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Unit 11

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Cold War

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1945-1990

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Did You Know?

One of the most recognized kids’ cartoons of all time, The Flintstones, debuted during the 1960s. The Hanna-Barbera production became the second-most-successful and longest-running cartoon series in television history, behind only The Simpsons.

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—John F. Kennedy

“Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”

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Vietnam War Era

04.

1960-1975

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Overview

The policy of containment of the United States would be once again put to the test by the mid-1960s. Much like the Korean Peninsula, Vietnam was divided into two nations, North and South, divided along the 17th Parallel. When communist North Vietnam invaded the South, the United States would be forced to respond.

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American involvement in the Vietnam War would last for nearly 15 years, beginning in the early 1960s. The war would have profound short-term and long-term consequences for the Vietnamese, as well as for the United States. In the process, the unpopular war would create protests and unrest on U.S. soil, contributing to arguably the most turbulent decade in American history, the 1960s.

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Domino Theory

The Geneva Conference of 1954 established North and South Vietnam as two separate countries, separated by the 17th Parallel. However, by 1959, the communist North had invaded the Republic South.

  • The Kennedy administration derived a “domino theory”; if one country falls to communism, others would follow.
  • In 1961, the U.S. sent military advisors to South Vietnam, and by 1962, more than 9,000 U.S. troops were present.

North

South

Vietnam

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Kennedy Assassination

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John F. Kennedy, the nation’s 35th President, arrived in Dallas, Texas on the morning of November 22, 1963. Kennedy was visiting Texas to raise campaign funds, meet with Democratic party leaders, and continue his campaign for reelection in 1964.

  • Four days before Kennedy’s arrival in Texas, the presidential motorcade route had been published in local newspapers.
  • The first stop in the president’s visit was at the Trade Mart in downtown Dallas for a luncheon.

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Kennedy Assassination

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As the motorcade reached Dealey Plaza, President Kennedy, who was seated next to his wife, Jackie, in an open limousine, waved to the large crowd gathered along the street.

  • Several shots rang out in quick succession, one striking President Kennedy in the neck, while another in the head.
  • Kennedy was rushed to nearby Parkland Hospital in Dallas, where he was pronounced dead.
  • Kennedy’s alleged assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was murdered as he was being transported to his preliminary hearing the following day.

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