-176618 CHAPTER 29—AMERICA DURING ITS LONGEST WAR, 1963-1974 Murrin, Johnson, McPherson, Fahs, Gerstle, Rosenberg & Rosenberg Copyright © 2008 Wadsworth Group Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People, 5e 0704lep5e.bmp
Times Instructions: Identify the following term(s). The Civil Rights Act of 1964 included new provisions that guaranteed the right to vote to black Americans. guaranteed the right to vote to women. proposed federal remedies for fighting job discrimination. protected women in the workplace. reinforced states rights. C Average p. 907 Analytical 1 The Republican nominee for the presidency in 1964 was Lyndon B. Johnson. Barry Goldwater. Richard Nixon. George Wallace. Dwight Eisenhower. B Least Difficult p. 908 Factual 1 The winner of the 1964 presidential election was Lyndon B. Johnson. Richard M. Nixon. John F. Kennedy. Gerald Ford. Barry Goldwater. A Least Difficult p. 908 Factual 1 Which of the following was not part of the Great Society agenda? Medicare Medicaid Job Corps Community Action Program Peace Corps E Least Difficult p. 909 Factual 1 The congressional act that was tantamount to a declaration of war against North Vietnam was the Geneva Accords. Paris Peace Treaty. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Vietnam War Resolution. Rolling Thunder Resolution. C Least Difficult p. 910 Analytical 1 The campaign of sustained bombing launched by Lyndon Johnson against North Vietnam in 1964 was known as "Rolling Thunder." "Agent Orange." "Operation Jungle." "Operation Desert Storm." "Operation Overlord." A Least Difficult p. 911 Factual 1 The "New Left" organization that launched its political efforts in 1962 with the Port Huron Statement was the Youth International Party (YIPPIES). Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). B Average p. 914 Factual 1 The large-scale riots that garnered national attention in 1965 occurred in Watts (Los Angeles). St. Louis. San Francisco. the Bronx. Dallas. A Least Difficult p. 918 Factual 1 The charismatic black Muslim leader who challenged the nonviolent approach of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm X. Stokely Carmichael. Louis Farrakhan. Jesse Jackson. B Least Difficult p. 919-920 Factual 1 The North Vietnamese military attack of 1968 that destroyed the myth of American progress in Vietnam was the Tet Offensive. Laos Offensive. Battle of Dien Bien Phu. Battle for Hanoi. Cambodia Offensive. A Average p. 919-920 Factual 1 The progressive-minded chief justice of the Supreme Court during the 1950s and 1960s was Warren Burger. Richard Nixon. William Rehnquist. William O. Douglas. Earl Warren. E Average p. 927 Factual 1 The author of the expose on auto safety titled Unsafe at Any Speed was Ralph Nader. Betty Friedan. Earl Warren. George Wallace. John Kenneth Galbraith. A Average p. 927 Factual 1 The SALT I talks, begun in 1969, were held between the United States and Vietnam. United States and China. United States and Cuba. United States and the Soviet Union. Soviet Union and China. D Average p. 929 Factual 1 In 1972, President Richard Nixon broke with the past with his dramatic and historic visit to Cuba. China. Vietnam. the Vatican. Brazil. B Average p. 929 Factual 1 In 1970, President Richard Nixon escalated the war in Indochina by invading ____, a supposedly neutral nation. Thailand Laos Burma Cambodia China D Average p. 929 Factual 1 Four students were killed by National Guard troops in 1970 at the ____ campus during an antiwar demonstration. Columbia Berkeley Stanford Kent State the University of Texas D Least Difficult p. 929 Factual 1 The official withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam occurred after the 1973 ____ Peace Accords. Geneva Paris London Rome Berlin B Average p. 930 Factual 1 The opponent to Richard Nixon in the 1972 presidential election was Edmund Muskie. Lyndon Johnson. Edward Kennedy. Jimmy Carter. George McGovern. E Average p. 931 Factual 1 The landslide winner of the 1972 presidential election was Gerald Ford. Jimmy Carter. Richard Nixon. Ronald Reagan. Lyndon Johnson. C Least Difficult p. 932 Factual 1 The Republican judge who was unyielding in the search for justice following the Watergate break-in was Earl Warren. Warren Burger. Thurgood Marshall. John Sirica. Felix Frankfurter D Least Difficult p. 932 Factual 1 The "Saturday Night Massacre" refers to the execution of thousands of South Vietnamese government officials after the fall of Saigon. the shooting of students at Kent State the impeachment of President Richard Nixon. the ambush of American troops in South Vietnam. the firing of special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox. E Least Difficult p. 933 Factual 1 On August 9, 1974, President Richard Nixon became the only president in U.S. history to be impeached. be indicted. resign. be sent to jail. refuse to leave after his removal from office. C Average p. 933 Factual 1 Which of the following was not part of Lyndon Johnson's "war on poverty"? Head Start program "just say no" campaign model cities program community action program legal services program B Average p. 909 Factual 1 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 attempted to fight job discrimination. prohibited discrimination in public accommodations. barred discrimination based on gender. established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. all of the above. E Average p. 907 Factual 1 Which of the following was true of Lyndon Johnson? Like John F Kennedy, Johnson was sophisticated, urbane, and charismatic. He tried to create a consensus in support