TET OFFENSIVE
The Tet Offensive is the turning point in the Vietnam War. From that point on, it is clear that the majority of Americans will oppose the continued involvement in the war. American presidents will start to look for a way out.
For this assignment, you are a high school student during the Vietnam War. You are 18 and have just registered for the draft. In past, you kind of thought that America was justified in being in Vietnam and was winning the war. The Tet Offensive is making you rethink your position on the war.
You are to write a diary entry in which you will clarify your thinking. In particular, your diary entry must contain the education objectives as you are rethinking your opinion about the war. The main mistake students make is to not understand the Tet Offensive before doing this assignment. This is the one which usually gets the worse grades. The North Vietnamese lose the battles, but win the war.
Essential Question: Why do the majority of Americans turn against continuing US involvement in the Vietnam War after the Tet Offensive?
Educational Objectives:
1. You will be able to describe what Tet is.
2. You will be able to explain why the North Vietnamese were able to catch the
United States unprepared.
3. You will be able to describe why this offensive was a military disaster for the
North Vietnamese.
4. You will be able to explain why this offensive meant that the United States
would loose the war.
Links:
1. This editorial by CBS Newsman Walter Cronkiteis crucial to understanding why Americans are turning against the Vietnam War after the Tet Offensive.
2. Use this link for a secondary source which describes the TET OFFENSIVE.
3. Watch this footage from the Tet Offensive. This is real. Do not watch if you might be offended. KHE SHAN ATTACK ON SAIGON
4. Read a military historian account of the NORTH VIETNAMESE prespective on the Tet Offensive.