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The creation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh declared the independence of Vietnam and break away from the French rule. This is after almost 100 years of being a colony. Even after the separation of the country, there was still struggle for years to come. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The French had control of a place up in the mountains by Vietnam. For four months, Vietnam attacked the post trying to get control. The French pulled out of the region and Vietnam won. -
Creation of the 17th parallel between North and South Vietnam
To separate the Vietnam war and try to stop the fighting, the 17th parallel was added right in the middle of the country. The Geneva Accords created a temporary military separation line. The split the country with the communists in the north and the democrats in the south. -
Establishment of the National Liberation Front
The National Liberation Front was created to stop the overthrowing of the southern Vietnamese government. The purpose was to reunify the north and the south. The Front reached a peak after the Tet Offensive because a lot of new followers joined. -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident and Resolution
While in international waters, 2 US naval ships got attacked on 2 different dates. Congress passed a bill that said president Johnson can go to any measure to make peace. He increased US involvement in Southeast Asia and started war. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
To try to get Ho Chi Minh to stop his plan of taking over South Vietnam, the US went in with many bombing strikes over the course of over 2 years. These bombings did not end up diverging the will of the North, so it was a failure. The plan was different than what the US had tried before, they went for supply lines, not bases. -
US combat troops arrive in Vietnam
To protect from Viet Cong attacks, the US sent troops to South Vietnam. 3,500 marines arrived in Da Nang to protect the US airbase stationed in the south. After over 20 years of indirect aid, Kennedy sent the troops. -
Tet Offensive
The north wanted the US to stop their involvement, so they sent attacks on more than 100 cities in the South. The north didn't end up actually capturing any land. Thousands of people from the north died and the south continued to not switch to communism. -
My Lai Massacre
US soldiers killed more than 500 unarmed South Vietnamese citizens. They were thought to be enemies. It was all under a search and destroy mission. -
1968 Democratic National Convention
Yippy leaders put an actual pig up to run for office because they thought it would do better than the president. They later got arrested along with the pig. This was held in Chicago in response to the Vietnam war. -
1968 Presidential Election
Richard Nixon won the 1968 presidential election. He was challenged to many debated but declined them and it got him the win. These debates in the 1960 election made him uncomfortable and it caused him to lose. -
Tinker v. Des Moines
Children in a school wore black bands around their arms to protest the war in Vietnam. The school board did not like what the kids were doing and even suspended some kids for it. Tinker thought was taking away her first amendment right and she took it to court and won. -
Woodstock 1969
This was one of the biggest concert festivals to ever go on. It had some of the biggest names preforming for thousands of people. All the people that were there were hippies and people that wanted peace, thats what woodstock is about. -
Kent State University Protest
Protests were going on in Kent due to the US involvement in Vietnam. The students weren't happen and peacefully protested, then the police got involved. The protests stopped being peaceful and the national guard got called in to handle students, this got nine students killed. -
Jackson State College Protest
While the war was going on in Vietnam, protests were had everywhere. One protest took place at Jackson State a little after midnight. While the protests were happening, cops came by and opened fire on the crowd. -
Pentagon Papers
The pentagon papers were papers that got released to the public through the press. These documents explained the real intention of the president during the Vietnam war. His plan seemed to be to not accept defeat so he would keep sending troops to look like we were winning. -
Watergate
A robbery was happening the morning of June 17 in the Watergate Hotel. These robbers weren't just anyone though, they were connected to the president and his reelection. Nixon declined the accusations but still resigned from the next election. -
1973 Paris Peace Accords
These accords provided a cease-fire in Vietnam. Along with the cease-fire, it made it so all US bases had to be dismantled. This was pretty much a peace treaty that also set north Vietnam prisoners or war go free. -
United States vs. Nixon
Nixon kept tapes, and a lot of them. This went against the right to privacy and executive privilege. This is why there was a lawsuit going against the president. -
Fall of Saigon
Saigon, the south Vietnamese capital, fell to the north. Before this happened, the US took out thousands of troops and South Vietnamese citizens. This attack ended the war of Vietnam.