of his policies by using flattery and threats. He hated paperwork and was bored by legislative details. He had held only one elective office before he became president of the United States. He was ineffective in dealing with Congress. B Average p. 906 Factual 1 Johnson's "war on poverty" included the establishment of the Office of Economic Opportunity. a work-study plan to help college students. loans for rural and small-business development. the Job Corps work-training program. all of the above. E Average p. 906-907 Factual 1 Lyndon Johnson secured passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by appealing to the public with a televised "fireside chat." gaining support from leading Republicans in Congress. persuading southern congressmen that segregation was morally wrong. promising segregationists that enforcement of the law would be left entirely in the hands of state officials. getting the support of the Supreme Court. B Most Difficult p. 907 Factual 1 During the "Freedom Summer" of 1964, the FBI gathered information for Johnson to use to discredit southern segregationists. civil rights legislation was included in the Republican Party platform. Lyndon Johnson used his influence to support the dissident "Freedom Democratic Party" at the Democratic Convention. students marched on Washington to protest the Vietnam War. almost a thousand volunteers from various states helped register black voters in Mississippi. E Most Difficult p. 907 Factual 1 In the 1964 presidential campaign, Senator Barry Goldwater criticized Lyndon Johnson's foreign policy as too aggressive. was the only Republican senator to vote in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. was characterized by critics as a fanatical, reactionary extremist. believed that the federal government had exclusive enforcement powers in issues of individual rights. strongly supported the Social Security program. C Most Difficult p. 908 Factual 1 Johnson's Great Society was criticized for all of the following reasons except not including a tax cut to provide money for business investment. creating large federal deficits that conservatives believed would slow economic growth. not attempting to radically redistribute wealth and income. relying too heavily on bureaucratic professionals rather than grassroots activists to design and implement programs. directing money into unproductive social experiments. A Most Difficult p. 909-910 Analytical 1 The Johnson administration evaluated the success of the U.S. effort in Vietnam on the basis of public demonstrations in support of the war. diplomatic progress made between the North and South Vietnamese governments. the amount of enemy territory seized by U.S. troops each month. the weekly tally or "body count" of enemy dead. the number of prisoners of war taken. D Average p. 911 Factual 1 Which of the following best characterizes the reason the United States sent ground troops to Vietnam and became involved in the Vietnam War? Johnson promised that if he was elected in 1964, he would commit land troops to battle. Johnson feared his domestic programs would be undermined if the Communists won in Vietnam. Johnson considered Vietnam strategically necessary to protect the Philippines. The Joint Chiefs of Staff assured Johnson that U.S. troops could easily win the war. Congress declared war after a lengthy public debate. B Most Difficult p. 911 Analytical 1 Lyndon Johnson's policy in Vietnam demoralized North Vietnam and brought about "a peace with honor." abandoned South Vietnam to "go it alone" in the war against communism. outlawed the use of chemical weapons and fire bombs. instituted the use of napalm. won overwhelming support in the U.S. D Most Difficult p. 911-913 Factual 1 Student dissidents of the 1960s abandoned the civil rights movement when the Vietnam War heated up. were mostly Communists who hoped to destroy capitalism in the United States. held "teach-ins" and draft-card burnings to protest the rigidity of U.S. institutions and traditions. came mostly from the lower socioeconomic strata of American society. supported U.S. foreign policy. C Most Difficult p. 914-915 Factual 1 Which of the following was not part of the "black power" crusade? a new emphasis on African-American culture and heritage establishment of self-defense groups to protect African Americans from police harassment demands for the release of African-American prisoners continuation of nonviolent protests against segregation guaranteed employment for all citizens D Most Difficult p. 917-919 Factual 1 The year 1968 was significant for all of the following reasons except both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy were assassinated. Lyndon Johnson announced he would not seek reelection so he could devote his time to ending the Vietnam War. antiwar demonstrators and the Chicago police rioted at the Democratic Convention. Lyndon Johnson won the war on poverty. Richard Nixon was elected President. D Most Difficult p. 921-922 Analytical 1 Richard Nixon was an aggressive, ruthless campaigner and hardline anticommunist whose presidency increased polarization and conflict in U.S. society. a pacifist Quaker who always opposed the Vietnam War. a friendly, charming personality who avoided confrontations whenever possible. a trained economist who virtually ended unemployment and inflation during his presidency. an inexperienced politician. A Average p. 924 Analytical 1 During Richard Nixon's presidency, the U.S. economy experienced the first trade deficit of the twentieth century. the lowest unemployment rate since