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Indochina War
Vietnam wanted to be free form French control, but the US thought French control of Vietnam would stop the spread of Communism. France surrendered after a 56 day battle against Vietnam and France agreed to a settlement which ended French control. -
Agent Orange
Agent Orange was a toxic chemical that was told to be harmless to humans. It contained the chemical dioxin, which is one of the most effective herbicides. Agent orange had long term health problems and was linked to birth defects and many types of cancers. In 1975 they quit using this chemical. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked Americans in the gulf of Tonkin. President Johnson confirmed that U.S. forces would stage air strikes against North Vietnam. Congress helped Johnson and passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Only congress can declare war but however when Johnson was given authority from the resolution it was not declared war. President Lyndon Johnson put this before Congress as his reaction to two allegedly unprovoked attacks by North Vietnamese torpedo boats. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling thunder was the bombing of North Vietnam transportation roads. They wanted to stop the spread of people and supplies into south Vietnam. They also bombed ammunition dumps, oil storages, factories, power plants, and airfields. -
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was a Vietnamese holiday in celebration of the New Year. Vietcong and North Vietnamese used the holiday to their advantage by launching attacks on every major city in South Vietnam. The communists also seized a surprise attack on Hue (the former home of Vietnamese emperors). -
My Lai Massacre
Vietnam War mass killing of between 347 and 504 unarmed civilians in South Vietnam on March 16, 1968. American soldiers killed those civilians. -
Vietnamization Introduced
Vietnamization was a policy introduced by Nixon to reduce American involvement in the Vietnam War through a program to "expand, equip, and train South Vietnam's forces and assign combat roles. The following month the first U.S. troops left Vietnam. -
Kent State
Members of the Ohio National Guard fired into a crowd of people at Kent State University. 4 students killed and 9 wounded. The shooting triggered a nationwide student strike. -
Watergate Scandal
Nixon’s committee hired five men to spy on the democrats. Watergate testified that Nixon had approved the cover up, and the scandal was out. Another scandal was that he recorded all conversations in his office. He refused to release the tapes but Nixon resigned once he realized there were enough votes impeach him, and Gerald Ford became president.
