-
Defeat at Dien Bien Phu
turning point in history:
-French commander forced his troops to settle in this mountain town
-idea was to cut off Vietminh's supply lines and forced them into battle
-French force defeated and they decided to withdraw from Indochina -
Geneva Conference
meeting to end conflict in Vietnam; recognized Cambodia’s independence; Geneva Accords drawn up- divided Vietnam along 17th parallel- divided North and South (Ho Chi Minh communism & pro-western) -
South Vietnam Independent
-South Vietnam renames itself the Republic of Vietnam
-Ngo Dinh Diem elected as leader -
Viet Cong Established
-National Liberation front, AKA the Viet Cong, is established in South Vietnam
-This becomes the biggest opponent against the US during the war -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Congress authorized the president to take any actions necessary to prevent further attacks against the US and to “prevent further aggression” -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Johnson’s attack plan to steadily bomb North Vietnam; during the time the president also sent combat troops into Vietnam -
First U.S. Troops Sent
the first deployment of U.S. troops are sent to Vietnam -
Teach-ins Begin
Teachers and students at the University of Michigan abandoned their classes and assembled to discuss their reasons for being against the war -
Tet Offensive
guerrilla attack from communist Vietnamese on southern Vietnam troops and Americans
-heavy losses on both sides
-political victory for the North
-Johnson’s rating plummeted -
My Lai Event
-US troops kill around 200 unarmed Vietnamese civilians
-led by Lieutenant William Calley -
Johnson Leaves Presidential Race
-publically anounces his decision to not only not run again, but to not accept a nomination for his party -
Vietnamization
gradual withdrawal of troops while the South Vietnam kept fighting; 25,000 soldiers withdrew -
My Lai Leaked
-the American public learns of the Mai Lai incident
-This causes riots and the American people further doubt their government and the war efforts -
Kent State
National Guard members fired on students performing a demonstration; killed four students and wounded at least nine others -
26th Amendment
Allowed those 18 and older the right to vote; slogan coined "Old enough to fight, old enough to vote." -
Pentagon Papers Leaked
-Leaked by former Defense Department worker Daniel Ellsberg
-contained information about how members of the government privately questioned our role in the war while publically supporting it
-also contained details of the administration making decisions without consulting Congress -
US Withdrawal of Troops
Northern Vietnam and the United States reached a treaty- US promised to withdraw troops & both sides agreed to hand over prisoners of war -
War Powers Act
gave back control to Congress; president had to inform Congress of any promise of troops abroad and had to withdraw them in 2-3 months unless given permission by Congress to keep them there -
South Vietnam Surrender
peace treaty between North and South collapsed when when the North launched an invasion
-Gerald Ford (president) asked for funds to help the South, but Congress refused
-North Vietnamese captured the South’s capital & renamed it Ho Chi Minh City -
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
-Vietnam is unified as a communist country
-This serves as a loss for the US in their attempts to contain communism
