US History: Emergence of Modern America - Chapter 26
Which of the following statements is true concerning the Vietnam War? A. Although previous wars had been wars of attrition, Americans did not aim for large numbers of casualties, since they knew that would not affect the morale of the Vietcong. B. Using a body count of enemy dead to measure victory during the Vietnam War was a highly inaccurate technique. C. To combat Vietcong air superiority, Americans created underground bunkers and tunnel complexes. D. For the first time, Americans used territory gained as a measure of success in war.
B. Using a body count of enemy dead to measure victory during the Vietnam War was a highly inaccurate technique.
What did Lyndon Johnson and John F. Kennedy share in common regarding their policies on Vietnam?
Both Johnson and Kennedy escalated the war in Vietnam during their time in office.
How did the press influence American public sentiment about U.S. involvement in Vietnam?
By 1968, televised newscasts suggested that the fighting would be ongoing, regardless of which side won a particular battle, which increased public resistance to the war.
Why did the strategic importance of Vietnam for the United States change dramatically in 1950?
China fell to communism in 1949 and the Korean War broke out the following year, making Americans fearful of the spread of communism throughout Asia.
Which of the following best characterizes the 1954 Geneva Accords? A. The Geneva Accords ended the involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War. B. The Geneva Accords signaled the beginning of war between France and South Vietnam. C. The Geneva Accords outlined an agreement for the United States to support the French in Vietnam. D. The Geneva Accords ended the French involvement in North Vietnam and divided the country.
D. The Geneva Accords ended the French involvement in North Vietnam and divided the country.
Which of the following statements characterizes the immediate aftermath of the My Lai incident? A. Peace negotiations that had begun between Hanoi and Washington ended abruptly. B. President Johnson intensified bombing of North Vietnam. C. The U.S. army prosecuted 250 soldiers involved in the killings. D. The U.S. army did nothing to investigate the matter until the press reported the story.
D. The U.S. army did nothing to investigate the matter until the press reported the story.
Faced with divided opinion from his advisers, how did Kennedy respond to the rise of communism in Vietnam?
He sent more financial aid and increased the number of military "advisers" in South Vietnam.
What was the significance of the Tet Offensive?
It prompted greater resistance by the American public to U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
An antiwar protest that turned deadly when troops fired into the crowd, killing four and wounding nine, was held at
Kent State University in Ohio
What was Nixon's justification for invading Cambodia?
Nixon claimed that he needed to destroy Communist bases in Cambodia to help the South Vietnamese.
The establishment and maintenance of the Ho Chi Minh Trail was vital to the success of the
North Vietnamese forces
The policy of Vietnamization involved the transfer of ground fighting from American troops to the
South Vietnamese
The major assault that marked the turning point in the war was the
Tet Offensive
How did the American fighting force in Vietnam change over time?
The initial wave of troops was mostly volunteers, but the later waves of troops were mostly draftees.
The American government's image of Ho Chi Minh in the 1940s was as
a communist puppet of the Soviet Union
The final military victory of North Vietnam over South Vietnam meant that Vietnam would become
a unified and communist country
The words "Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?" was a popular chant among
antiwar protesters
In the wake of Kennedy's assassination, the Warren Commission
concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald was President Kennedy's sole assassin
American air campaigns devastated the forests of Vietnam using
defoliants such as Agent Orange
The theory that a communist Vietnam would eventually lead to a complete communist takeover of Southeast Asia was often referred to as the
domino theory
Critics of President Johnson's Vietnam policy argue that
he committed the United States to an unwinnable war against a determined enemy
The War Powers Resolution passed by Congress in 1973 was designed to
limit presidential war-making powers
Americans involved in the peace movement
opposed the war for different reasons
The foreign policy of President Nixon and his national security adviser, Henry Kissinger,
rejected the ideology of a bipolar world that pitted the United States against the Soviet Union
Between the 1940s and the 1960s, having an American presence in Vietnam seemed increasingly important in order to
stop the spread of international communism
The Ho Chi Minh Trail was significant because it was
the route that North Vietnam used to bring supplies to the Vietcong in South Vietnam
What were the students protesting in Kent, Ohio, when the Kent State University shootings took place in 1970?
the use of U.S. ground force in Cambodia
Supporters of President Johnson's Vietnam policy argue that
the war reassured U.S. allies that the United States would honor its commitments
Why did Buddhist monks in South Vietnam begin to burn themselves alive in the early 1960s?
to protest the corrupt Diem regime
Americans were disgusted and shocked when they learned that the people killed in the My Lai Massacre were
unarmed women, children, and elderly people
What was one reason cited by peace advocates to support their claim that the Vietnam War was destroying American democracy?
unjust draft deferments for middle- and upper-class men who could afford to attend college
The idea of "peace with honor" was put forward by
Richard Nixon
