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Vietnam declared Independence
Vietnam declared its independence when Japan surrendered to the allies -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The French aimed to capture the town in order to disrupt the Vietminh's supply lines and compel them to engage in open combat. Shortly after, a large Vietminh force encircled Dien Bien Phu and started shelling the town. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution had given Johnson extensive authority to manage the war, prompting him to seek even greater involvement. Starting in February 1966, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee began holding "educational" hearings on Vietnam. -
The Ho Chi Minh Trail
North Vietnam sent arms and supplies south via a network of jungle paths called the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The trail wound through Laos and Cambodia, bypassing the border between North and South Vietnam. -
Teach-ins Begin
A group of faculty members and students at the University of Michigan came together for a teach-in, where they discussed the issues surrounding the war and reaffirmed their opposition to it. -
U.S. enters the War
Johnson again expanded American involvement by ordering a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam. That same month, he sent the first U.S. combat troops into Vietnam. By the end of 1965, more than 180,000 U.S. combat troops were fighting in Vietnam. -
the Tet Offensive
Guerrilla fighters launched attacks on nearly all American air bases in South Vietnam and targeted many of the South's major cities. The Vietcong even forced their way into the American embassy in Saigon. -
26th Amendment
In 1971 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. -
War Powers Act
The War also left a mark on national politics. Congress passed the War Powers Act as a way to reestablish some limits on executive power. -
Fall of Saigon
In April 1975, Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, fell to North Vietnamese forces, marking the end of the war and the reunification of Vietnam under communist rule.