VietnamWar

= VIETNAM - THE PATH TO WAR =

You all know that the United States was involved in a major military conflict in Vietnam during the Cold War ... but why? What was America's "path to war"? Using the resources below and __Creating America__, your task this evening is to write a description in YOUR OWN WORDS of the causes of American involvement in Southeast Asia. Pretend you are writing it as a summary for on online encyclopedia or textbook. Your description should ...
 * be between two and four complete, well written paragraphs
 * contain the following terms - France, Ho Chi Minh, communism, Ngo Dinh Diem, military advisors, Gulf of Tonkin, Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, Rolling Thunder
 * be IN YOUR OWN WORDS (remember, it's easy to check this online)
 * contain two images THAT RELATE TO YOUR WRITING
 * Should end with the first Marines landing in Vietnam in 1965

The French had ruled Vietnam as part of a French Indochina that including Vietnam as well as Laos and Cambodia. People in Vietnam were poor and tired of the French; they had never actually accepted the French rule. In the 30's Ho Chi Minh started a revolution. He united multiple communist groups to form the ICP (Indochinese Communist Party). The ICP demanded Vietnam's independence. During WWII, Japan took over Vietnam but was later defeated by the United States and the Allies. France attempted to regain control over the coveted trade industry. A war began between France and the Viet Minh (a group made up of the ICP and other nationalist figures). When the war began, Truman's idea of containment was unsupportive of any communist movement, especially in Asia.

Ho Chi Minh led the army in the Northern part of Vietnam while Ngo Dinh Diem became the prime minister of Southern Vietnam. He refused to allow an election fearing that the communists would be elected for their increasing popularity. Eisenhower sends over 900 advisors to Vietnam. When Kennedy becomes president, this number increases to 11,000. The Viet Minh go to war wanting reunite the country separated North and South. Diem's Southern army was "corrupt and unpopular." Truman and Eisenhower used a term called the domino theory to explain the spread of communism and to try to gain support for the war. However, many American's did not support the Vietnam war.

President Johnson is the first to send troops into Vietnam. The US boat, the "Maddox" was fired in the the Gulf of Tonkin. This could not be proven though because over severe thunderstorms that took place over the night. Congress passed the "Gulf of Tonkin Resolution," giving the US permission to pressure Vietnam with military force.

Need some help? How about ... //Creating America// [|This cool animation] [|Into Vietnam (Overview)] from ABC-CLIO [|Timeline of the Vietnam War] [|Vietnam Online Timeline]