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The U.S. government backed up Vietnam under the control of communist leader, Ho Chi Minh. They offered supplies to beat the Japanese. Vietnam gains it's independance.
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U.S. becomes weak South Vietnam partner to fight off guerillas because of Dwight Eisenhower. Troops and supplies are provided by the U.S.
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The French controlled Vietnam until 1954 and surrendered after being defeated.
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Vietnam was divided at the 17th parallel and split into North and South Vietnam. North Vietnam is communist and under Ho Chi Minh rule. South Vietnam is anticommunist.
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A buddhist monk protests the war and south Vietnamese government by self burning.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. leads thousands of demonstrators to the United Nations building in New York, where he delivers a speech attacking U.S. foreign policy in Vietnam. Over 100,000 people attend the rally.
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America's enemies attacked Americans and South Vietnamese. Viet Cong took over Saigon. Although the American's won the battle, it was far from over.
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Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray.
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President Johnson meets with his military advisors who urge him to find a way to end the war in Vietnam. It took a toll on his health.
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American casualties in Vietnam exceed 33,629. The war was so unpopular at this point.
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There were 543,000 American troops in Vietnam. President Nixon plans to train the South Vietnamese to defend themselves and withdraw 25,000 american soldiers that they replace. Nixon brings back 35,000 troops, then 50,000, then 150,000 troops in the next 2 years.
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Ho Chi Minh dies at 79 years old. Saigon is renamed Ho Chi Minh City after him. His body was embalmed by his request.
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Congress denys any aid and U.S. interference with Vietnam in 1973 and 1974.
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Representatives from South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the United States sign a peace agreement in which a ceasefire is declared, the U.S. agrees to withdraw combat troops, and the government of South Vietnam promises to hold free elections to allow its people to decide their future.
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Two months after the ceasefire is signed the Vietnam War ended.
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Thousands of Vietnamese flee Saigon because there was an invasion. Saigon was taken over by the North Vietnamese the day after.
