US History Topic 10 Test
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.
During the Vietnam War, African American soldiers
made up a disproportionately high number of casualties.
The term "Third World" was originally coined to refer to countries that
were aligned with neither the U.S. or the Soviet Union
The chart shows responses to the question: "Do you think the United States made a mistake sending troops to fight in Vietnam?" What is the best summary of the information on the chart?
In March 1966 a majority of Americans polled approved of the war. By April 1968, Americans were more evenly split, with the number of people who disapproved of the war somewhat higher than the number who approved.
Which of the following factors did NOT contribute to the challenges American troops faced in Vietnam?
air superiority
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.
During the Vietnam War, what contributed to low morale among US troops and on the home front?
Lack of progress and doubts about the wisdom of U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
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.
Which of the following presidents did NOT contribute to the American involvement in Vietnam through his adherence to containment policy?
Richard Nixon
How did the President's ability to conduct military operations change following the end of war in Vietnam?
The War Powers Act forced the President to consult with Congress before all military actions.
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.
This image of students on the steps of the Pentagon is associated with
disagreement with registering for the draft.
How was the Peace Corps different from other foreign aid initiatives such as the Alliance for Progress?
its emphasis on public service and volunteering
Why was the Selective Service System criticized as another example of social injustice?
It resulted in recruitment of people from poor or working-class backgrounds.
What feature on the map best explains why the United States was unwilling to commit to a full-scale ground war in North Vietnam?
the country's close proximity to China
What best describes the statement this cartoon is making about the war in Vietnam?
It suggests that the Vietnam War is destroying President Johnson's presidency.
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
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.
What is the best summary of this statement by Martin Luther King, Jr. about the Vietnam War? It was sending their sons and their brothers and their husbands to fight and to die in extraordinary high proportions relative to the rest of the population. . . . [W]e have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching Negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools. --Martin Luther King, Jr, 1967
African Americans are dying in disproportionate numbers to whites and, although blacks and whites die together in war, blacks are still discriminated against at home.
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.
In the text you read this about how the Vietnam War divided the nation: Beginning in 1967, Congress—and eventually most of the nation—divided into two camps: hawks and doves. The mostly conservative hawks supported Johnson's war policy. Believing strongly in the containment of communism and the domino theory, they accepted rising troop levels, escalating costs, and increasing numbers of battlefield deaths. For the hawks, Vietnam was a crucial front in the Cold War. Doves, however, broke with Johnson's war policy. A diverse group that included liberal politicians, pacifists, student radicals, and civil rights leaders, doves questioned the war on both moral and strategic grounds. For them, the conflict was a localized civil war, not a vital Cold War battleground. What does the text above tell us about President Johnson's political standing in 1968?
By 1968, Johnson had difficulty maintaining the support of his own party.
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.
The Missile Gap was in essence a growing perception in the West, especially in the USA, that the Soviet Union was quickly developing an intercontinental range ballistic missile (ICBM) capability earlier, in greater numbers, and with far more capability than that of the United States. Even as that perception was disproved, it became evident that the Soviets were placing their major effort toward developing strategic missiles against which, once launched, there was no defense. The perceived missile gap that ensued was based on a comparison between US ICBM strength as then programmed, and reasonable, although erroneous estimates of prospective Soviet ICBM strength that were generally accepted. —Central Intelligence Agency Library What was President Kennedy's response to the perceived "missile gap" between the U.S. and Soviet Union?
He adopted a "flexible response" policy to prepare the military for any type of conflict.
You have a row of dominoes set up, you knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly. So you could have a beginning of a disintegration that would have the most profound influences. What point is President Eisenhower making here with his domino analogy?
If Vietnam were to fall to the communists, it would only be a matter of time before its neighbors followed suit.
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.
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
Why did the United States ultimately decide to support the French rather than Ho Chi Minh's forces in the Indochina War?
The U.S. wanted to stop the spread of communism in Asia.
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.
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
Which of these best describes the "Americanization" strategy recommended by Robert McNamara and William Westmoreland?
having American forces take on a more active role in the Vietnam War
I did not become vice president with Lyndon Johnson to cause him trouble. ?—Hubert H. Humphrey, 1965 As vice president during 1968—arguably the United States' most politically turbulent post-World War II year—Hubert Humphrey faced an excruciating test of statesmanship. During a time of war in Southeast Asia when the stakes for this nation were great, Humphrey confronted an agonizing choice: whether to remain loyal to his president or to the dictates of his conscience. His failure to reconcile these powerful claims cost him the presidency. Yet few men, placed in his position, could have walked so agonizing a tightrope over so polarized a nation. Which of these factors most likely cost Humphrey the election in 1968?
his refusal to defy President Johnson on the Vietnam War
J. William Fulbright (1905-1995) holds the record as the longest-serving chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, from 1959 to 1974. Elected to the Senate in 1944, he sponsored the Fulbright Scholars Act, creating Fulbright scholarships for Americans to study abroad, and for foreign scholars to study in the United States. In 1964, as chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, Fulbright managed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave President Lyndon Johnson sweeping powers to respond to military provocation in South Vietnam. Later, troubled over the gradual escalation of the war in Vietnam, Fulbright held nationally televised "educational" hearings on Vietnam, bringing the Arkansas senator to national attention. He publicly challenged the "old myths and new realities" of American foreign policy, and warned against "the arrogance of power." Fulbright's hearings on Vietnam showed how
television was shaping public opinion.
What military strategy did President Nixon employ in Vietnam early on in his presidency?
the "Vietnamization" of combat operations
In an expanded sense, however, many American foreign-policy strategists misjudged the spread of communism. They concluded it was a monolithic global movement controlled by Moscow and Beijing. However, as the war's aftermath would attest, communist movements in Southeast Asia were nationalistic and intolerant of outside influences. In 1978, Vietnam invaded Cambodia and installed a pro-Vietnamese government. China supported the ousted Khmer Rouge. For more than ten years that followed, the U.S. supported a coalition of anti-communist Cambodian opposition groups that included the Khmer Rouge. Which idea, one which formed the basis of American foreign policy in the 1960s, was largely discredited by events of the 1970s in the wake of the Vietnam War?
the "domino theory"
The battle at Dien Bien Phu showed that
the French could no longer hold on to Vietnam
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