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National Liberation Front (NLF)
A communist rebel group in the South, known as the National Liberation Front (NLF), had committed themselves to undermining the Diem government and uniting Vietnam under a communist flag. -
Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)
John F. Kennedy sent Special Forces troops to South Vietnam to advise the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) on more effective ways to fight the communist forces. -
Diem was removed from power
Diem was removed from power and was later assassinated -
"teach-ins"
SDS had organized campus "teach-ins" and demonstrations against the war and encouraged draft-age males to sign "We Won't Go" petitions. -
Torpedo boats are fired
North Vietnamese torpedo boats fired on the American destroyer USS Maddox as it patrolled the Gulf of Tonkin off the Coast of North Vietnam. -
U.S airstrikes
U.S. airstrikes hammered North Vietnam and Vietcong strong points in South Vietnam. -
War evolves into a stalemate
The war had devolved into a stalemate. Some U.S. critics of the war compared it to quagmire, a muddy terrain that sinks underfoot and is difficult to to exit. -
Hawks and Doves
congress, and eventually most of America, divided into two camps: hawks and doves. Hawks supported Johnson's war policy (containment of communism). Doves were liberal politicians, pacifists, student radicals and civil rights leaders. Doves questioned the war on both moral and strategic grounds. -
Westmoreland addresses his concerns about the war
President Johnson brought General Westmoreland home from Vietnam to address the nation's concerns about the war. He said that the Vietcong were declining in war strength. -
North Vietnamese Army hits
North Vietnamese Army hit Khe Sanh in northwest South Vietnam. -
My Lai is discovered
American forces searching for enemy troops in an area with a strong Vietcong presence came upon the village of My Lai. -
Limiting bombing of North Vietnam
The President announced that America would limit its bombing of North Vietnam and seek a negotiated settlement to the war. -
Martin Luther King Jr. dies
Martin Luther King Jr's voice was tragically silenced when a racist assassin shot and killed him in Memphis, Tennessee. -
Kennedy's speech leads to his death
Kennedy asserted that "we are a great country, an unselfish country, a compassionate country," and that he intended "to make that the basis of my running." Minutes later Kennedy was shot and killed by a Palestinian immigrant named Sirhan Sirhan and he died instantly. -
Selective Service System
The Selective Service System adopted a lottery that was designed to eliminate deferment abuses and create a more diverse army of draftees -
Richard Nixon takes office
Richard Nixon took office, his peace delegation firmly believed they could break the impasse. -
Nixon attempts to break the stalemate
Nixon attempted to break the stalemate by ordering a ground attack on North Vietnamese Army and Vietcong based in Cambodia. -
Nixon informs American people
Nixon addressed the American people, informing them of his decision to carry the war into Cambodia. -
Anti-war demonstrators
Construction workers decided to demonstrate, carrying American flags and chanting "All the Way USA." Believing that some anti-war demonstrators had spit on the American flag, the pushed into the crowd and started hitting protestors. -
Lt. Calley is accused for participating in the attack
A military court convicted Lt. Calley of his participation in the attack. News of the Mai Lay massacre, the coverup, and Calley's trial shocked many Americans and added fuel to the burning anti-war fire -
Paris Peace Accords
The U.S. South Vietnam and the Vietcong signed the Paris Peace Accords. -
War Powers Act
congress passed the War Powers Act