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Geneva Accords
The Geneva Accords of 1954 were intended to solve problems in Asia. This conference marked a turning point in the United States' involvement in Vietnam. The Accords had Vietnam becoming an independent nation, and France leaving Vietnam. It also temporarily divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel. It also promised free elections at some point in time, and is responsible for the escalation of the Vietnam war. -
Assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem
South Vietnamese prime minister Ngo Dinh Diem was assassinated as a part of a 1963 military coup, performed by communists who wanted to unite North and South Korea. He was strongly anti-Communist, but was also incredibly unpopular among his people, known for his brutal treatment. He was shot to death by a group of Vietnamese army officers, in order to overthrow the government. Diem's death is responsible for Vietnam becoming much more unstable, and even further US involvement in Vietnam. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was a joint resolution that the United States Congress passed, which authorized President Johnson to "take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression."
This happened after North Vietnam torpedo boats attacked US destroyers, causing a conflict.
Basically, this gave Johnson the control of the military to "stop Communism," which resulted in the escalation of the Vietnam war. -
LBJ Ordered 1st Troops to Vietnam
President Johnson deploys troops to Vietnam in 1965, in response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident of 1964. Johnson sends troops because of the Tonkin Resolution, which allowed him to use conventional military force without officially declaring war. Johnson kept the troops within South Vietnam, and did this to try and keep it from falling to Communism. This action resulted in the escalation of the Vietnam conflict, and marked the United States' first action of the Vietnam War. -
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was a North Vietnamese operation, and one of the largest military campaigns in the Vietnam War. It was a coordinated series of attacks and assassinations on more than 100 cities and outposts in South Vietnam. Although militarily, the North Vietnamese were horribly defeated, this was actually a great victory for them. The US had won militarily, but lost politically, and it shocked the American public, who had believed the North was about to surrender. The nation was demoralized. -
My Lai Massacre
The My Lai Massacre was the mass murder of unarmed South Vietnamese civilians by U.S. troops in South Vietnam. One of the most horrific war crimes in Vietnam, more than 500 innocent men, women, and children were slaughtered. Young girls and women were raped and militated, and the US Army covered it up for an entire year before it was reported in the press, creating international outrage. Morale was very low, the US was shown to be just as evil to the world, and the whole war was despised. -
Nixon becomes President
Nixon became the 37th President of the United States, after winning as a result of a split Democratic party, and by using the momentum he received from the "silent majority" and from being against hippies. He was the only president to have resigned from office, in order to avoid being officially removed from office after impeachment for his illegal activities. He did a lot of shady things, and also was the first president to visit the USSR and China, in order to cool down the Cold War. -
Nixon's Vietnamization Policy
Nixon's Vietnamization Policy was his attempt to withdraw from the Vietnam War with US dignity somehow intact. The United States could not continue fighting in this pointless and costly war, but Nixon didn't want to be the laughingstock of the world in withdrawing. He instead decided to "Vietnamize" the war, by over time withdrawing US troops and replacing them with South Vietnamese fighters and supplies. US withdrawal ultimately resulted in South Vietnam losing the war. -
Nixon ordered troops to Cambodia
Nixon secretly orders military troops to Cambodia, meant to intimated North Vietnam by showing that Nixon was a dangerous leader capable of anything. He tried to disrupt the Ho Chi Minh trail and other supply lines in Cambodia, even though Cambodia was neutral. This was Nixon's most controversial and hated act with regards to the Vietnam war. It scandalized the public, and incited even more Anti-War protests and riots. -
Hard Hat Riot
The Hard Hat Riots happened in New York City, when 400 construction workers and 800 office workers attacked around 1,000 college student Anti-War protestors. These people were celebrated around the country, and represented the massive divide in the nation, between manly "patriots" who supported the Vietnam war, and the youth, who despised Vietnam and were trying to protest. It was symbolic of pro-Nixon rhetoric clashing against Anti-War movements, and the country's divisive nature. -
Nixon Goes to China
Nixon going to China marks the first time a president had ever been to mainland China, and was incredibly significant towards de-escalating the Cold War and establishing trade and relationships between the two superpowers. Nixon's visit to China marked a key step in improving relationships, and he shocked the world by going to his Communist rivals' country. -
Nixon's Christmas Bombings
Nixon's Christmas Bombings came after the breakdown of peace talks with North Vietnam just a few days before. Infuriated, Nixon began to carry out retaliatory bombings of North Vietnam. Bombings continued over North Vietnamese cities for weeks, until North Vietnam agreed to resume the peace talks. People have mixed feelings on the impacts and worth of these bombings, while some felt that it was necessary to get North Vietnam back to the peace talks, others felt it was unnecessary. -
Paris Peace Accords
The Paris Peace Accords was a peace treaty signed to establish peace in Vietnam, and to end the Vietnam War. However, these accords neither ended the war nor restored the peace. They only resulted in the United States packing up its toys and going home, completely humiliated and defeated. They pulled out of the country, and eventually North Vietnam conquered the South. -
Nixon Resigns
Nixon resigns from the Presidency, for the first time in history, after having been impeached, and right before he was going to be forcibly removed from office. This was the culmination of Watergate, and the revealing of other illegal activities that the Nixon administration was guilty of and had tried to cover up. He was later given a pardon by President Ford. This scandal shocked the nation, and the public became aware that presidents were corrupt and hid things from the people. -
Saigon Falls
This was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by Communist North Vietnamese forces. This occurred after the United States had withdrawn itself from the Vietnam war, taking all of it's soldiers and supplies with it. Basically, the lives lost and horrific cost of the war was completely for nothing, as the US just leaves and the Communists take over the country, which was what the US had been sent in to stop. The defeated US just gives up, and we look like a joke.
