Name_______________________________________________ Date____________________

An Introduction to the Threat of Nuclear

War and Communism in the 1960s

The Bay of Pigs (3 points)

To learn about the Bay of Pigs please visit https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-
history/the-bay-of-pigs.

1. What was the ultimate goal of the invasion at the Bay of Pigs on the south coast of Cuba? (1
point)

2. Who was supposed to join the invaders in order for the invasion plan to succeed? (1 point)

3. Why did the invasion fail? (1 point)

Cuban Missile Crisis (8 points)

Please visit https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cuban-missile-crisis.

4. Summarize the Cuban Missile Crisis in your own words. (2 points)

5. Describe President Kennedy’s “quarantine” tactic and how it was carried out. (2 points)
6. Why were Americans very concerned when they discovered that the Soviet Union was
putting nuclear missiles in Cuba? (1 point)

7. What agreement was made between President Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita
Khrushchev to end the Cuban Missile Crisis? (1 point)

8. Why do you think American officials agreed to withdraw their missiles in Turkey in private,
away from the public attention? (2 points)

The Vietnam War (9 points)

Please visit https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/postwarera/1960s-america/a/
the-vietnam-war.

9. Explain the domino theory. (2 points)

10. What event sparked US commitment to fight communism in Vietnam? (1 point)

11. What was the Tet Offensive? What did this event make Americans believe about the war?
(2 points)
 The Vietnam War (continued)
Please visit https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/herblock-gallery/herblock-looks-at-1968.html and
find the political cartoon titled, “I Don't Know If Either Side Is Winning, But I Know
Who’s Losing”.

12. Analyze and explain the message that this political cartoon is sending to Americans in
1968. (2 points)

13. Discuss how Americans may have felt about the Vietnam War after viewing this cartoon. (2
points)