1. Vietnam War Ho Chi Minh,

2. Cold War : Vietnam May 5, 1961 President John F. Kennedy announces it may be necessary to send U.S. troops to Vietnam. In his inaugural address four months earlier, Kennedy had declared that Americans will be ready to "...bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty." There were already 800 U.S. advisers in Vietnam; by November 1963 there were 16,700.

3. December 8, 1961 U.S. State Department publishes a white paper claiming that South Vietnam is threatened by clear and present danger of Communist aggression.

4. February 7, 1962 Two U.S. Army air support companies arrive in Saigon, bringing total of U.S. troops in South Vietnam to 4,000.

5. May 1, 1963 Buddhists gather in the city of Hue to protest a decree prohibiting them from flying their flag. Several months of rioting break out. Tensions between Buddhists and the Diem government are further strained as Diem, a Catholic, removes Buddhists from several key government positions and replaces them with Catholics. Buddhist monks protest Diem's intolerance for other religions and the measures he takes to silence them. In a show of protest, Buddhist monks start setting themselves on fire in public places.

7. May 8, 1963 Diems troops fire on 20,000 Buddhists gathered in the city of Hue to celebrate Buddhas birthday, killing 8 children and 1 woman.

8. August 24, 1963 Washington cables Saigon embassy, recommending that Diem be removed.

9. November 1, 1963 With approval from the United States, operatives within the South Vietnamese military overthrow Diem. He and his brother Nhu are shot and killed in the aftermath. Diem is replaced by Vice President Nguyen Ngoc Tho and General Duong Van Minh.

10. November 22, 1963 John F. Kennedy is assassinated. Kennedy's death meant that the problem of how to proceed in Vietnam fell squarely into the lap of his vice president, Lyndon Johnson.

11. January 30, 1964 In a bloodless coup, General Nguyen Khanh seizes power in Saigon. South Vietnam junta leader, Major General Duong Van Minh, is placed under house arrest, but is allowed to remain as a figurehead chief-of- state.

12. August 2, 1964 Three North Vietnamese PT boats allegedly fire torpedoes at the USS Maddox, a destroyer located in the international waters of the Tonkin Gulf, some thirty miles off the coast of North Vietnam. The attack comes after six months of covert US and South Vietnamese naval operations. A second, even more highly disputed attack, is alleged to have taken place on August 4 against another U.S. destroyer, the Turner Joy. The U.S. retaliates with an air strike in North Vietnam.

13. August 7, 1964 The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution authorizes President Lyndon Johnson to "take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression." The resolution passes unanimously in the House, and by a margin of 82-2 in the Senate. The Resolution allows Johnson to wage all out war against North Vietnam without ever securing a formal Declaration of War from Congress.

14. January 31, 1968 In a show of military might that catches the US military off guard, North Vietnamese and Vietcong forces sweep down upon several key cities and provinces in South Vietnam, including its capital, Saigon. Within days, American forces turn back the onslaught and recapture most areas. From a military point of view, Tet is a huge defeat for the Communists, but turns out to be a political and psychological victory. The US military's assessment of the war is questioned and the "end of tunnel" seems very far off.

15. March 16, 1968 As Johnsons popularity plummets, Sen. Robert Kennedy announces that he will run for the presidency. On the same day in Vietnam, Lt. William Calley orders his men to fire on the village of My Lai, killing nearly 500 villagers. "This is what you've been waiting for -- search and destroy -- and you've got it," said their superior officers. When news of the atrocities surfaced, it sent shockwaves through the US political establishment, the military's chain of command, and an already divided American public.

16. March 31, 1968 With his low approval ratings and dismayed by Senator Eugene McCarthy's strong showing in the New Hampshire primary, President Lyndon Johnson, in a televised address, stuns the nation and announces that he will not be a candidate for re-election.

17. October 31, 1968 Johnson halts bombing of North Vietnam. Seven days later Richard Nixon, running on a platform of "law and order," defeats Hubert H. Humphrey to become U.S. president.

18. March 15, 1969 In an effort to destroy Communist supply routes and base camps in Cambodia, President Nixon gives the go-ahead to "Operation Breakfast." The covert bombing of Viet Cong sanctuaries in Cambodia, conducted without the knowledge of Congress or the American public, will continue for fourteen months.

