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Dien Bien Phu
The French were defeated. This lead to Vietnamese independence. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The Supreme Court ruled in the Brown v. Board of Education. This meant that segregation in public scools was not constitutional and against the Fourteenth Amendment. -
Rosa Parks makes history
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat to a white man. She is arrested, which is what started the Montgomery Bus Boycott. -
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Montgomery bus boycott begins in Alabama
Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man. Many other people showed their support for her by starting a mass chain reaction which changed American society. -
Separate-But-Equal
The Supreme Court makes a historical decision. They declared that separate-but-equal doctrine is no longer constitutional. -
SCLC
Martin Luther King and other leaders care the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Its goal was to eliminate segregation. -
Eisenhower sends troops
Eisenhower sends troops to Little Rock. This was all to ensure integration of a high school (Central High). -
Lunch Sit-in
Students in Greensboro, North Carolina, stage a sit-in at a lunch counter. From this point on, these sit-ins spread to many parts of the country. -
Freedom Riders
James Farmer creates the first Freedom Riders. The goal was to desegregate interstate bus travel. -
James Meredith
James Meredith tied to register at the University of Mississippi. Because of riots, Kennedy had to send troops to that location. -
U.S. leaves Vietnam
The last United States troops are withdrawn from Vietnam. This ended the longest war in American history (up to that point). -
"I Have a Dream" speech
Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. This was to support the new civil rights act. -
Civil Rights Act
President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It was the most comprehensive civil rights law Congress had ever enacted. -
Bombing
The United States starts to bomb Northern Vietnam. This is called "Operation Rolling Thunder." -
Selma March
King leads a march in Selma, Alabama in support for new voting rights. The police attacked the marchers. -
Combat Troops
The first combat troops land in Vietnam. This is only six days after the United States started to bomb Northern Vietnam. -
Tet Offensive begins
North Vietnamese joins forces with Viet Cong to launch the Tet Offensive. This attack was on about 100 cities and towns in Southern Vietnam. -
Mai Lai
United States soldiers killed hundreds of innocent civilians in the town of Mai Lai. The citizens of the United States did not hear about this until November of 1969. -
Ho Chi Minh dies
Ho Chi Minh dies at the age of 79. He was the Communist revolutionary leader. -
Cambodia
President Nixon orders troops to attack locations in Cambodia. This sparked nationwide protests. -
DMZ
The North Vietnamese cross the demilitarized zone at the 17th parallel to attack South Vietnam. This became known as the Easter Offensive. -
End of Draft
Melvin Laird, Secretary of Defense, ends the Vietnam draft. This was done in favor of voluntary enlistment. -
U.S. leaves Vietnam
United States forces leave Vietnam. This ended the longest war in American history up to that point in history. -
War Powers Act
Congress passed the War Powers Act to reestablish some limits on executive power. This required the president to inform Congress of any commitment of troops within 48 hours. -
Saigon Falls
North Vietnam assaults Southern Vietnam. As a result of this, Saigon falls.