KEY TERMS Key Terms and People to Know for the Regents Exam
Domino Theory
Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson sent military support to South Vietnam (to resist communist North Vietnam) because they believed that if all of Vietnam fell to communism, then the countries around it would fall to communism as well (like dominos).
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
After disputed attacks on a US ship in Vietnam’s Gulf of Tonkin in 1964, Congress authorized President Johnson to send more troops into Vietnam. The US never officially declared war.
Vietnam War
The US fought against North Vietnam and the Vietcong (Communist rebels in South Vietnam) to contain the spread of communism in Asia. The Tet Offensive in 1968 revealed that the war was not under control, and LBJ declined to run for reelection.