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Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was fought from March 13 to May 7, 1954, and was the decisive engagement of the First Indochina War (1946-1954), the precursor to the Vietnam War -
Brown v. Board of education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. -
Montgomery bus boycott in Albama
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a political and social protest campaign that started in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, intended to oppose the city's policy of racial segregation on its public transit system. One of the most famous boycotters is Rosa Parks. -
Little Rock Nine
Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, an action which ensured the peaceful integration of Little Rock Central High. -
Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C.
Martin Luther King, Jr. makes his famous "I Have A Dream" speach during the March that was held to support the Civil Rights Bill. -
Civil Rights Act Passes
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation in the United States that outlawed major forms of discrimination against blacks and women, including racial segregation -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
On August 4, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson announced that two days earlier, U.S. ships in the Gulf of Tonkin had been attacked by the North Vietnamese. Johnson dispatched U.S. planes against the attackers and asked Congress to pass a resolution to support his actions -
Malcolm X is assassinated
In New York City, Malcolm X, an African American nationalist and religious leader, is assassinated by rival Black Muslims while addressing his Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights. -
U.S. combat troops to Vietnam
In response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident of August 2 and 4, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson, per the authority given to him by Congress in the subsequent Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, decided to escalate the Vietnam Conflict by sending U.S. ground troops to Vietnam. On March 8, 1965, 3,500 U.S. Marines landed near Da Nang in South Vietnam; they are the first U.S. troops arrive in Vietnam. -
Voting Rights Act passes
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S -
Martin Luther King Speaks Out Against War
Calling the U.S. "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world," Martin Luther King publicly speaks out against U.S. policy in Vietnam. King later encourages draft evasion and suggests a merger between antiwar and civil rights groups. -
North Vietnamese launch Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was a series of surprise attacks by the Vietcong (rebel forces sponsored by North Vietnam) and North Vietnamese forces, on scores of cities, towns, and hamlets throughout South Vietnam. It was considered to be a turning point in the Vietnam War. -
Martin Luther King, Jr., is assassinated
A great man who had spent thirteen years of his life dedicating himself to nonviolent protest had been felled by a sniper's bullet. -
Civil Rights Act of 1968 is passed
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968 into law. This act provided for equal housing opportunities regardless of race, creed, or national origin. Housing discrimination laws do not mean that landlords must accept all tenants -
Anti-War protest in Chicago
What riveted the nation's attention were the battles in the streets between Vietnam War protesters and police. A federal commission later called it a police riot, and the mayhem outside the Chicago convention continues to influence political protests today. -
Nixon Begins Secret Bombing of Cambodia
In an effort to destroy Communist supply routes and base camps in Cambodia, President Nixon gives the go-ahead to "Operation Breakfast." The covert bombing of Cambodia, conducted without the knowledge of Congress or the American public, will continue for fourteen months. -
Cease fire signed in Paris
On January 23, 1971, the U.S. and North Vietnam jointly announced from Paris that the terms of a cease-fire agreement had been accepted by both sides. -
Last U.S. troops leave Vietnam
The last American combat soldiers leave South Vietnam, though military advisors and Marines, who are protecting U.S. installations, remain. For the United States, the war is officially over. -
Ford Calls Vietnam War "Finished"
Anticipating the fall of Saigon to Communist forces, U.S. president Gerald Ford, speaking in New Orleans, announces that as far as the U.S. is concerned, the Vietnam War is "finished." -
U.S. Involvement in Vietnam Ends
In a break with history, soldiers returning from the Vietnam War were generally not treated as heroes, and soldiers were sometimes even condemned for their participation in the war. The peace agreement did not last. U.S. soldiers were consequently faced with the prospect of having won most of the battles of the war, but having "lost the peace".