the 1920s. a decrease in prices and an increase in the buying power of the average American. a significant increase in overall standards of living. a period of peace abroad and prosperity at home. A Average p. 925 Factual 1 Richard Nixon's policy of détente toward the Soviet Union and China was characterized by continuous confrontation and hostility. heavy U.S. investment, land purchases, and economic influence. threats to use nuclear weapons. a return to the isolationist position of the 1920s and 1930s. accommodation, easing of tensions, and establishment of moderately friendly relations E Average p. 928-929 Analytical 1 Conservatives believed that the United States "lost" the Vietnam War because the military did not rely enough on bombing. the North Vietnamese army greatly outnumbered U.S. troops in most battles. the media, student protesters, and a weak-willed Congress undermined the war effort. the Defense Department was incompetent and had no realistic goals or plans for victory. U.S. troops were cowards. C Most Difficult p. 930 Analytical 1 All of the following statement's regarding Richard Nixon's role in Watergate are not true except he got caught doing what many other presidents had done before him. was clearly an honest man who was betrayed by his corrupt friends and advisors. was framed by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. and his closest advisors participated in an illegal cover-up of a burglary. was unfairly targeted by Democratic Party operatives. D Most Difficult p. 932-933 Analytical 1 Which of the following was not part of the Economic Opportunity Act? an expansion of the Food Stamp program creation of a work-study program for college students establishment of the Job Corps, a work-training program creation of a domestic version of the Peace Corps loans for rural and small-business development A Average p. 906-907 Factual 1 Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Los Angeles. Chicago. Atlanta. Memphis. Dallas. D Least Difficult p. 921 Factual 1 During Richard Nixon's first year in office, the percentage of federal funds spent on domestic programs remained unchanged. decreased dramatically. fell to zero. decreased slightly. increased steadily. E Average p. 926 Factual 1 By 1970, ____ of all persons in families headed by women were receiving AFDC payments. half one-third one-quarter two-thirds one-tenth A Average p. 926 Factual 1 The most emotional rights-related cases of the Warren Court involved civil rights. abortion rights. women's rights. rights of persons accused of violent crimes. immigrant rights. D Most Difficult p. 927 Analytical 1 The primary reason for SALT I's negligible impact on the arms race was widespread Soviet violations of the agreed upon limits. widespread American violations of the agreed upon limits. its failure to win public support in the U.S. and the Soviet Union. widespread Soviet and American violations of the agreed upon limits. its failure to limit the number of warheads that each missile could carry E Least Difficult p. 929 Factual 1 Archibald Cox was replaced as Watergate special prosecutor by John Dean. John Sirica. John Mitchell. Leon Jaworski. Gerald Ford. D Average p. 933 Factual 1 The articles of impeachment against Richard Nixon included all of the following except obstruction of justice. lying to Congress. violation of constitutional liberties. refusal to produce evidence requested during the impeachment process. none of the above. B Most Difficult p. 933 Factual 1 Rachel Carson's Silent Spring launched the free speech movement of the 1960s. helped initiate the women's movement. raised public awareness about the continuing problem of poverty in America. raised concerns about the use of pesticides in agriculture. was a best-selling romance novel. D Average p. 926 Factual 1 The "Great Society" usually is associated with the presidency of John F. Kennedy. F Least Difficult p. 909 Factual 1 In 1965, the United States invaded the Dominican Republic. T Average p. 911 Factual 1 The general in charge of the U.S. war effort in Vietnam was Norman Schwartzkopf. F Average p. 912 Factual 1 James Earl Ray was convicted of killing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. T Average p. 921 Factual 1 In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruled that a state law that declared abortion a criminal offense violated a woman's right to privacy. T Average p. 928 Factual 1 Two African-American students were killed by law-enforcement officials following an antiwar protest rally at Jackson State College in 1970. T Average p. 929 Factual 1 In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg released the "Pentagon Papers," a top-secret study of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, to the press. T Average p. 930 Factual 1 The chief legal counsel to the president, and the man who linked Richard Nixon to the Watergate cover-up, was John Mitchell. F Most Difficult p. 932 Factual 1 Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, immediately succeeded Richard Nixon as president. F Average p. 933 Factual 1 The author of the anti-"war on poverty" book Losing Ground was Charles Murray. T Most Difficult p. 910 Factual 1 In the 1960s, the Republican Party attracted conservative white southern voters with its states' rights position on anti-discrimination legislation. T Most Difficult p. 909 Analytical 1 Medicare provides nationally funded medical coverage for low-income citizens. F Least Difficult p. 909 Factual 1 Lyndon Johnson's policies expanded the size, role, and power of the federal government