-
Geneva Accords
The Geneva accords were signed at the Geneva convention, a summit of several countries held in Geneva, Switzerland. It dealt with the dismantling of French Indochina, created ceasefires with Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, and divided Vietnam into two zones. The northern zone was by the Viet Minh rebels, while the southern zone was governed by the State of Vietnam. -
SDS Founded
The Students for Democratic Society was founded as a student branch of the League for Industrial Democracy. In the following years, the SDS became known for its activism against the Vietnam War. -
My Lai Massacre
U.S. troops marched into a hamlet in South Vietnam and committed mass murder. Between 347 and 504 unarmed civilians were killed. The victims were men, women, and children. Many of the women's bodies that were found showed evidence of gang rape and were mutilated. The lieutenant in charge of the massacre, William Calley Jr., was convicted of murder on 22 counts and was sentenced to life in prison but was released with 4 years. -
Nixon Wins Election
Following Lyndon B Johnson's withdrawal from the candidacy, Republican Richard Nixon was up against the new Democratic nominee, Hubert Humphrey, who promised to keep America in Vietnam. Nixon promised a tired American people an end to the conflict that had been present in their lives for nearly a decade. He won by 120 electoral votes (301-191). -
Woodstock Festival
Created to be "Three Days of Peace and Music". Attendance was made free for fear of being overwhelmed and almost half a million people attended. The artists who performed included Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, The Grateful Dead, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. The festival was closed by Jimi Hendrix playing "The Star Spangled Banner". Many of the musicians used their performances and music to voice their opposition for the war and most (of the hippies) agreed with that sentiment. -
Kent State Students Shot
On May 4, 1970, a mass protest was held at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. The protests diverged from the original plan of peaceful protest and the Ohio National Guard was called in. 28 guardsmen proceeded to fire on the crowd of protesters, killing 4 and wounding 9. -
Pentagon Papers leaked to New York Times
Military analyst Daniel Ellsberg leaked a series of classified documents pertaining to US involvement in Vietnam to the New York Times. The information contained in the documents led to speculation on whether President John F. Kennedy was actually involved in the coup of President Diem's regime. The documents also led to doubt about whether the Gulf of Tonkin incident even occured.
