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Ho Chi Minh
Voiced to rebel against the French's rule over Vietnamese. He was involved in anti-French organizations and fled Vietnam in 1912, for 30 years he traveled across the world. -
Domino Theory
An idea that if Vietnam fell to communism, it's closest neighbors would follow. -
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
Goal was to contain the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. Involved the U.S. and 7 other countries. -
Period: to
Vietnam War Era
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Vietcong
NLF guerrilla fighters (a communist rebel group who committed themselves to undermining the Deim government and uniting Vietnam under a communist flag) who launched an insurgency in which they assassinated government officials and destroyed roads and bridges. -
Students for a Democratic Society
The SDS was originally formed to campaign againat racism and poverty, the SDS soon began campaigning to end the war in Vietnam. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Authorized the president "to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent any further aggression. -
First crisis U.S. president faces
North Vietnamese torpedo boats fired on the American destroyer USS Maddox as it patrolled the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam. The Maddox was not hit, and it returned fire on the North Vietnamese boat. -
U.S. hammered with airstrikes
U.S. hammered airstrikes on North Vietnam and Vietcong strong points in South Vietnam. American pilots dropped more than 6 million tons of bombs on enemy positions. -
War develops
The war developed into a stalemate. Some U.S. critics of the war compared it to a quagmire~muddy terrin that stinks underfoot and is difficult to exit. -
Congress divides
Congress divides into 2 groups Hawks- Agree with Johnson's war policy and Doves- Disagreed with Johnson's war policy and wanted peace. -
Tet Offensive
Coordinated assault on 36 provincial capitals and 5 major cities, as well as the U.S. embassy in Saigon -
Vietnamization (Nixon's Plan)
U.S. forces would withdraw as ARVN troops assumed more combat duties. The hope was that with continued American aid behind front lines, the ARVN would fight it's own battles to secure South Vietnam. -
Violence Erupts at Kent State
Confrontations between the students and armed authorities led to death. 4 days after Nixon's speech, demonstrators at Kent State in Ohio threw rocks and bottles at members of the National Guard. When one guardsman thought he heard a sniper's shot, he fired his rifle. The shot prompted other National Guardsmen to discharge a volley of gunfire into a group of protesters, killing 4 youths. -
American Soldiers Kill Civilians at My Lai
Many American troops have been killed or injured by Vietcong fighters posing as civilians. Lieutenant William Calley's unit began shooting and killing unarmed civilians. During the assault, U.S. soldiers killed between 400-500 Vietnamese. Lt. Calley was convicted. -
Troops come home!
In a public poll 2/3 of Americans favored withdrawing American troops, even if it meant a communist takeover of South Vietnam. Congress pressed Nixon to bring the troops home. -
Napalm
Jellied gasoline which was dropped in large canisters that exploded on impact, covering large areas in flames. Used it to defoliate the country side and disrupt the enemy's food supply. -
Paris Peace Accords
Signed by the U.S., South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and Vietcong the parties agreed to a cease-fire and a U.S. troop withdraw from South Vietnam. POWs would be exchanged, but North Vietnamese troops would remain in South Vietnam.The National Liberation Front would become a legitimate political party in South Vietnam and the South Vietnam's noncommunist government would remain in power pending a political settlement. -
Veterans Returned
Veterans received little to no acknowledgment when they returned from Vietnam. It was not till a decade later that the nation dedicated the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to honor these brave Americans. -
Saigon Falls
North Vietnam and South Vietnam did not honor the cease fire or worked toward a diplomatic settlement of their differences. North Vietnam launched an offensive against the South and without the American aid and ground support, the ARVN was no match for the Soviet-supplied North Vietnamese Army. Communists had taken Saigon. Vietnam was under one flag after decades of fighting. -
Southeast Asia Suffers Further Turmoil
Communist regimes in power in Cambodia and Laos. In Cambodia, the ruler Khmer Rouge unleashed a genocide on the populace, killing everyone who had ties to the West or previous Cambodia governments.