at home and abroad. T Average p. 909-910 Factual 1 The "black power" movement of the 1960s rejected integration and called for violent confrontations. T Average p. 918-919 Factual 1 Both Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon ran for the presidency promising to limit U.S. involvement in Vietnam, and both increased the U.S. role once elected. T Most Difficult p. 911 | p. 924 Analytical 1 Lyndon John's presidency looked much like John F. Kennedy's. F Least Difficult p. 905 Analytical 1 The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks marked the Nixon administration's most dramatic break with the Cold War past. F Average p. 929 Analytical 1 It took quite a while for Lyndon Johnson to complete the major goals of JFK's New Frontier. F Average p. 906 Analytical 1 Barry Goldwater's defeat in 1964 demoralized his conservative supporters. F Average p. 909 Analytical 1 Spending on the military sector far outstripped that for social programs. T Least Difficult p. 910 Analytical 1 Lyndon Johnson received conflicting advice from his advisers about whether to escalate American involvement in Vietnam. T Least Difficult p. 911 Factual 1 Lyndon Johnson considered doubt about the war in Vietnam to be unpatriotic. T Average p. 914 Analytical 1 Phyllis Sclafly led opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment. T Least Difficult p. 928 Factual 1 Only a small percentage of young people fully embraced countercultural values. T Least Difficult p. 916-917 Analytical 1 The Civil Rights Act of 1968 dealt with voting rights. F Average p. 919 Factual 1 The Republican national convention in 1968 occasioned intense rioting and large demonstrations. F Least Difficult p. 922-923 Factual 1 Richard Nixon won a landslide victory in 1968. F Least Difficult p. 923-924 Analytical 1 Richard Nixon's "new economic policy" mandated a 90-day freeze on any increase in wages and prices, to be followed by government monitoring to detect excessive increases in either. T Average p. 925 Analytical 1 The simultaneous increase in both inflation and unemployment, which economists called "stagflation," defied conventional economic thinking. T Most Difficult p. 924-925 Analytical 1 The Nixon administration's devaluation of the U.S. dollar in 1973 had little impact on the deterioration of U.S. trade balances. T Average p. 925 Analytical 1 Medicare and Medicaid were curtailed during the Nixon administration. F Average p. 926 Analytical 1 Breaking into the office of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist was the first "dirty trick" perpetrated by Richard Nixon's plumbers. T Average p. 931 Analytical 1 Lyndon Johnson refused to watch television coverage of the war in Vietnam for fear of seeing criticism of his policies. F Least Difficult p. 914 Analytical 1 Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned in October 1973 after pleading "no contest" to income tax evasion. T Average p. 932-933 Factual 1 Lyndon Johnson served as majority leader of the U.S. Senate during the 1950s. T Average p. 906 Factual 1 Ronald Reagan campaigned for Lyndon Johnson in 1964. F Average p. 909 Factual 1 President Nixon signed no significant environment legislation. F Least Difficult p. 927 Factual 1 Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment in 1972. T Average p. 927 Factual 1 The protests at Kent State University and Jackson State College were touched off by the expansion of the war in Southeast Asia into Cambodia. T Average p. 929 Factual 1 The Khmer Rouge established a free and democratic government in Cambodia. F Least Difficult p. 930 Analytical 1 The president most associated with the "war on poverty" was ____________________. Lyndon Johnson Least Difficult p. 906-907 Factual 1 0 Operation ____________________ , launched in 1967, scorched South Vietnam's cropland and defoliated half of its forests. Ranchhand Most Difficult p. 913 Factual 1 0 The ____________________ Doctrine claimed that the United States would provide military assistance to anti-Communist governments in Asia but would not provide military forces. Nixon Most Difficult p. 929 Factual 1 0 The replacement of U.S. ground forces by South Vietnamese troops in the early 1970s was referred to officially as the ____________________ of the war. Vietnamization Average p. 929 Factual 1 0 In 1968, the ____________________, a coordinated attack on South Vietnam by National Liberation Front and North Vietnamese troops, shocked and confused the United States. Tet Offensive Average p. 919 Factual 1 0 ____________________ is the economic term for an economy with rising inflation and unemployment. Stagflation Least Difficult p. 924 Factual 1 0 In ____________________, the Supreme Court ruled that the police must advise people arrested for felonies of their constitutional right to remain silent and to consult an attorney. Miranda v. Arizona Average p. 927 Factual 1 0 Spending on domestic social programs increased more than ____________________ percent in every year of Lyndon Johnson's presidency. 