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Ho Chi Minh is born
Ho Chi Minh went on to go and lead the independence movement to try and establish a Communist-ruled Democratic Republic. This is important because he will set a great influence on the people in North Vietnam and they will follow him in his movement. -
President Johnson claims the U.S. ship has been fired upon by the North Vietnamese
The name of the ship was the U.S.S. Maddox. The response of the United States is to declare an act of war on North Vietnam. This is important because this changed what was happening with the US involvement in the war. -
Vietnam declares independence from France, but neither France nor the United States recognize Vietnam as a separate nation
The Viet Minh launched an attack against the French in Hanoi. This is important because this shows that they want to be a united nation -
President Eisenhower declares "Domino Theory"
The idea behind the Domino Theory in Vietnam is that if one country falls to Communism then the rest of the countries will shortly follow. This is important because it shows that things could go bad very fast -
The Viet Minh and Ho Chi Minh defeat the French at Dien Bien Phu
The US response to Dien Bien Phu was non-existent, the US did not care about what happened at Dien Bien Phu. This is important because it shows that the US did not want another recolonization of the French -
The Geneva Accords cause Vietnam to be split into North and South
Vietnam was divided at the 17th Parallel. This is important because it signifies where the country was separated. -
Ngo Dinh Diem cancels elections in Vietnam
He decides to cancel the election because he knows he is going to lose against Ho Chi Minh in the presidential election. This is important because he knows he will lose and he doesn't want to lose his power as president. -
The National Liberation Front is formed
The National Liberation Front was also known as the Veit Cong. They occupied the South region of Vietnam. This is important because it shows who side of the war they were on -
A South Vietnamese monk sets himself on fire
The monk was a Buddhist. He did this because he wanted to get the attention of the public and show what was happening is not right. This is important because it shows that he would do what it takes to do what is right -
The United States withdraws support of Ngo Dinh Diem, leader of South Vietnam
After Diem lost his support from the US, he waas assassinated. This is important because this shows that not everybody was as anti-communist as he was -
President Kennedy is assassinated, leading to the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson
Vietnam would have quickly ended with the US because JFK would have stopped the United States involvement in the war if he wasn't killed. This is important because if we had stopped fighting in a war that wasn't ours, our nation would have been a lot happier about it. -
The first combat troops arrive in Vietnam
The started sending military advisors in September of 1950. This is important because it shows when the US started to show an effort in the war
