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French Rules Indochina in Southwest Asia
French military forces established control over Indochina. Includes the modern countries of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. They transplanted French Laws into Vietnam and imposed high taxes. -
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The Vietnam War
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Selective Service Act of 1948
The government drafted more than 1.5 million men into military service during the Vietnam War. This Act called up draftees based on projected military needs. -
SEATO
The United States and seven other countries formed the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO). The main goal was to contain the spread of communism in Southeast Asai. -
Dien Bien Phu
The French lost their eight-year to regain Vietnam. Vietminh troops destroyed the French airstrip, cut French supply lines, and drug trenches to attack key French positions. The French surrendered after suffering 15,000 casualties. -
Kennedy send U.S. Troops to Vietnam
Kennedy sent Special Forces troops to South Vietnam to advise the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) on more effective ways to fight the communist forces. -
Drafts in the MIlitary
Most American soldiers in Vietnam had been drafted into military service. They were not as certain that preserving the government in South Vietnam was crucial to American interest. -
USS Maddox
On August 2, North Vietnamese torpedo boats fired on the American destroyer USS Maddox. -
American bombing on enemy positions
American pilots dropped more than 6 million tons of bombs on enemy positions. Not just bombs were dropped also Napalm and Agent Orange. -
Senator J. William Fullbright
In 1967 and 1968, Fullbright held public hearings on the war, providing a platform for critics . -
Martin Luther KIng Jr. speaking at a New Year Church
King said that the war was hurting both poor blacks and whites. Vietnam was drawing human and economic resources away from American's other ways on poverty and discrimination. -
Selective Service System
The selective service system adopted a lottery that was designed to eliminate deferment abuses an create a more diverse army draftees. -
Tet Offensive
The communist expanded their attack by hitting U.S. and ARVN positions throughout South Vietnam. The Tet Offensive was a coordinated assault on 36 provincial capitals and 5 major cities, as well as the U.S. embassy in Saigon. -
My Lai
American forces came across a village of My Lai. Lieutenant William Calley's unit began shooting and killing unarmed civilians. -
Johnson Addresses the Nation
He announced that America would limit its bombing of North Vietnam and seek a negotiated settlement to the war. He then shocked the the nation when he announced he would not run for another term. -
Richard Nixon entering the white house
Students across the country continued to protest the war. Their words were starting to reach ordinary Americans, not just "long-haired radicals." -
Protesters series of demonstrations
Antiwar protesters organized a series of peaceful demonstrations called "moratoriums." -
Protest and Death in Ohio
A student photograph at Kent State snapped a photograph moments after the Ohio National Guard opened fire on student protests. -
Pentagon Papers
The 1971 publication of the Pentagon Papers in the New York Times. The study revealed that American leaders involved the U.S. in Vietnam without fully informing the American people and even sometimes lied to congress. -
Paris Peace Accords
Vietcong signed the Paris Peace Accords. The parties agreed to a cease-fire and a U.S. troop withdraw from South Vietnam. -
War Powers Act
The act restricted the Prestident's war-making powers by requiring him to consult with Congress within 48 hours of committing American forces to a foreign conflict.