19. June 8, 1969 Nixon announces first U.S. troop withdrawal of 25,000 soldiers.

20. July 25, 1969 The president announces the Nixon Doctrine. He calls for sending more economic and military aid to South Vietnam to strengthen the South Vietnam military. Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird described the policy of "Vietnamization" when discussing a diminishing role for the US military in Vietnam. The objective of the policy was to shift the burden of defeating the Communists onto the South Vietnamese Army and away from the United States.

21. October 15, 1969 Thousands of Americans participate in demonstrations against the war. Two weeks later, Nixon appeals to what he calls the silent majority, Americans who support the war, claiming that total withdrawal from Vietnam would harm U.S. interests.

22. April 29, 1970 U.S. forces invade Cambodia to attack North Vietnamese and Viet Cong sanctuaries.

23. June 13, 1971 A legacy of deception concerning US policy in Vietnam on the part of the military and the executive branch is revealed as the New York Times begins publication of leaked portions of the Pentagon Papers. The Nixon administration, eager to stop leaks of what they consider sensitive information, appeals to the Supreme Court to halt the publication. The Court decides in favor the Times and allows continued publication.

24. January 27, 1973 A cease-fire agreement that, in the words of Richard Nixon, "brings peace with honor in Vietnam and Southeast Asia," is signed in Paris by Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho. The agreement is to go into effect on January 28. Later that year the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to Kissinger and Tho. Kissinger accepts the award, while Tho declines, saying that a true peace does not yet exist in Vietnam.

25. March 29, 1973 North Vietnam releases 60 American prisoners of war, who leave Vietnam along with the last remaining U.S. forces.

26. August 8, 1974 Nixon resigns to avoid being impeached for his role in the Watergate scandal. In May, impeachment hearings against Nixon had begun by the House Judiciary Committee. Among the articles of impeachment introduced was a resolution condemning Nixon for the secret bombing of Cambodia

27. April 23, 1975 Anticipating the fall of Saigon to Communist forces, President Gerald Ford, speaking in New Orleans, announces that as far as the US is concerned, the Vietnam War is "finished."

28. April 30, 1975 South Vietnamese President Duong Van Minh delivers an unconditional surrender to the Communists in the early hours. North Vietnamese Colonel Bui Tin accepts the surrender and assures Minh that, "...Only the Americans have been beaten. If you are patriots, consider this a moment of joy." As the few remaining Americans evacuate Saigon from the roof of the U.S. embassy, the last two US servicemen to die in Vietnam are killed when their helicopter crashes.

29. January 21, 1977 In a bold and controversial move, newly inaugurated President Jimmy Carter extends a full and unconditional pardon to nearly 10,000 men who evaded the Vietnam War draft.

30. November 11, 1982 Designed by Maya Ying Lin, a 22 year-old Yale architectural student, the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial opens in Washington, DC. The quiet, contemplative structure consisting of two black granite walls forming a "V", lists the names of the 58,183 Americans killed in the Vietnam War. The memorial itself stirred debate as some thought its presentation was too muted and somber, lacking the familiar elements of war-time heroics found in most war memorials.

31. President James Earl Carter, Jr. 1977-1981

32. Jimmy Carters Administration Jimmy Carter was an excellent presidential candidate. He preached openness and decency, and people believed him. He came out of Plain, Georgia. Unfortunately, the President Carters term saw many unforgivable issues.

33. Jimmy Carters Administration Raging Inflation Stagnant Economic Growth The Iranian Hostage Crisis Islamic revolutionaries in Iran led by the Ayatolla Khomeini toppled the U.S. supported govt of Shah Pahlevi. In Nov of 1979, a mob attacked the U.S. embassy in Teheran, taking ninety people hostage.

34. Iranian Hostage Crisis The Iranians demanded that the Shah, then undergoing cancer treatment in NY City, be returned to Iran in exchange for the hostages release. Shortly after the standoff began, the Iranians released twenty-four non-American hostages and fourteen others, including several ill hostages, women, and blacks. The fifty-two embassy workers who remained in captivity were repeatedly blindfolded and paraded in front of TV cameras. Carter first tried to free the hostages through diplomatic efforts, all of which failed. In April 1980, approved a military rescue mission, but this also failed when helicopter problems led to a crash and the death of eight servicemen. Carter finally obtained the hostages release on January 19, 1981, his last full day in office The hostage would be released during the Inauguration of Ronald Reagan the next day. They had been held hostage for 444 days.