10 Most Difficult p. 910 Factual 1 0 During the presidential campaign of 1964, ____________________ suggested using tactical nuclear weapons in Vietnam. Barry Goldwater Average p. 911 Factual 1 0 ____________________ assured President Lyndon Johnson that a determined U.S. effort in Vietnam would bring a clear-cut victory. Walt Rostow Most Difficult p. 911 Factual 1 0 The Johnson administration's sustained campaign of bombing in North Vietnam was code-named ____________________. Rolling Thunder Average p. 911 Factual 1 0 Journalist ____________________ publicized the alleged class-based nature of the war in Vietnam. Gloria Emerson Most Difficult p. 914 Factual 1 0 Participatory democracy was the goal of the leftist ____________________. Students for a Democratic Society Average p. 914 Analytical 1 0 College students during the 1960s challenged the idea that colleges and universities should act ____________________. in loco parentis Average p. 915 Factual 1 0 Tet contributed to the beginning of a policy that would later be referred to as ____________________. Vietnamization Average p. 920 Analytical 1 0 The revolt in the Democratic Party that helped to push Lyndon Johnson out of the 1968 presidential race was led by ____________________. Eugene McCarthy Most Difficult p. 920 Factual 1 0 Alabaman ____________________ waged a third-party presidential campaign in 1968. George Wallace Average p. 923 Factual 1 0 American Independent Party vice-presidential candidate ____________________ lost ground when he complained of the American public's "phobia" about the use of nuclear weapons. Curtis LeMay Most Difficult p. 923 Factual 1 0 By 1971, unemployment topped ____________________ percent. 6 Most Difficult p. 924 Factual 1 0 Nixon's decision to revise the nation's welfare programs came at the urging of his chief adviser on domestic policy, ____________________. Daniel Patrick Moynihan Most Difficult p. 925 Factual 1 0 In the case of ____________________, the Supreme Court refused to consider welfare a national right. Dandridge v. Williams Most Difficult p. 927 Analytical 1 0 Lieutenant ____________________ was convicted by a military court for his role in the shootings of more than 200 people in the Vietnamese village of My Lai. William Calley Average p. 930 Factual 1 0 The Communist guerrilla force in Cambodia was called the ____________________. Khmer Rouge Least Difficult p. 930 Factual 1 0 In 1975, Senator ____________________ conducted highly publicized hearings into abuses by the CIA. Frank Church Average p. 931 Factual 1 0 The ____________________ Act was the vehicle for waging the war on poverty. Economic Opportunity Average p. 906-907 Analytical 1 0 The creation of the Department of ____________________ demonstrated the Johnson administration's determination to coordinate programs for urban revitalization. Housing and Urban Development Average p. 909 Analytical 1 0 ____________________ succeeded Earl Warren as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Warren Burger Average p. 927 Factual 1 0 ____________________ headed the South Vietnamese government when U.S. troops pulled out. Nguyen Van Thieu Most Difficult p. 930 Factual 1 0 In 1971, the Nixon administration employed covert action against the elected socialist government of Chile's ____________________. Salvador Allende Gossens Average p. 931 Analytical 1 0 The "Pentagon Papers" were leaked to the press by ____________________. Daniel Ellsberg Average p. 931 Analytical 1 0 Malcolm X: black civil rights leader, member of the Nation of Islam. Advocated a rejection of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "passive resistance" approach to the civil rights movement in favor of a more active building of black cultural traditions and a more aggressive defense of African-American institutions. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Watergate: name given to the broad pattern of law-breaking--including obstruction of justice and illegal wire-tapping--that ultimately destroyed the Nixon presidency. More narrowly refers to the illegal entry in the summer of 1972 into Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate Complex in Washington, D.C., by operatives tied to the Committee to Re-Elect the President. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 George McGovern: Democratic presidential candidate in 1972. Represented the liberal wing of the party and advocated a complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Vietnam. Defeated by Richard Nixon. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Operation Ranchhand: 1967 U.S. military operation that destroyed supply routes for National Liberation Front (NLF) forces. Included destruction of South Vietnamese cropland and forests. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Civil Rights Act (1964): created new federal remedies for job discrimination based on race or gender. Also prohibited racial discrimination in public accommodations associated with interstate commerce, such as hotels or restaurants. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 George Wallace: former governor of Alabama. Segregationist Democrat who created the American Independent Party and ran for president in 1968. His grassroots campaign and his attacks on the counterculture gained him 13.5 percent of the popular vote. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Gen. William Westmoreland: commander in charge of U.S. troops in the Vietnam War. Recommended increasing the number of U.S. ground troops and using "search and destroy" missions and saturation bombing. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Henry Kissinger: the German-Jewish Harvard University professor who served as secretary of state for both Nixon and Ford. Was not involved in the Watergate scandal. Negotiated the peace accord with North Vietnam in 1973. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Family Assistance Plan: Nixon administration proposal for revising the welfare system. Would replace Aid to Families with Dependent Children, which provided aid to certain groups of the disadvantaged, with a guaranteed annual income for all families regardless of their circumstances. Embodied a major reformulation of the post-New Deal social welfare system and engendered criticism from both sides of the spectrum. A modified version was passed by the House in 1970 but defeated by the Senate. