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The first U.S. combat troops arrived in Vietnam and about 66 percent of Americans approved of U.S. policy in Vietnam. -
A group of faculty members and students at the University of Michigan joined together in a teach-in. They discussed the issues surrounding the war and reaffirmed their reasons for opposing it. -
122 colleges held a “National Teach-In” by radio for more than 100,000 antiwar demonstrators. People opposed the war for different reasons. Some saw the conflict as a civil war in which the United States should not interfere. Others saw South Vietnam as a corrupt dictatorship and believed defending it was immoral. -
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held “educational” hearings on Vietnam. They called in policy makers and critics to discuss the administration’s military strategy. -
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., publicly condemned the conflict: “I speak for the poor of America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home and death and corruption in Vietnam. . . . The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours.” In response, military officials tried to reduce African American casualties. -
The Vietcong and North Vietnamese launched a massive surprise attack. In what was called the Tet Offensive, guerrilla fighters attacked most American airbases in South Vietnam and most of the South’s major cities. -
Johnson appeared on television and He announced, “I have concluded that I should not permit the presidency to become involved in the partisan divisions that are developing in this political year. Accordingly, I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President.” -
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated in Memphis by James Earl Ray. Someone before already tried to kill him. -
He appeared likely to win the Democratic nomination, was gunned down by Sirhan Sirhan, an Arab nationalist. -
The Twenty-sixth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving all citizens age 18 and older the right to vote in all state and federal elections.