in-class 31 -- The Vietnam War
Read chapter 26 "The Vietnam War, 1954-1975", section 2 "Vietnam Divides the Nation", pages 892-897, and answer the questions below:
1. What was the "credibility gap" that developed during the Vietnam War?
2. Examine the cartoon on the left on the top of page 892. What is its main message?
3. Why was the Vietnam War the first war in American history in which a disproportionate number of soldeiers came from working class youths?
4. What led to the ratification of the 26th Amendment to the Constitution in 1971?
5. Why was the Tet Offensive a political victory for North Vietnam, even though it was a military disaster?
6. Examine the map on the top of page 896. If George Wallace had not run for President as an independent, what do you think would have been the impact on the election? Explain your conclusion.
7. Using the same map and the information from the reading, had Robert Kennedy not been assassinated and won the Democratic Party nomination for President as expected, would his anti-war position have made him a stronger candidate than Hubert Humphrey? Explain your conclusions.
Read chapter 26, section 3 only ("The War Winds Down") on pages 898-903 and answer the questions below:
8. What did Vietnamization of the war mean?
9. What led to the student deaths at Kent State University?
10. What was the significance of the Pentagon Papers?
11. How did the Vietnam War finally come to a close?
12. What did the Supreme Court decide in the case of New York Times v. United States (1971)? -- page 90
13. What were the three provisions of the War Powers Act (passed as a result of the Vietnam War)?