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Conflict & Change

  • Division of Vietnam

    Division of Vietnam
    The Geneva Accords ended French colonial rule in Vietnam, dividing the country at the 17th parallel. North Vietnam became communist under Ho Chi Minh, while South Vietnam was led by an anti-communist government.
  • Brown v. Board of Education

    Brown v. Board of Education
    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, overturning the “separate but equal” doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson.
  • Montgomery Bus Boycott

    Montgomery Bus Boycott
    Sparked by Rosa Parks' arrest for refusing to give up her bus seat, the boycott was a pivotal event in challenging segregation. It lasted over a year and ended with the Supreme Court declaring bus segregation unconstitutional.
  • March on Washington

    March on Washington
    Over 250,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C., to demand civil and economic rights for African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech.
  • Gulf of Tonkin Incident

    Gulf of Tonkin Incident
    A reported attack on U.S. naval ships by North Vietnamese forces led to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. This gave President Lyndon B. Johnson the authority to escalate U.S. military involvement in Vietnam.
  • Civil Rights Act

    Civil Rights Act
    This landmark legislation outlawed segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
  • Selma to Montgomery March

    Selma to Montgomery March
    Protesters marched 54 miles to demand voting rights for African Americans. Brutal attacks on participants during "Bloody Sunday" led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act later that year.
  • Tet Offensive

    Tet Offensive
    North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launched a massive coordinated attack on South Vietnam during the Lunar New Year. Although it was a tactical loss for North Vietnam, the offensive shocked Americans and weakened public support for the war.
  • Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

    Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
    Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, sparking riots across the country and a national reckoning with racial inequality.
  • Cambodian Incursion

    Cambodian Incursion
    U.S. and South Vietnamese troops invaded Cambodia to disrupt North Vietnamese supply lines and sanctuaries. This action fueled widespread protests in the United States.
  • Paris Peace Accords

    Paris Peace Accords
    The United States signed an agreement with North Vietnam, South Vietnam, and the Viet Cong to end American involvement in the war. U.S. troops withdrew, but fighting continued between North and South Vietnam.
  • Fall of Saigon

    Fall of Saigon
    North Vietnamese forces captured Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, marking the end of the war. The country was reunified under communist control.