Vietnam War Turning Points

Using your knowledge gained from previous readings in the Vietnam War reading, answer the following questions.

1. Why was the Tet Offensive a turning point? Explain your answer.
The Tet Offensive was a turning point in the war because it put things into perspective for the United States. They started to think about how the Vietcong communists could have been able to launch a major offensive that took them completely by surprise if the US had put so much money and so many soldiers into Vietnam. The war in Vietnam was not that popular to begin with, and this event really turned Americans against it.


2. Are Sources 51 and 52 making the same point about the My Lai Massacre?
I think they are not making the same point.
I think Source 51 is focusing on the side of the issue that deals with moral choices and what is humane. This source is making the point that what the US soldiers did in My Lai was wrong. He compared them to Nazi's since they were just slaughtering whole villages, and obviously the American soldiers didn't go there to to that. They went their to get rid of communism, but this is what they ended up doing.
Source 52 is saying that they weren't there to kill people, they were there to destroy communism. This source implies that to destroy communism, people must be killed and there is nothing wrong with that.


3. Why do you think it took 12 months for anyone to do anything about the massacre?
I think it took 12 months for someone to do something about the massacre because they wanted to let the issue settle for a while. If someone had said something too soon they might not have gotten the response they were looking for- an investigation.

4. Why was the massacre so shocking to the American public?
It was really clear now to the Americans that this was not right. There were so many civilians being killed for no reason other than that they "might" be involved with the Viet Cong. The American troops seemed to be straying from the goal of getting rid of communism, and instead, they were just being really violent.