One of the most significant events was the Tet Offensive. The Tet Offensive was a significant round of battles in the Vietnam War. However, the impact of the Tet Offensive at home was also huge. The US media announced the United States was losing the war. Walter Cronkite, a popular CBS news anchor, opposed the war after Tet. He used his news broadcast to express his views.

When President Johnson saw Cronkite's comments, he reportedly said, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost America." In the months prior to the Tet Offensive, the Johnson administration had told the American people that the United States was winning the Vietnam War, backed up by statistics of the number of Vietnamese killed or wounded in combat that simply were not accurate. Many Americans simply could not believe how the Viet Cong could launch such a daring raid in Saigon during a war the United States was winning. Many more people--not just the protesters--started to doubt the statements coming from the government on Vietnam. This disbelief became known as the "credibility gap." After the Tet Offensive and Cronkite's comments, a majority of Americans opposed the war in Vietnam for the first time.

So what good came out of all this tension? Complete the next activity to find out.

Instructions to Students: Before you answer a few multiple choice questions over the social impact of Vietnam, let's see what you remember.

Drag each of the phrases and descriptions below to the appropriate image.