My Lai MassacureAfter the Tet Offensive US soldiers were order to destroy the town of My Lai because the US thought that the Viet Cong where hiding there. This event took place on March 16th 1968. The soldiers were lead by Lt. William Calley, who order the killing of many women, children and men who had nothing to do with the Viet Cong. Lt. William order the civilians into pits and killed them where they stood. After this happened the American people were outraged by how the US military would act like the Nazis. When Lt. William Calley got home he was Curt Martialed, the evidence of him giving the orders was very clear and he only got three years of house arrest. This just made the American people even more outraged by his actions and how he basically got away with his actions. This later turned the American people against the US soldiers returning from war, calling them baby killers and other names when the soldiers were the soldiers had nothing to do with My Lai.
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Ken StateAfter the college students at Ken State in Ohio learned about the My Lai Massacre, the students protested. Many students destroyed property on Ken State such as the ROTC building that was burnt by the students. From this the Governor ordered the National Guard to stop the protest from getting out of control. The National Guard fired on many students killing four people and wounding many others. This event again made the American people question the government about how they would fire on protesters.
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Gallery of the Events
Pentagon Papers
From the events that happened in Vietnam Daniel Ellsberg who worked for the New York Time, used the leaked Pentagon Papers to show the American people what really happened in Vietnam. It should clear evidence of the events of the My Lai massacre, the Gulf of Tonkin and the whole US involvement in Vietnam. Secretary of State Robert McNamara ordered to get the whole picture of what really happened in Vietnam to better understand the war. It was taken to the Supreme Curt where the Curt sided with Daniel instead of Nixon, because in the Constitution it states freedom of speech and freedom of press. Which is clear in this event, however the Supreme Curt did say that if a leaked US government paper was out and would harm some one then it can't be used in public papers.
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