35. The Late Cold War Era

36. The U.S. in the 1980s: The Government Ronald Reagan united economic and cultural conservatives to win the White House in 1980 Government was the problem, not the solution Congress slashed support for the poor (food stamps, school lunches, & Medicaid) Biggest tax cut in the nations history Major increase in military spending

37. The U.S. in the 1980s: The Government Economic results were mixed Inflation dropped sharply People in poverty increased & unemployment rate grew to over 10% The economy did recover and unemployment dropped; however, many of these jobs were low- paying with few fringe benefits The national debt soared with the combination of tax cuts and military increases This will become known as Reaganomics or voodoo economics

39. The U.S. in the 1980s: Society Yuppies or young urban professionals were concerned with their private lives rather than public issues Upper-middle-class standard of living depended on both husband and wife holding full-time jobs Cocaine addiction; crime; and AIDS were a problem Campaigns were started against drunk driving and tobacco smoking

40. Mexico A huge increase in population and rising inflation plagued Mexico Many U.S. corporations established manufacturing in Mexico; however, low wages only helped widen the gap between the poor and the rich. Millions of illegal Mexican immigrants and seasonal workers crossed into the United States. A huge drug traffic from Mexico to the U.S. flourished

41. Brazil, Argentina, & Chile In all three countries the military ousted civilian governments and took control. These repressive regimes (especially General Pinochet in Chile) imprisoned, tortured, and killed thousands of people. Floundering economies and massive foreign debt would eventually force the restoration of civilian governments. Argentina would fight a war with Great Britain in 1982 over the Falkland Islands

42. Urban Poverty Latin America became the most urbanized of the three impoverished world areas (73%; Asia, 33%;Africa 34%). Mexico City became the worlds largest city with over 20 million. The poor lived in shantytowns on the edge of cities, while the middle class and the elite remained in city centers.

43. The Cold War Returns to Latin America In 1978, Pres. Carter negotiated a treaty for the withdrawal of the U.S. from the Panama Canal by 2000. In 1983, the U.S. invade the tiny island of Grenada to topple a pro-Castro regime In 1990, the U.S. invaded Panama and arrested and imprisoned dictator Manuel Noriega for drug trafficking and installed a pro-U.S. government in Panama.

45. The Cold War Returns to Latin America Guerrilla warfare broke out in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala In Nicaragua, Sandinistas took control of the government in 1979. Reagan considered them a Marxist ally of Cuba and supported Anti-Sandinista Nicaraguans (Contras); however, U.S. congressional support wavered. In 1989, free elections were held and both the Sandinistas and Contras disbanded.

46. George Herbert Walker Bush (1989-1993)

47. Major Political Events: 1. No New Taxes Pledge: Read My Lips, No New Taxes! He broke his central promise by agreeing to a compromise with Congress in 1993, that included increases in the gasoline tax, Medicare premiums, and the top income tax rate.

48. George Herbert Walker Bush (1989-1993) 2. Persian Gulf War: In August 1990, Iraqi troops invaded the Persian Gulf nation of Kuwait, known as Operation Desert Storm. Kuwait controlled 10% of the worlds oil reserves. Using the UN, Bush build a coalition to oppose Saddam Hussein. After six weeks of bombing military infrastructures, more than 100,000 bombing missions, the ground war began. It only took 100 hours under Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf to overwhelm the Iraqi army and liberate Kuwait.

49. William Jefferson Clinton (1993-2001)

50. Major Political Events: 1. Dont Ask Dont Tell – Gays in the military. 2. NAFTA Trade Agreement – North American Free Trade Agreement, removed all trade barriers among the U.S., Canada and Mexico. 3. Impeachment for perjury on the stand during the Congressional hearings into the Monica Lewinski situation. He was found not guilty of perjury and was not removed from office.

51. George W. Bush (2001-Present)

52. George W. Bush September 11 th, 2001 War on Terrorism – Afghanistan and Iraq Re-elected in 2004 Proposed two amendments: Banning gay marriage Banning flag burning