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Rachel Carson: author of Silent Spring. Raised public awareness of the dangers of pesticide use in agriculture, especially DDT. Had a significant impact on the expansion of the environmental movement. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Examine the reasons for the U.S. escalation of the war in Vietnam in the mid-1960s. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, as the United States became increasingly supportive of the various regimes in power in South Vietnam, billions of U.S. dollars were sent into the country to maintain unpopular, but anti-Communist, South Vietnamese leaders. In the early 1960s, however, opposition groups in South Vietnam toppled the corrupt, U.S.-backed government. Amidst mounting chaos, U.S. policymakers realized that money and military advisors were insufficient and that an increased military presence would be necessary. President Lyndon Johnson, the champion of liberal reform at home, could not afford a defeat in Vietnam, not just because of the blow it would render to U.S. superpower prestige but also because this blow would seem to undercut the very ideals and strategic interests the United States championed. Johnson was convinced by his military advisors that a guerrilla war could be won in South Vietnam. Ultimately, each new escalation automatically entailed a further escalation by the wartime opponents. The people of South Vietnam were caught in the middle of this escalation. Under such military maneuvers as Operation Ranchhand, huge areas of South Vietnamese croplands were devastated, and large parts of southern forests were defoliated. Until the Tet Offensive of 1968, the American public generally supported the war effort as successfully defending South Vietnam. TYPE: Short Essays 1 -1 Describe the "New Left" and the growing protests by this movement against U.S. involvement in Vietnam. The emergence of the "New Left" in 1962 did not coincide with protest against Vietnam (this was still too early in the war) but emerged from a growing dissatisfaction among some American youth with the ideals and social practices of American liberalism. Raised in primarily affluent, tolerant households, these college-age students questioned the injustices of 1960s America (especially racial discrimination), as well as the very goals that were viewed as noble by many (the traditional consumer-oriented, middle-class American dream). In time, however, their attacks, initially aimed at colleges and universities, focused on the increasingly escalating war in Vietnam and at what was seen as an unjust, neocolonialist attempt to subdue a growing nationalist movement in Vietnam. The major goal of the New Left was "participatory democracy"; one of the first places young members of this movement attempted to implement this was in the racially segregated southern United States. After partaking in "Freedom Summer," voter-registration drives, and a variety of "free speech" challenges at major universities, the New Left turned its attention to the Vietnam War. Opposition to the war grew in many circles, but by 1966, the New Left was the most vocal regarding this issue. Many in the New Left were young, male students who were most at risk for the draft, but many others truthfully could claim no self-interest in their opposition to a war that was increasingly viewed as a "rich man's war, but a poor man's fight." By 1968, this opposition exploded into a year-long protest to not only end the war but to end American political institutions generally. TYPE: Short Essays 1 -1 Explore the changing nature of the civil rights movement from 1965 to the early 1970s. Through the early 1960s, there was little doubt that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his ideal of achieving social change through nonviolent resistance was the dominant leader of the civil rights movement. Both within and outside the black community, King was by far the nation's most charismatic figure. But along with the rise of the New Left (although not necessarily connected to it) came a new group of civil rights leaders who were younger than King and who challenged many of the basic precepts of the civil rights movement. One of these leaders was Malcolm X of the Nation of Islam, who argued that many of King's ideas were irrelevant for many members of the black community. Malcolm X urged the black community to revitalize its own cultural and social institutions, emphasizing group solidarity and racial pride. Following in the footsteps of Malcolm X, increasing numbers of black leaders--including Stokely Carmichael, head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee--emphasized the ideas of "black power." Others took an even more radical tack. Groups like the Black Panthers argued that the legalistic approach of King's civil rights movement stood little chance of overturning the ingrained cultural and legal racism that dominated the United States in the 1960s. An important theme that clearly emerged was that black power groups were not asking for entrance to "white society," but were demanding a fundamental redistribution of power and wealth that would allow African Americans to revive and construct their own institutions and cultural practices. TYPE: Short Essays 1 -1 Describe the significance of the year 1968 to American social and political history. 