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Dien Ben Phu
Strategic battle between the Vietnamese and the French which essentially lost France the possesion of Vietnam. the French became surrounded on all sides by the Vietnamese and recieved heavy artillery fire leading to their surrender. -
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas
On May 17th, 1954 the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Brown v. Board of Education that segregation in public schools violated the constitution. -
Rosa Parks Refuses to Give Up Her Seat on A Bus
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger, and was therefore arrested. This led to the Montgomery bus boycotts headed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The SCLC in 1957 set out to eliminate segregation from American society and to encourage African Americans to register to vote. Dr. King served as the SCLC's first president. -
Little Rock Nine
Nine African-American students became the first students to attend Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. They were met by an angry mob and had to be escorted in by soldiers. -
James Merideth Becomes First African-American Student at Mississippi University
James Merideth recieved a transfer to attend Mississippi University after segregation in schools had ended. He was barred by the Governor but got in after being escorted by over 500 federal marshalls. -
Martin Luther King's Speech on Capitol Hill
On this day, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have A Dream" speech to over 200,000 demonstraters on Capitol Hill. This march on Washington gained momentum for the Civil Rights Bill. -
Diem Overthrown
Ngo Dinh Diem the leader of South Vietnam was overthrown and assasinated. This led South Vietnam's government to grow weak and unstable. -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights act was enacted on January 2nd, 1964, and it eliminated several outward forms of racism towards minorities (especially African-Americans) in public. It ended unequal public accomodations such as seregated bathrooms, and drinking fountains, as well as segregation in the workplace and in shools. -
Two American Destroyers Go Down In the Gulf of Tonkin
On this day President Johnson made the announcement that two American destroyers were torpedoed by North Vietnamese torpedo boats. This sparked American forces to attack North Vietnamese naval ships. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
On this day the Senate and the House passed this resolution authorizing the president to "take all necessary measues to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression." -
Malcolm X is Killed
On thsi day famous civil rights activist Malcolm X was shot and killed after breaking away from the Nation of Islam, an Islamist organization in America. His ideas and speeches regarding black power and black nationalism sparked the creation of the black panthers. -
National Teach-In
On May 21st, 1965 over 122 colleges participated in a national "teach-in" by radio for over 100,000 anti-war demonstrators. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This law ended discrimatory devices, such as literacy tests in voting booths, and made sure that polling places accepted black voters. -
Tet Offensive
During the Tet offensive guerilla's attacked most American airbases and most of South Vientnam's major cities. Although the attack failed miserably militarily, it was a political success shifting most Americans toward pulling out of Vietnam. -
President Lyndon B. Johnson Announces That He Will Not Run For His Second Term
On this day President Lyndon B. Johnson decided to not run for asecond term during the midst of the Vietnam war. He did this because the Country and his own party was deeply divided. -
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's Assasination
On this day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assasinated by a sniper. The assasin was James Earl Ray. -
Richard Nixon Is Elected President
Due to the violence associated with the Democratic Party, Richard Nixon was able to win the 1968 Presidential election for the Republican Party. Nixon defeated the Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey by over 100 electoral votes. -
Kent State University Protest
After news had broke that the United States had invaded Cambodia in order to destroy the Vietcong, there was a protest at Kent State University. During this protest soldiers fired at them and killed 4 American students. -
US Involvment in Vietnam Ends
On this day the US pulled out of Vietnam for good leaving a division between the Northern and Souther portions of the country.