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Nixon says "Let's fight!"
President Nixon approves and supports putting the American troops into the war. -
U.S. sees Minh's true colors
When Ho Chi Minh became the new president of North Vietnam, Time magazine took the liberty of writing all about him and his strong support of communism. This negative light on Minh strengthened the U.S.'s support for Diem and South Vietnam. -
Term 2 for Eisenhower
President Dwight D. Eisenhower is elected president again for a second term, continuing to support South Vietnam. -
First U.S. soldiers killed
Dale R. Ruis and Chester M. Ovnand, two leaders in the U.S. military, were killed by the guerillas in Bien Hoa. These were said to be the first American deaths of the Vietnam War. -
Strategic Hamlet Program
The South Vietnamese government used this strategy in order to gain the support from the rural side of South Vietnam and keep them from the North's influence. By protecting them and providing them with resources, they thought they'd gain the support they needed. Because they had completely moved the villagers away from their homes, there were mixed feelings about this strategy as a whole. -
Buddhist Monk lights himself on fire
Quang Duc, a Buddhit monk, makes a clear statement to Presdient Diem to tolerate all religions. He does this by immolating himself. -
Minh takes over. Bye Diem!
General Duong Van Minh takes control over matters with the support of the U.S. Diem is killed in a military coup, even though he thought he was going to live. -
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
In Dallas Texas, President Kennedy was shot in the head. This was bad news, because the majority supported his presidency and the decisions he made, including with regards to the Vietnam War. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
U.S. sends in its air troops to attack. During this long attack, America ends up dropping "nearly 8 million tons of bombs" on its targets. -
President Johnson pleads for peace
Now president, Johnson gives the speech "Peace Without Conquest" to call a stop to the war. He knows that the U.S. will have to continue to help Vietnam recover and modernize post-war if America sontinues to fight with and for them. However, it wasn't popular with the crowd. The war ensued. -
Burning of the Draft Card
Men were not wanting to go fight and so they protested by burning their draft cards. The first public brurning of the draft cards took place in New York, led by David Miller. This protest caused a lot of chaos as this act was against the law and those who committed the crime were punished. -
King steps in
Martin Luther King Jr. gave the speech "A Time to Break Silence" to voice his opinion on the issue of social injustice in America and to protest against the war. The majority of America was in support of the war so King was brave as always making a stand saying enough was enough. -
Assassination of MLK
Martin Luther King Jr. is killed in Memphis, Tennessee. -
Revenue and Expenditure Control Act of 1968.
Due to the cost of the war continously increasing, Congress passes a law that is a 10% income tax people must pay in order to meet the deficit. This was called the Revenue and Expenditure Control Act of 1968. -
War is over for U.S.
The last U.S. troops leave Vietnam. Having lasted 15 years, this was the longest war in America. More than 2 million Americans served in this war.
