Vietnam War Turning Points

1.

Why was the Tet Offensive a turning

point? Explain your answer.

The Tet Offensive was a turning point because the event raised many questions in America. The US was spending $20 billion dollars a year in the war and put nearly 500,000 troops in Vietnam. This usually would quell opposing forces but the Tet Offensive proved the opposite. This is because the Communists had been able to launch a major offensive that took the US forces by surprise. The Americans began wondering why their effort put into the war was not working. Also the US and South Vietnamese forces were able to quickly regain control of the towns but it required enormous amounts of gun power and air support. In the process it killed many civilians and the ancient city of Hue was destroyed. The Americans began wondering if all this destruction was righteous and worth it.

2.

Are Sources 51 and 52 making the

same point about the My Lai Massacre?

Yes both sources talk about how what happened was what was not intended. Source 51 states that the US soldiers went to Vietnam to do something courageous and not slaughter a whole village of women and children. The source goes on to compare the massacre as something the Nazis would do and states that no one went to Vietnam to be like Nazis. Source 52 clearly states that the US forces were not in My Lai to kill humans. They were there to destroy the idea that these people carried which was Communism.

3. Why do you think it took 12 months for

anyone to do anything about the

massacre?

It took 12 months for

anyone to do anything about the

massacre because the army treated the operation as a success. The initial report stated that only 20 non-combatant, opposed to the real 300 to 400 civilians, were killed by accident and the rest were Viet Cong. The people involved were praised but the soldiers really knew what happened and kept it a secret until 12 months later. 12 months later Ronald Ridenhour claimed he had evidence about what really happened and insisted the government investigate.

4. Why was the massacre so shocking to the American public?

The massacre was so shocking to the American public because it was clear evidence that the war had gone wrong.