Protesting the Vietnam
War
Essential Questions
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Who fought against whom in the Vietnam War?
Why did the US become involved in Vietnam, and why
did it increase its involvement into the 1970s?
What events led the general public to turn away from
supporting the war?
What was LBJ’s attitude toward US involvement in
NAM?
What was Nixon’s secret plan to end the war?
How did the war change under Nixon’s administration?
Was the Vietnam War overwhelmingly popular among
American citizens? Why or why not?
10-15 minute discussion
Basic Knowledge of the Vietnam War
The Walter Cronkite Effect
• Turned many
Americans away
from supporting the
war when he made a
report on CBS news
declaring that the war
was not possible to
win. Cronkite took a
trip of Vietnam prior
to this report.
LBJ’s Reaction
to Cronkite
Newscast
• "If I've lost
Cronkite, I've lost
middle America."
Essential Questions
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What did Nixon believe would be the consequences of
immediate U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam?
What specific events did Nixon cite to support his
arguments against “precipitate troop withdrawal”?
What is meant by “Silent Majority”?
What did John Kerry believe about the alleged threat
that North Vietnam posed to the United States?
What did John Kerry believe were the results of
Nixon’s policies as spelled out in the 1969 “Silent
Majority” speech?
What did Nixon mean by “Vietnamization,” and what
did Kerry think of this policy?