1968 was possibly the most politically and socially volatile year in American history. In January 1968, President Lyndon Johnson stood at the helm of the most powerful nation in the world and, from all official reports, was successfully waging war against Communist aggression in Vietnam. By November, Republican Richard Nixon had been elected to the presidency in an apparent repudiation of Johnson's domestic and war policies; in between, much of the nation had been engulfed in turmoil. Following the Tet Offensive, the illusion of imminent American victory was destroyed and, with it, much of the support Johnson needed to wage the war itself. Antiwar protests picked up dramatically, and Johnson, recognizing his own unpopular position, declared he would not run again for office. The antiwar Robert Kennedy joined Eugene McCarthy in challenging Hubert Humphrey, Johnson's vice president, for the Democratic nomination. Then, a string of events unleashed further anger and confusion. First, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination in April, followed closely by Kennedy's assassination in June, threw the nation into political turmoil. Both the Republican and Democratic nominating conventions, particularly the latter, broke out in violence. Thousands of protesters descended upon Chicago, and the Democratic convention became the scene of conflicts that were beamed live, via television, into millions of homes. Although later investigations blamed these riots on provocations by Chicago police officers, many denounced the demonstrators. The conflicts in Chicago seemed to encapsulate the uncertainty, confusion, and anger of many Americans and also seemed to suggest that the United States itself might be coming apart at the seams in 1968. TYPE: Short Essays 1 -1 Examine the implications of the Watergate scandal and the Nixon presidency on American society. In 1972, although intensely disliked by some, Richard Nixon was undeniably the most powerful politician in the country. His landslide victory over George McGovern was not only a personal triumph, but it seemed to represent a mandate for his handling of domestic and foreign affairs. A series of events, however, some occurring before his re-election, brought on one of the most dramatic series of political events in American history--the Watergate scandal and cover up. The cover up centered around knowledge within the Nixon White House of the complicity of the Committee to Re-elect the President (CREEP) in the break in at Democratic National Headquarters in 1972. Nixon, denying he knew anything about the break in, ordered hush money paid to the burglars and ordered the FBI to back off the investigation. Basic legal and constitutional principles, especially the ideal of a "government of laws," were broken. As the story of the break in and cover up unfolded, Nixon's presidency slowly collapsed--and with his constant denials of any involvement, the prestige of his high office collapsed as well. Following Nixon's resignation (the House Judiciary Committee had voted three formal articles of impeachment), many felt that the democratic process had been tainted severely, particularly when Gerald Ford granted Nixon an unconditional pardon. The election of Jimmy Carter in 1976 reveals best the degree to which Americans had been affected by the Watergate scandal: Many voted for Carter simply to voice their displeasure with the Nixon and Watergate years, and, in the process, removed Gerald Ford from office. The image of American politics had been severely tarnished. TYPE: Short Essays 1 -1 Examine the counterculture of the 1960s. Young people in the 1960s were dissatisfied with the banality and conformity of the dominant middle-class culture. They rejected traditional rules, roles, styles, and forms of behavior and created for themselves an alternate "counter" culture. The so-called hippies grew their hair long and wore bell-bottomed jeans, tie-dyed t-shirts, love beads, sandals, and headbands. They experimented with marijuana and LSD, advocated free love in communes, and "dug" rock and roll. Politically, the youth of the counterculture opposed the war in Vietnam, supported civil rights, and agitated for free speech and independent thought. Many young people believed they could "fight city hall" and were active in a variety of environmental and social-reform movements. The hippies' colorful appearance was easy to stereotype. There were legitimate causes and serious purposes behind the activism of the 1960s, but the media ignored the real issues and concentrated instead on the colorful facade of the loud clothing, extravagant lifestyles, and electrified music. Folk-rockers such as Bob Dylan and psychedelic bands like the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane articulated the hopes, fears, and excesses of their generation. The counterculture became fodder for the consumer-driven gristmill of the television, radio, record, and motion picture industries. Films such as The Graduate (1967) and Easy Rider (1967) explored youthful angst and made money in the process. Many Americans wanted to participate in the counterculture by copying the clothing, speech patterns, and musical tastes of rebellious youth. Conservative Americans were frightened and disarrayed by the anti-establishment rhetoric and the bizarre appearance of the young. To a certain extent, the media exaggerated the impact of the influence of the counterculture by concentrating on the activities of drug users and war protestors. On