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Gulf Of Tonkin Resolution
Following reported attacks by North Vietnamese torpedo boats on the USS Maddox and Turner Joy in international waters, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. This “blank check” granted President LyndonB.Johnson authority to use military force in Southeast Asia without a formal declaration of war
It was significant because it effectively launched full-scale U.S. combat operations
Image: https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/gulf-of-tonkin/ -
Tet Offensive
85,000 North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong troops launched coordinated surprise assaults on more than 100 cities, towns, and military bases across South Vietnam
It was significant because although it was militarily repelled, the sheer scale and media coverage of the offensive shattered U.S. public confidence, causing anti‑war sentiment.
Image: https://www.npr.org/2018/01/29/580811124/military-victory-but-political-defeat-the-tet-offensive-50-years-later -
Woodstock Music and Art Fair
Woodstock brought together roughly half a million young people on Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, New York, featuring performances by Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and the Who. It was significant because it showed the 1960s counterculture ideas, peace, communal living, and musical expression, it was a general statement against the Vietnam War
Image: https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Woodstock-Music-and-Art-Fair-1688509 -
Kent State Shootings
Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on unarmed student demonstrators protesting the Vietnam War expansion into Cambodia at Kent State University, killing four students and wounding nine
They were significant because they started nationwide student strikes at over 450 campuses, and deepened public distrust of government authority during the Vietnam era
Image https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/kent-state-massacre/ -
Fall of Siagon
North Vietnamese tanks breached the Presidential Palace gate ending the Republic of Vietnam Operation Frequent Wind airlifted thousands of U.S. personnel and Vietnamese civilians from Saigon’s U.S. Embassy rooftop
It was significant because it marked the end of American involvement in Vietnam
Image https://www.britannica.com/event/Fall-of-Saigon