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Creation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam
The leader of the Viet Minh, Ho Chi Minh, announces their independence from the French Colonial Rule, on September 5, 1945. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam is shortly developed after. The Viet Minh was communist national movement group aiming to become free from the French Colonial Rule. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu ended the French Colonial influence and power in Indochina by attacking and defeating the French after their four month long siege. The months of the battle started in March 1945 and ended in May 1945. The battle also cleared the division of Vietnam along the 17th parallel. -
Creation of the 17th parallel between North and South Vietnam
The creation of the 17th parallel between North and South Vietnam occurred in July of 1954. The parallel was created as a temporary military separation line. In the North it was a communist government and in the South it was a democratic government. -
Establishment of the National Liberation Front
The establishment of the National Liberation Front was created to overthrow the South Vietnamese government and reunite the North and the South. The Viet Cong created the Establishment of the National Liberation Front in December of 1960. It was the armed communist organization that fought in the Vietnam war, consisting of the countries, South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident and Resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was passed to allow President Johnson to promote international peace and security in southeast Asia. The North Vietnamese warships attacked two United States warships that were stationed off the coast of Vietnam. This incident led the United States to be in part of the Vietnam War. The United States fought against North Vietnam, and they supported South Vietnam. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
The United States and South Vietnam created Operation Rolling Thunder to attempt to force Ho Chi Minh to stop trying to take over South Vietnam. It was a bombing campaign that began in 1965 and ended in 1968. However, it was not an effective political idea because the bombs frequently fell into empty space and missed their targeted drops. -
US combat troops arrive in Vietnam
On March 8, 1965, U.S. marines arrive on the beaches of South Vietnam to aid in the force against North Vietnam, so communism would not spread. They supplied U.S. military, weapons, and money. At the same time, President Johnson launched a campaign to sustain bombing targets of North Vietnam. He also wanted to sustain the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Operation Rolling Thunder. -
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive happened on January 30, 1968. It was the series of Vietnamese attacks on more than 100 cities and outposts in South Vietnam. It was an attempt to initiate power to the South Vietnamese and encourage the United States to decrease its involvement in the Vietnam War. It also changed the public perception of the war. -
My Lai Massacre
The My Lai Massacre was the mass murder of unarmed and innocent South Vietnamese by United States troops. Over 500 people were killed in the village of My Lai on March 16, 1968. Children, old men, and women were all the main victims in the massacre. Women and young girls were even raped before they were killed. -
1968 Democratic National Convention
The 1968 Democratic National Convention included protests against the Vietnam War. These protests took place before the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The main goal was to actually nominate a candidate for president and vice president. -
1968 Presidential Election
The 1968 Presidential Election was the 46th presidential election on November 5. The republican, Richard Nixon, won the presidential election. The other candidates running against Nixon were Hubert Humphrey and George Wallace. -
Tinker v. Des Moines
Tinker vs. Des Moines was a Supreme Court ruling that did not allow students' rights to freedom of speech. The court held a suspension to students who wore black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. The parents sued the school for the violation of their children's right to free speech. The court then decided that school officials could not block student speech unless it disrupted learning. This case is why students now have the right to peacefully protest and have their right to free speech. -
Woodstock 1969
The Woodstock 1969 was a music festival that started on August 15, 1969. During this time, the Vietnam War was going on, which many young people did not like. The Woodstock festival was meant to be an opportunity for people to focus more on music and spreading messages of peace and love. -
Kent State University Protest
The Ohio national guard was brought to the Kent State campus because Richard Nixon had promised to end the war with Vietnam. He was elected because of his promise. The national guard killed 4 students and wounded 9. -
Jackson State College Protest
On May 15, 1970, police opened fire shortly after midnight on students for a May 14 protest of the U.S. invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam War at Jackson State College in Mississippi. The protesting students came into contact with the Ohio National guardsmen on campus. The guardsmen ended up killing four students on that day. This incident quickly became the focal point of the United States during the Vietnam War. -
Pentagon Papers
The Pentagon Papers were classified documents that were leaked by Daniel Ellsberg and Anthony Russo to the press and became the subject of a major supreme court case. The papers revealed that the Harry S. Truman administration gave military aid to France in its colonial war against Viet Minh. This directly involved the United Sates in Vietnam. They also revealed that Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson had continued to send American soldiers to fight in a war that could not be won. -
Watergate
The Watergate break in was a major political scandal in the United States. It involved the administration of President Richard Nixon that led to Nixon's resignation. In order to get Nixon reelected, Nixon advisors and Gordon Liddy planned the Watergate break-in oat the Democratic Party's headquarters at the Watergate. Nixon resigned because of the watergate Scandal so he would not have to face vote in House of Representative that would have resulted in impeachment. -
1973 Paris Peace Accords
The Paris Peace Accords was officially the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Viet Nam. It was a peace treaty signed on January 27, 1973, to establish peace in Vietnam and end the Vietnam War. The countries involved were: Great Britain, France, the United States, and Italy. They became known as the "Big Four." -
United States vs. Nixon
It was a Supreme Court case that ordered President Nixon to turn over the tape recordings and other subpoenaed materials. The decision of July 24, 1974 was important to the Watergate scandal going on at the time. This case helped ensure President Nixon's resignation. -
Fall of Saigon
The South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese Army on April 30, 1975, effectively ending the Vietnam War. The South Vietnamese forces had collapsed due to the rapid advancement of the North Vietnamese. Concluding that the North Vietnamese had won the war against the South Vietnamese.