Vietnam War Turning Points

1. Why was the Tet Offensive a turning point? Explain your answer.

It was a turning point in the war because it raised hard questions for the US. Was it right to have the US using so much money and soldiers and civilians lives to take back all the land lost when taken by surprise so easily.

2. Are Sources 51 and 52 making the same point about the My Lai Massacre?

They are and are not because it shows all the people that they killed but that doesn't show the point of how the soldiers weren't prepared to kill all the towns, it just shows that they killed a lot of people and not that they showed compassion for the people that they were killing.

3. Why do you think it took 12 months for
anyone to do anything about the massacre?

I think it took them 12 months for anyone to do anything about the massacre because they hadn't found out that they had done something wrong because the soldiers had thought that they were supposed to murder all of the village.

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

Because when they had heard from all of their sources that the Americans were being drafted not to kill all these innocent people but to prevent the spread of communism so they weren't prepared to hear that the American soldiers were killing so many innocent.