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They included the theory during the battle between Viet Minh and French forces at Dien Bien Phu. The United States used this theory to justify its involvement in the war and its support for a non-communist dictator in South Vietnam. -
As part of the Geneva Agreements, the French agreed to withdraw their troops from Northern Vietnam. Vietnam would be temporarily divided at the 17th parallel, pending elections within two years to choose a president and reunite the country. This made Vietnam an independent nation. -
Ngo Dinh Diem, president of South Vietnam, was assassinated by General Duong Van Minh. Many people in South Vietnam celebrated but this also lead to political chaos. -
The Gulf of Tonkin resolution authorized President Johnson to take any measures that were necessary to retaliate and to promote the maintenance of international peace and security in Southeast Asia. This launched America's full-scale involvement in the war. -
The United States first deployed troops to Vietnam in 1965 in response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. This escalated the conflict and marked the United States' first action in the Vietnam War. -
The Tet Offensive were attacks by 85,000 troops under the direction of the North Vietnamese government. The attacks were carried out against five major South Vietnamese cities, military installations, and towns and villages throughout South Vietnam. The U.S. and South Vietnamese military response almost completely eliminated the NLF forces and regained all of the lost territory. -
The My Lai Massacre was the mass killing of as many as 500 unarmed villagers by U.S. soldiers in the hamlet of My Lai during the Vietnam War. It was intended to find and destroy a battalion of the National Liberation Front, also known as the Vietcong. -
Vietnamization was a policy of the Richard Nixon administration to end U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War through a program to get them more prepared for combat and reducing the number of U.S. troops. This led to the 1973 U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam. -
Nixon decided to launch American forces into Cambodia with the goal of capturing COSVN, "the headquarters of the entire communist military operation in South Vietnam." This led to waves of criticism that Nixon was abusing his power. -
The Kent State Shooting was the shooting of unarmed college students at Kent State University, in northeastern Ohio, by the Ohio National Guard. After, there was a student-led strike that forced the temporary closing of colleges and universities across the country. -
The Hard Hat Riot started around noon when around 400 construction workers and around 800 office workers attacked around 1,000 demonstrators affiliated with the student strike of 1970. The students were protesting the Vietnam War. -
Nixon launched a massive bombing campaign in North Vietnam and it lasted for 11 days. More than 20,000 tons of explosives were dropped, including on civilians. According to Nixon, the Christmas bombing forced the North Vietnamese to make concessions, accept an armistice, and release American POWs. -
The United States, South Vietnam, Viet Cong and North Vietnam sign “An Agreement Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam” in Paris. The United States withdrew all U.S. troops, advisors, and dismantled all U.S. bases. The North Vietnamese agreed to release all U.S. and other prisoners of war. -
The War Powers Act was a congressional resolution designed to limit the U.S. President's ability to initiate or escalate military actions abroad. This limited the President's ability to send troops into hostile areas. -
This was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. This emboldened the North Vietnamese and caused South Vietnamese forces to fall back.