vietnam war timeline

  • creation of the democratic republic of vietnam

    The Democratic Republic of Vietnam was established on September 2, 1945. This occurred after the creation of communist North Vietnam. This was just the beginning of what would become a long, bloody war.
  • battle of dien bien phu

    This battle ended the 8-year-old war between the French and the Vietnamese. This battle was over the control of a small outpost on the border of Vietnam. This victory was extremely significant for Vietnam.
  • creation of the 17th parallel

    The 17th Parallel was created by the Geneva Accords. They were created divide the country into two military zones. The zones had different ideals and beliefs.
  • establishment of the national liberation front

    The NLF was a Vietnamese political organization. It was created to effect the overthrow of the South Vietnamese government. The NLF ended up joining the Communist Party.
  • gulf of tonkin incident

    The Gulf of Tonkin lead to open war between North and South Vietnam. North Vietnamese ships attacked US warships. This event was a very complex naval one. However, the US had been planning on going to war before this event.
  • gulf of tonkin resolution

    This was the end of Gulf of Tonkin incident. It was a joint resolution. It also gave President Lyndon B. Johnson authority to expand the scope of U.S. involvement in Vietnam without a declaration of war.
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    operation rolling thunder

    Operation Rolling Thunder began as Agent Orange, which was used to eliminate jungle cover. Then came the American bombing campaign, which put military pressure on North Vietnam to reduce its ability to wage war. Then the American troops arrived in Vietnam.
  • us troops arrive in vietnam

    US Troops arrived in Vietnam during Rolling Thunder. They were defending South Vietnam. They were also engaging VietCong through combat.
  • tet offensive

    The Tet Offensive was a surprise attack. It was a major military victory with 2x the casualties on VietCong. However, is was a morally awful event.
  • mỹ lai massacre

    This was the mass murder of unarmed South Vietnamese civilians by United States troops. The public was shocked. Hundreds of people were brutally murdered.
  • democratic national convention

    Vietnam war protestors battled police in the streets. It was a police riot. Inside the convention, chaos was rising. The disagreements occurred due to the disagreements about the war in Vietnam.
  • presidential election

    LBJ withdrew from the election. He did not want to spark any controversies within his party. Nixon won. Kennedy was killed.
  • tinker v des moines

    Student Mary Beth Tinker, protesting the Vietnam War, attended school sporting a black armband. The school suspended her and the other students that participated in this protest. This case was brought to a court of law, and eventually to the Supreme Court. They ruled that the children were simply expressing their 1st Amendment rights.
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    woodstock 1969

    Woodstock '69 was a music festival. It was "3 days of peace and music." It was a free event, and was an extremely important movement in the counterculture movement.
  • kent state university protest

    This was a massacre. Four people were killed. They were killed by the Ohio National Guard. Those killed were protesting the war in Vietnam and the presence of the National Guard on campus.
  • jackson state college protest

    Students at Jackson State College were protesting the US' invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam War. The police did not this, and started to open fire at the protesters. They wounded around 12 students, and killed two.
  • pentagon papers

    The New York Times published the "Pentagon Papers" in 1971. The information in these papers were regarded as "top secret". However, they were released to the public, revealing secrets that were never supposed to come out about the Vietnam War.
  • watergate

    The Watergate scandal began when burglars were arrested. They were in the office of the Democratic National Committee. This office was located in the Watergate hotel.
  • paris peace accords signed

    The US, South Vietnam, Viet Cong, and North Vietnam came to an agreement. They signed a document, the Paris Peace Accord, to officially end the war in Vietnam. The document also withdrew American troops and dismantled American bases in Vietnam.
  • us v nixon

    This case forced Nixon's resignation. The case was about his use of his presidential powers to avoid turning over evidence of him helping with the Watergate Break-in. Nixon has been the only president to resign.
  • fall of saigon

    North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces captured the capital of South Vietnam, Saigon. This forced the South to surrender to these forces. This ended the Vietnam war, but the conflict was not completely erased.