Edexcel GCSE History (1HI0) — The USA: Conflict at Home and Abroad
Every evening during the 1960s, American families sat down to eat dinner while watching real combat footage on their televisions. By 1961, 93% of US households owned a television, making Vietnam the first "televised war." Crucially, early media coverage was uncensored by the government, meaning journalists could broadcast the graphic reality of combat without official restriction.
This lack of censorship created a credibility gap between what the government claimed and what citizens saw:
By 1971, these factors caused public opposition to flip dramatically, growing from just 30% in 1965 to 66–68%.
The Selective Service System (the draft) forced men aged 18–26 into military service, turning a distant conflict into a personal threat for millions.
Resistance to the draft grew rapidly as the war progressed:
On 16 March 1968, Charlie Company launched a Search and Destroy mission in the South Vietnamese village of My Lai.
This exposure fundamentally changed how the public viewed the conflict:
On 4 May 1970, a tragic event at Kent State University in Ohio demonstrated how deeply the war had divided the nation.
This event was a critical turning point for the protest movement:
Students often state that the media alone caused opposition to the war, but you must explain that it was the contrast between media reality and government lies (the credibility gap) that truly drove public anger.
In Paper 3 source utility questions (Question 3a), you can use the provenance of a source (e.g., a photograph from Life magazine) to explain its usefulness in showing how the horrors of war reached American living rooms.
Use the dramatic spike in conscientious objector applications after 1970 as specific evidence in 'Explain' questions to prove that My Lai shifted opposition from a political protest to a moral refusal to fight.
When discussing the Kent State shootings, always explicitly link it to Nixon's invasion of Cambodia, as this was the specific trigger event for the campus protests.
Uncensored
Media coverage that is not subject to government editing, restriction, or approval.
Credibility gap
The growing disparity and distrust between official government reports claiming military success and the reality reported by journalists.
Stalemate
A situation in a conflict where neither side can make progress or achieve a decisive victory.
Middle America
A term used to describe the mainstream, middle-class white citizens whose shift in opinion was vital for political change.
Pentagon Papers
Secret Department of Defense documents leaked in 1971 that proved the US government had systematically lied about the scale of the war.
Selective Service System
The official name for the compulsory military draft that forced American men aged 18 to 26 to serve in the armed forces.
Deferment
A legal postponement of compulsory military service, often granted to university students or those with medical issues.
Anti-war movement
A broad, organized campaign of protests and resistance aimed at forcing the US government to withdraw troops from Vietnam.
Conscientious objector
A person who legally refuses to serve in the armed forces on moral, ethical, or religious grounds.
Draft Lottery
A system introduced in 1969 that used randomly drawn birth dates to determine the order in which young men would be conscripted.
Charlie Company
The specific US military unit, led by Lieutenant William Calley, that committed the My Lai Massacre.
Search and Destroy
A US military tactic involving helicopters dropping troops into villages to locate and kill Vietcong fighters.
Whistleblower
A person who exposes secretive, illegal, or unethical activity within their own organization to the public or authorities.
New Left
A broad political movement in the 1960s and 1970s that focused on social issues like civil rights and opposition to the Vietnam War.
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)
A prominent, radical student activist group that organized major protests and framed the Vietnam War as an act of imperialism and racism.
National Guard
A state-based military reserve force that can be mobilized by a state governor to manage domestic unrest.
Student strike
A coordinated mass protest where students refuse to attend classes to demand immediate political or social change.
Put your knowledge into practice — try past paper questions for History
Uncensored
Media coverage that is not subject to government editing, restriction, or approval.
Credibility gap
The growing disparity and distrust between official government reports claiming military success and the reality reported by journalists.
Stalemate
A situation in a conflict where neither side can make progress or achieve a decisive victory.
Middle America
A term used to describe the mainstream, middle-class white citizens whose shift in opinion was vital for political change.
Pentagon Papers
Secret Department of Defense documents leaked in 1971 that proved the US government had systematically lied about the scale of the war.
Selective Service System
The official name for the compulsory military draft that forced American men aged 18 to 26 to serve in the armed forces.
Deferment
A legal postponement of compulsory military service, often granted to university students or those with medical issues.
Anti-war movement
A broad, organized campaign of protests and resistance aimed at forcing the US government to withdraw troops from Vietnam.
Conscientious objector
A person who legally refuses to serve in the armed forces on moral, ethical, or religious grounds.
Draft Lottery
A system introduced in 1969 that used randomly drawn birth dates to determine the order in which young men would be conscripted.
Charlie Company
The specific US military unit, led by Lieutenant William Calley, that committed the My Lai Massacre.
Search and Destroy
A US military tactic involving helicopters dropping troops into villages to locate and kill Vietcong fighters.
Whistleblower
A person who exposes secretive, illegal, or unethical activity within their own organization to the public or authorities.
New Left
A broad political movement in the 1960s and 1970s that focused on social issues like civil rights and opposition to the Vietnam War.
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)
A prominent, radical student activist group that organized major protests and framed the Vietnam War as an act of imperialism and racism.
National Guard
A state-based military reserve force that can be mobilized by a state governor to manage domestic unrest.
Student strike
A coordinated mass protest where students refuse to attend classes to demand immediate political or social change.
