Point IV Plan

• 1949

• U.S. policy of technical assistance and economic aid to underdeveloped countries

• Emphasized technical assistance, largely in the fields of agriculture, public health, and education

• Extended the Truman doctrine

Youth Revolt

• Young people who participated in the counterculture of the 1960s rejected many of the social, economic, and political values of their parents' generation, introduced greater informality into U.S. culture, and advocated changes in sexual norms

• Fought to express themselves and protested the US’s role in the Vietnam War

• Causes included women's rights, gay and lesbian rights, and environmental rights

• Strongest in US universities

• Protests frequently became violent

Vietnam War

• 1955-1975

• 1954 - The Geneva Conference was intended to settle outstanding issues resulting from the Korean War and the First Indochina War

  • Created a ceasefire and divided Vietnam

• In the Vietnam War, Ho Chi Minh (North Vietnam) fought against Ngo Dinh Diem (South Vietnam)

• Although the US provided support to the side of South Vietnam, it never actually declared war

  • Entered in an attempt to prevent the spread of communism

Dien Bien Phu

• 1954

• A climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War

• Fought between French Union troops and Viet Minh communist revolutionaries

• The US wasn’t officially involved, but secretly provided aid to the French

• The Viet Minh nationalists ended up defeating France, forcing them to give up Vietnam

  • France agreed to withdraw its forces from all its colonies in French Indochina, while stipulating that Vietnam would be temporarily divided at the 17th parallel

Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)

• 1954

• An international organization for collective defense in Southeast Asia created by the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty, or Manila Pact

• Focused on “rolling back” communism

• Maintained no military forces of its own, but the organization hosted joint military exercises for member states each year

• Worked to strengthen the economic foundations and living standards of the Southeast Asian States

Vietcong

• Members of the communist guerrilla movement in Vietnam that fought the South Vietnamese government forces 1954–75 with the support of the North Vietnamese army and opposed the South Vietnamese and US forces

• Wanted to unite Vietnam using a communist government

• Used deadly modern weapons and booby traps

• Used a tunnel system as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous North Vietnamese fighters

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

• 1964

• Authorized President Lyndon Johnson to “take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression” by the communist government of North Vietnam

• Passed on August 7, 1964, by the U.S. Congress after an alleged attack on two U.S. naval destroyers stationed off the coast of Vietnam

• Resulted in LBJ escalating the US’s role in the war

• Stated goal of stopping the spread of communism in the Vietnamese region

William C. Westmoreland

• A United States Army general, most notably commander of United States forces during the Vietnam War

• Adopted a strategy of attrition against the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army, attempting to drain them of manpower and supplies

• Made use of the United States' edge in artillery and air power, both in tactical confrontations and in relentless strategic bombing of North Vietnam

• The Vietnam War became more and more unpopular in the US, and his strategy was ultimately unsuccessful

Body Count

• A count of the bodies of killed enemy soldiers

• Used for determining the need for continuing operations, estimating efficiency of new and old weapons systems, and planning follow-up operations

• Because the US relied on an inflated body count, there was a false belief in progress

Women’s Liberation Movement

• 1963 - Betty Friedan wrote The Feminine Mystique which gave voice to millions of American women's frustrations with their limited gender roles and helped spark widespread public activism for gender equality

• Part of the 2nd wave of feminism

• Touched on every area of women’s experience—including politics, work, the family, and sexuality

• Women fought for greater equality and for a redefining of gender roles

Hippies

• Developed from the previous Beat Generation

• Sported long hair and practiced sexual freedom and drug use

• Symbolized the widespread protests of discrimination and the unpopularity of the Vietnam War

Jack Kerouac

• A novelist and poet who pioneered the Beat Generation

• His work covers topics such as his Catholic spirituality, jazz, travel, promiscuity, life in New York City, Buddhism, drugs, and poverty

• His book On the Road made him a Beat icon

Watts Riot

• 1965

• A series of violent confrontations between Los Angeles police and residents of Watts and other predominantly African American neighborhoods of South-Central Los Angeles

• Resulted in the deaths of 34 people, while more than 1,000 were injured and more than $40 million worth of property was destroyed

• Public officials and the news media offered conflicting interpretations

Students for a Democratic Society

• 1960

• Practiced activism on university campuses

• Protested widespread social issues and the Vietnam War

• One of the principal representations of the New Left

• Eventually split between factions seeking to impose national leadership and direction and factions disputing revolutionary positions on the Vietnam War and Black Power

Silent Majority

• An unspecified large group of people in a country or group who do not express their opinions publicly

• Popularized by U.S. President Richard Nixon

• Referred to those Americans who did not join in the large demonstrations against the Vietnam War at the time, who did not join in the counterculture, and who did not participate in public discourse

Kent State Shootings

• 1970

• Killings of four and wounding of nine other unarmed Kent State University students by the Ohio National Guard

• Students had gathered to protest the expansion of the Cambodian Campaign, in which the US and South Vietnam were attacking Cambodia

• Resulted in outrage on thousands of campuses across the country

• Further increased unpopularity of the Vietnam War

Ho Chi Minh

• A Vietnamese nationalist and communist

• Served as Prime Minister of North Vietnam from 1945 to 1955 and as President from 1945 until his death in 1969

• A key figure in the People's Army of Vietnam and the Vietcong

Agent Orange

• Chemical herbicides were used during the war in order to defoliate the jungle and find enemies easily

• Contained a dangerous chemical contaminant called dioxin

• Hurt both Americans and Vietnamese

• Still has deadly effects to this day

Operation Rolling Thunder

• 1965-1968

• U.S. Air Force and Navy aircraft engaged in a bombing campaign designed to force Ho Chi Minh to abandon his ambition to take over South Vietnam

• Intended to put military pressure on North Vietnam’s communist leaders and reduce their capacity to wage war

• Symbolized a major expansion of US involvement in the war

Pleiku

• 1965

• An air force base in Vietnam used by the United States Air Force

• Seized by the Vietnam People's Army

• Sixty-four aircraft were abandoned with little effort to destroy them before evacuating and large quantities of fuel and ordnance were left behind undamaged and ready for the enemy to use

Tet Offensive

• 1968

• A coordinated series of North Vietnamese attacks on more than 100 cities and outposts in South Vietnam

• An attempt to foment rebellion among the South Vietnamese population and encourage the United States to scale back its involvement in the Vietnam War

• News coverage of the massive offensive shocked the American public and eroded support for the war effort

• Started American withdrawal from the region

Khe Sanh

• 1968

• The People’s Army of North Vietnam (PAVN) carried out a massive artillery bombardment on the U.S. Marine garrison at Khe Sanh

• U.S. Marines and their South Vietnamese allies fought off an intense siege of the garrison

• Ended up being a diversion for the Tet Offensive

My Lai Massacre

• 1968

• American soldiers brutally killed most of the people—women, children and old men—in the village of My Lai

• Was covered up for a year before being reported to the press, causing international outrage

• Fueled anti-war sentiment and further divided the United States over the Vietnam War

War Powers Resolution

• 1973

• Reduced the presidential power to wage war without Congress approving the decision

• The President must consult with and notify Congress before waging war

• A check on the powers of the presidential branch

BIG PICTURE

• US involvement in Southeast Asia

• Congress gave Johnson “blank check” → Escalated war

• Anti-war movement + youth revolt

• Violent riots + demonstrations

• Extended conflict + flawed military strategy