-
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu
A battle between the northern and southern forces in Vietnam, in which the French (southern) lost and Viet Minh (northern) won. The French's loss ended an era of French rule in Indochina and symbolized the beginning of even more conflict. -
Eisenhower Pledges Support
President Dwight D. Eisenhower decided to give full support to South Vietnam and Diem, clearly excluding the northern section. This allowed all other countries to clearly understand where the Untied States stood, and label allies and enemies for the upcoming war. -
Trouble between Diem and the Viet Cong
Viet Cong (the southern sector) and its President, Ngo Dinh Diem fought for a prolonged period of time due to Diem's extremely repressive regime. The opposers of the regime in Southern Vietnam formed a resistance to the regime which they called the National Liberation Front (NLF). This caused widespread fear about the "domino effect", in which the fall of the government in Vietnam would lead to other countries experiencing resistance. -
Coups and Assassination
A coup was organized in the Viet Cong, which succeeded in overthrowing both Diem and his brother's government in Vietnam. Lyndon B. Johnson, the president who took office after the assassination of JFK, became increasingly concerned about the general instability (both politically and economically) within Vietnam as a whole. The decision was made to increase military and economic support towards Southern Vietnam, although it was obvious that we would be supporting our enemies. -
U.S Response to the Gulf of Tonkin
An increase of bombing and torpedos aimed towards the U.S. forces and ships led to the U.S. requiring a plan of action. President Johnson passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave Johnson many more abilities in war decisions, bombing raids, etc. -
Johnson's forces in Vietnam
Johnson decided to send many military forces into Vietnam, in which the American public gave their widespread support. The troops sent in were very dedicated to the fight; Johnson's decision provided a large amount of support to Southern Vietnam. However, the losses of men in the war would lead to opposition towards war efforts from many Americans. -
The Rioting of 1967
Due to the losses at many battles against Northern Vietnam, hundreds of thousands of Americans began to organize protests against the continued efforts. These protests often turned into overnight riots, such as the one on October 21st, 1927 in Washington. The increasing amount of riots led to an ongoing movement against involvement in the war, especially as many soldiers were experiencing prolonged injuries, PTSD, etc. -
Johnson's Support
As Americans were continuously losing support for the war, they viewed President Johnson as the main culprit for the violence and losses. His approval rates for the reelection dropped, which led him to call a complete halt to all bombing towards Northern Vietnam (Southern Vietnam was still able to continue bombing). He emphasized his hope for peace, which gained more support, but he eventually decided to not run for reelection against Richard Nixon. -
The Tet Offensive
Attacks on the Viet Cong were organized by Northern Vietnam, in which over 100 cities were attacked in Southern Vietnam. However, it was proven difficult for the Northern forces to hold their targets as the U.S. and Southern Vietnamese forces were able to strike back quickly and effectively. The need for more troops and the violence of the attacks struck most Americans by surprise, in which they began to lose support. -
The My Lai Massacre
The U.S. military brutally killed over 500 Vietnamese within the My Lai Village, who were said to be the main organizers of the NLF (who were against the Southern Vietnam government). Many women and children were raped and slaughtered by soldiers. The United States government who were aware of the event were determined to cover it up to maintain support for the war effort. However, as soon as the American public heard rumors about the violence, the anti-war sentiment grew much larger. -
The Largest Protest
In response to the My Lai slaughtering, over 250,000 Americans came together in Washington D.C. to initiate what is known as the largest anti-war demonstration in U.S. history. Their goal was to convince the government to withdraw their troops from Vietnam, which was met with large measures of controversy from dedicated, more patriotic Americans who deemed the protests as betraying their country. -
Invasions in Cambodia
Forces from the Southern Vietnam and the U.S. decided to attempt to invade Cambodia in order to remove any influence of Northern Vietnam in the country. More invasions meant more battles and more death, which was obviously against the ideas of the anti-war movement in America. -
Kent State Deaths
The invasions of Cambodia and the deaths they created led to more protests, more specifically a protest at Kent State University, in Ohio. It was here that National guardsmen shot and killed 4 of those who were peacefully protesting. At another protest in Jackson State University in Mississippi 10 days later, another two students were shot by police. The deaths of the innocent students undoubtedly created chaos and led to more protests. -
The Lam Son Operation
Southern Vietnam decided that "enough was enough" and launched troops into Northern Vietnam with the goal of severing ties between Northern Vietnam and Cambodia. The main connection of the two was along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, although we soon noticed that a raid of the nearby cities/towns was incredibly dangerous. By relying on aircraft to move and conquer, it was easy for Northern forces to strike us down, leading to Northern vistory and Southern (and United States) loss. -
The Peace Agreement
After many failed efforts on both sides of this violent war, The United States and Northern Vietnam decided to come to an agreement. There would be an end to all open hostilities between the two, although Southern Vietnam would continue to fight. The war left the U.S. tremendous amounts of overspending and took a large toll on the psychological health of soldiers and all Americans in general. Reconstruction would happen slowly but surely for the U.S.. -
Works Cited pt 1
Editors. “Vietnam War: A Timeline of U.S. Entanglement.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 15 Sept. 2017, www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/09/11/vietnam-war-timeline-u-s-involvement-over-decades/653693001/.
Hammond, Joseph. “The Untold Story of One of the Vietnam War's Bloodiest Battles.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 5 Jan. 2015, www.businessinsider.com/uncovering-the-story-of-one-of-the-vietnam-wars-bloodiest-battles-2015-1. -
Works Cited pt 2
History.com Editors. “My Lai Massacre.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/my-lai-massacre-1.
History.com Editors. “Vietnam War.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct. 2009, www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-history.