countries that

were aligned with neither the U.S. or the Soviet Union.

During the Vietnam War, what contributed to low morale among US troops and on the home front?

A. A series of military defeats and fears over the use of nuclear weapons. B. Fewer troop deployments, an increase in taxes, and a deteriorating economy. C. Lack of progress and doubts about the wisdom of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. D. The ability of North Vietnam to reinforce its troops with soldiers arriving from China and the Soviet Union.

Why did South Vietnam fall to the communists after the Paris Peace accords?

A. Both South and North Vietnam honored the treaty, but eventually the people of Saigon elected a communist government. B. American forces withdrew but fighting continued until Saigon fell to the communists. C. Hanoi surrendered but an uprising in the south brought a communist government to power. D. North Vietnam refused to sign the treaty until U.S. troops left South Vietnam.

How did Clark Clifford's Vietnam policy differ from that of his predecessor Robert McNamara?

Clifford believed the war was unwinnable and sought to reach a peace agreement.

A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction. . . . American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. . . . This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. . . .Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. . . . In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.—Dwight D. Eisenhower, January 17, 1961 What major difference between Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy is illustrated in this excerpt from Eisenhower's Farewell Address?

Eisenhower's fears about the expanding scope of the defense industries

Ho Chi Minh's military doctrine hinged on fighting only when victory was assured, which meant never fighting on his opponents' terms. He compared his troops to a tiger, while the Americans were like an elephant. If the tiger stands still, the elephant will crush it. But if the tiger keeps moving and occasionally jumps on the elephant to take a bite out of it, the elephant will slowly bleed to death. What did Ho Chi Minh believe this strategy would ultimately accomplish against the American military?

He believed that if the North Vietnamese wore the American forces down enough they would eventually leave.

How did the War Powers Act of 1973 affect the President's ability to conduct military operations?

It forced him to consult with Congress before ordering any military strikes.

American Troops Withdraw from Vietnam In October 1972, the United States and North Vietnam came to terms on a peace settlement. One month later, with lasting peace almost at hand, Nixon easily defeated the antiwar Democrat George McGovern for reelection. But Nixon's triumph was short-lived. The Vietnamese peace fell apart when North Vietnam refused to sign the agreement. Talks broke off, but renewed American bombing in North Vietnam finally induced the North Vietnamese to resume negotiations. How was the 1972 presidential election most like the 1968 election?

Nixon used promises to end the war to his advantage.

What impact did defense spending for the Vietnam War have on education in the U.S.?

Paying for the war affected education spending.

How did U.S. policy in Vietnam change following the Tet Offensive?

Policy makers thought the war unwinnable and began to negotiate for peace.

The Great Society program became Johnson's agenda for Congress in January 1965: aid to education, attack on disease, Medicare, urban renewal, beautification, conservation, development of depressed regions, a wide-scale fight against poverty, control and prevention of crime and delinquency, removal of obstacles to the right to vote. Congress, at times augmenting or amending, rapidly enacted Johnson's recommendations. Millions of elderly people found succor through the 1965 Medicare amendment to the Social Security Act. Nevertheless, two overriding crises had been gaining momentum since 1965. Despite the beginning of new antipoverty and anti-discrimination programs, unrest and rioting in black ghettos troubled the Nation. President Johnson steadily exerted his influence against segregation and on behalf of law and order, but there was no early solution.The other crisis arose from Viet Nam. Despite Johnson's efforts to end Communist aggression and achieve a settlement, fighting continued. Controversy over the war had become acute by the end of March 1968, when he limited the bombing of North Viet Nam in order to initiate negotiations. At the same time, he startled the world by withdrawing as a candidate for re-election so that he might devote his full efforts, unimpeded by politics, to the quest for peace. Lyndon Johnson's decision not to seek re-election in 1968 underscored what fact about his presidency?

The war in Vietnam had jeopardized his reelection chances.

Dien Bien Phu showed that

the French could no longer hold on to Vietnam.

The violence that erupted outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968 and the confusion inside gave the impression that

the nation was in disorder and the Democrats had lost control.

Immediately after the Paris Peace Accords were signed on January 27, 1973, Operation Homecoming returned 591 prisoners of war who had been captured in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia (two POWs from Vietnam and a Cold War POW were released from China). Some families and government officials expected a greater number of returnees, which gave rise to the urgency of the accounting mission. In 1973, the United States listed 2,646 Americans as unaccounted for from the war, with roughly equal numbers of those missing in action, or killed in action/body not recovered. From February 1973 to March 1975, teams from the United States and the Republic of Vietnam conducted joint, but restricted, searches for Americans missing in South Vietnam. On April 30, 1975, searches ended completely when the Communists took over Vietnam. In the 1980s the United States resumed its recovery efforts with high-level policy and technical meetings. Then in August 1987, President Ronald Reagan dispatched Gen. John W. Vessey, Jr. as a Special Presidential Emissary on POW issues, to find ways to resolve the issue. As a result of the Vessey meetings, the Vietnamese permitted American teams to search throughout the country, starting in September 1988. What proved to be the biggest obstacle to finding missing American soldiers in Vietnam following the war?

the new communist regime in Vietnam

In response to this Soviet aggression, Kennedy demanded the removal of the missiles. In a dramatic television address on October 22, 1962, he blamed Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet premier, for causing a "reckless and provocative threat to world peace." He also announced that he had approved a naval quarantine (blockade) of Cuba to prevent the Soviets from completing the bases. Behind the scenes, however, Kennedy worked toward a diplomatic settlement. He indicated that he would remove U.S. missiles in Turkey and Italy if the Soviets removed their missiles in Cuba. After six tense days during which nuclear war seemed a real possibility, Khrushchev agreed to honor the blockade and remove the missiles. As Secretary of State Dean Rusk later told a reporter, "Remember, when you report this, that, eyeball to eyeball, they blinked first." Why did Secretary of State Rusk likely insist that the reporter remember, when reporting the story, that the Soviets "blinked first"?

to bolster Kennedy's image as a strong and resolute leader