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Eisenhower Becomes President
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Geneva Accords divides Vietnam into two
In July 1954, the Geneva Agreements were signed. As part of the agreement, the French agreed to withdraw their troops from northern Vietnam. Vietnam would be temporarily divided at the 17th parallel, pending elections within two years to choose a president and reunite the country. -
Sent to Vietnam
U.S. military aid and advisers are sent to South Vietnam -
US troops land in Lebanon
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U-2 spy plane is shot down
An American U-2 spy plane is shot down over the Soviet Union. The incident derailed an important summit meeting between President Eisenhower and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev that was scheduled for later that month. -
Kennedy becomes President
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Johnson becomes president
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Congress passes Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Passed allowing U.S. to prevent any further aggression. -
US combat troops arrive in Vietnam
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Tet Offensive
National Liberation Front and North Vietnamese forces launched a huge attack on the Vietnamese, which was defeated after a month of fighting and many thousands of casualties; major defeat for communism, but Americans reacted sharply, with declining approval of LBJ and more anti-war sentiment -
Anti-war protest in Chicago
Democratic National Convention in Chicago, thousands of Vietnam War protesters battle police in the streets, while the Democratic Party falls apart over an internal disagreement concerning its stance on Vietnam. Over the course of 24 hours, the predominant American line of thought on the Cold War with the Soviet Union was shattered. -
Nixon becomes president
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Student protesters killed
Four students killed during protest at Kent State -
Nixon orders invasion
Nixon's new strategy called Vietnamization that was aimed at ending American involvement in the Vietnam War, by transferring all military responsibilities to South Vietnam. Nixon believed Vietnamization which involved building up South Vietnam’s military strength in order to gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops, would prepare the South Vietnamese to take responsibility for their own defense against a Communist takeover and allow the U.S. to leave the conflict with its honor intact. -
US troops leave Vietnam
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Saigon falls to North Vietnamese invasion
