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Gulf of Tonkin Incident
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Tonkin_incident North Vietnam fires upon ships from the US navy stationed 10 miles off the coast. This event mainly sparked the Period of Escalation. This lead to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, whiich gave the the President any power he needed to prevent the spread of Communism, without officially declaring war. -
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Period of Escalation
http://www.srvhs.srvusd.k12.ca.us/Staff/teachers/abgardner/Vietnam/The%20Vietnam%20War,%201965-1968.htm The number of active troops in Vietnam increase from 180,000 to 500,00. Roughly 25% of the total soldiers in the war were drafted. -
Tet Offensive
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_OffensiveOn the Vietnamese New Years, the Vietcong seige all the major towns and cities in South Vietnam simultaniously. CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite boldly stated: "We have been too often disappointed by the optimism of the American leaders, both in Vietnam and Washington,... [We] are mired in a stalemate that could only be ended by negotiation, not victory." Everyone was worried after this event that there was nothing that the US could do to prevent the spread of Communism in the Vietnams. -
My Lai Massecre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai_Massacre American soldiers rape, torture, and murder between 300 and 500 Vietnamese people in the village of My Lai. This event is part of the reason that US soldiers were treaded as monsters when they returned back to the homefront. It took until 1982 for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to be constructed for the soldiers. -
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The Cambodian Campaign
The constant bombardment of US napalm and other explosives on the Ho Chi Mihn trail that spans through Laos and Cambodia, which are relatively neutral towards the Vietnam War. This angered the US citizens because Cambodia and Laos were uninvolved in the war, yet, the US was determined to destroy even countries not involved to attempt to win. -
Kent State Shootings
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootingsA protest in Kent State University where the students were against Nixon's decision to invade Cambodia. National Guardsmen brought to take control of the situation shoot and kill 4 students and wound 9 others. Also, on May 15, students protest in Jackson State University and again the National Guardsmen were called and again, 2 students died and 12 were wounded. If soldiers were violent against their own people, then what would they be like against someone who they thought as below them? -
Pentagon Papers Released
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_Papers The first day that top secret papers from the Pentagon are released in magazenes. They tell that the US planned to go to war with Vietnam even though President Johnsonclaimed he wouldn't escelate war further. This enraged the people of the US and gave more distrust towards the government.