the other hand, passionate dissenters complained that the press and TV camera crews trivialized events and created negative images of people who were working for positive change. TYPE: Short Essays 1 -1 Describe the personality of Richard Nixon and examine the characteristics that led to his downfall. Richard Nixon was a California Quaker who made his national reputation as a staunch anticommunist during the HUAC hearings of the 1940s. He was ruthless and relentless in his pursuit of enemies both societal, national, and personal. Nixon's political career was a roller coaster ride of highs and lows, victories and defeats; yet he came back time and again to re-create himself and his career. In defeat, as after the presidential election of 1960 and the California governor's race in 1962, he often blamed others--especially those in the media--for his failures. He was capable of inspiring extreme loyalty in his supporters and of articulating the fears and desires of the so-called silent majority. In 1972, Richard Nixon won a huge victory, receiving over 60 percent of the popular vote. Two years later, he became the only U.S. president to resign from office. Nixon's own personality flaws brought about his downfall. He was a suspicious man who saw enemies everywhere and used the power of his office to strike out at those who disagreed with him. While he publicly proclaimed himself to be a staunch defender of law and order, he privately surrounded himself with unscrupulous men who were willing to resort to illegal covert activities to achieve political goals. They routinely used illegal eavesdropping equipment, "dirty tricks," and other inappropriate procedures to discredit Nixon's opponents and enemies. Nixon and his closest advisors participated in the cover up of a "third-rate burglary" at the Watergate office complex. Nixon never recognized the seriousness of his lawless behavior and his abuse of power. He was undoubtedly a man of great ability, but his paranoid, embattled mentality destroyed his presidency. TYPE: Short Essays 1 -1 Examine the goals and achievements of Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society." Essay should address several key points: A. Great Society ideals 1. "War on poverty" a. Financial security for all Americans b. Aimed at those who missed the economic boom of the 1950s 2. A more democratic society a. Demand for more civil rights legislation b. Justifications B. Great Society legislation 1. Health-care reforms a. Department of Housing and Urban Development b. Medicare and Medicaid 2. Political reforms a. Voting Rights Act (1965) b. Implications 3. Economic reforms a. Office of Economic Opportunity b. Community action programs
TYPE: Long Essays 1 -1 Explore the changing role of the United States in Vietnam, from the Johnson escalation through the Paris Peace Accords in 1973. Essay should address several key points: A. U.S. escalation of war 1. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution a. Tantamount to congressional declaration of war b. Justification 2. Continued escalation, 1965-1967 a. 100,000 troops sent under General Westmoreland in 1965 b. Westmoreland speaks of "light at the end of the tunnel" c. Operation Ranchhand B. Vietnamese counterattack 1. Tet Offensive a. Military defeat for North Vietnam b. Psychological defeat for U.S. military analysts 2. Vietnamization of the war a. Nixon Doctrine b. Cambodia invasion C. Paris Peace Accords (1973) 1. U.S. withdrawal of all troops a. Cessation of hostilities between United States and North Vietnam b. Implications 2. War continues between South and North Vietnam a. South Vietnam--defeat in 1975 b. Consequences
TYPE: Long Essays 1 -1 Analyze the growth and nature of protest movements, especially among young people, during the late 1960s. Essay should address several key points: A. Rise of the New Left 1. Composed of young and affluent a. Rejected both liberal and conservative agendas b. Reasoning 2. Demanded greater democracy in the United States a. Demands for "free speech" on college campuses b. Argued against the draft B. Changing nature of the civil rights movement 1. From civil rights to black power a. Rise of radical opponents to Martin Luther King, Jr. b. Stokely Carmichael and SNCC 2. Malcolm X and Nation of Islam a. Opposition to white society b. Black Panthers C. 1968 1. Political impact of Tet Offensive a. Antiwar demonstrations b. Johnson's refusal to run for re-election 2. Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy a. Chicago Democratic Convention b. Chicago riots 3. Legacy for the future a. New tradition of protest among America's youth b. Long-term effects
TYPE: Long Essays 1 -1 Discuss the presidency of Richard Nixon and assess his accomplishments and failures. Essay should address several key points: A. Personal background 1. Family and education 2. Political career 3. Anticommunist image 4. Ruthless, embattled personality B. Economic problems 1. Growing deficit, deteriorating balance of trade 2. Combating stagflation, ninety-day freeze 3. Floating the dollar C. Social policy 1. Family Assistance Plan 2. New federalism/use of block grants D. Detente 1. Establishing friendlier relations with Russia 2. Normalizing relations with People's Republic of China E. Vietnamization 1. Implementing the Nixon Doctrine 2. Bombing Cambodia 3. Antiwar protests increase 4. Bombing of North Vietnam 5. Signing Paris Peace Accords of 1973 F. Re-election and resignation 1. Dirty tricks in election of 1972 2. Covering up the Watergate break in 3. Exposure and resignation
TYPE: Long Essays 1 -1