-
Geneva Accords
The Geneva Accords were conditions agreed upon after the Korean War at the Geneva Conference of 1954. The Geneva Accords agreed that Vietnam would be an independent nation free of France, That former French colonies Cambodia and Laos would also be given their independence, and Vietnam would be split in two on the 17th parallel for two years. This caused even more tensions between the North and South and caused them to go to war with each other. -
Assassination of Diem
President Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam was assassinated on November 2nd, 1963 by General Duong Van Minh. The overthrow and assassination of Diem made South Vietnam even more unstable than it already was and sent it into political chaos. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
On August 8th,1964 congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Which was an act that authorized President Johnson to take any measures he thought were necessary repeal any armed attack against the U.S.A. This act would lead to presidents to come to have to much power over the deployment of the military without asked congress first. -
LBJ ordered 1st troops to Vietnam
President Lyndon Johnson ordered the deployment of the 1st U.S troops to Vietnam in response to The Gulf of Tokin Incident of 1964. This act's significance is that it truly started the beginning of the Vietnam War by sending U.S troops to Vietnam. -
Nixon’s Vietnamization policy
Vietnamization was a policy intended to end U.S involvement in The Vietnam War. By using the program as an excuse to "expand, equip, and train the South Vietnamese army to increase their combat role". This policy led to the slow decrease in U.S combat troops and eventually the end of the war. -
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was a series of North Vietnamese attacks on more than a 100 cities and outposts in South Vietnam. It was North Vietnam's attempt to get the South Vietnamese population to stop, rebelling against the North and the U.S to scale back it's involvement in the war. -
My Lai Massacre
The My Lai Massacre was the mass murder of un-armed South Vietnamese in the small village of My Lai ,acted out by a company of American troops. More than 500 people were killed and raped in the massacre. It was covered up by U.S army officers for about a year before the American press found out about the Massacre. -
Nixon becomes President
Richard Nixon became the 37th president on January 1st, 1969. His first goal as president was to achieve "peace with honor" in Vietnam. The significance of Nixon taking the white house was it truly showed how divided America was at the time over the war and civil rights. Their were people who were conservatives that loved him and members of the counterculture who hated him. -
Nixon orders troops to Cambodia
On April 30th, 1970 Nixon announced his decision to order troops to Cambodia on Live television to disrupt the Ho Chi Minh Trail and other supply lines used by North Vietnam. It was the most conversational act of the Vietnam War by Americans think it meant Nixon was trying to invade Cambodia. -
Hard Hat Riot
The "Hard Hat Riot" was in New York city when around 400 construction workers and 800 office workers attacked thousands of student demonstrators. The students were protesting the Kent State Shootings and Vietnam War. This really showed how divided the country was at the time and how it was leading to unnecessary violence here at home. -
Nixon goes to China
President Nixon was invited to China by Meo Zedong leader of the Chinese communist party at the time. It was really the first step in normalizing relations between America and The Peoples' Republic of China (PRC), also eased a lot of tensions between China and the U.S. -
Nixon’s Christmas bombing
Begging December 18th through December 29th ordered the bombing of the cites of Hanoi and Haiphong in North Vietnam and dropped over 20,000 ton of bombs. North Vietnam claimed that over 1,600 civilians were killed during the air raids. This event urged North Vietnam to re- enter peace talks with America that they had ignored before. -
Paris Peace Accords
The Paris Peace Accords of 1973 ended the Vietnam war. By the United States and North Vietnam signing the accords but South Vietnam did not. Due to unwillingness to recognize the Vietcong's provisional revolutionary government, but signed a document that didn't recognize this. The significance of the Pair peace accords are American prisoners were set free, but many American veterans felt dishonorable and that they had let South Vietnam down. -
Nixon Resigns
After Nixon had been fighting the Watergate scandal for so long compared to his administration who most all had already plead guilty to accusations. On August 9th, 1974 Nixon was facing almost certain impeachment, so he resigned the day before he was supposed be impeached before congress. -
Saigon Falls
The fall or capture of the South Vietnam capital Saigon happened April 30th, 1975 by the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese army. The attack on Saigon began April 29th the day before the capture of the city. Millions of Americas and South Vietnamese refugees escaped during the time through U.S military helicopters and planes. The fall of Saigon signified the end of the Vietnam War.