Vietnam+Path+Paragraphs

= 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

We will begin this lesson when Ho Chi Minh began a communist revolt against the French government. His revolt failed and he fled to China and the USSR. During WWII Japan took over Vietnam. Japan then left once WWII was over and France regained its control over Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh then came back and declared independence from the French. The French then left the northern half of Vietnam. Fearing the spread of communism, the US supported France and decided to split Vietnam in half at the 17th Parallel. To reunite the North and South they decided to hold elections to decide the type of government for all of Vietnam. When it became clear that the communists were going to win the elections, the US does not allow the elections to happen. America believed that if Vietnam fell to communism that the rest of Southeast Asia would soon follow. Northern Vietnam picked Ngo Dinh Diem to lead their communist government. The southerners did not like his policies so the US helped them overthrow Diem. Diem was captured and assassinated. Three weeks later the President of the United States of America would also be shot and killed. John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

JFK's vice president then became the new president. Like JFK, Johnson did not want southeast Asia falling to communism. To prevent this the US sent ships to survey the Gulf of Tonkin. On one such ship there was an attack made by the North Vietnam Army. After this another attack followed. Johnson retaliated to this by ordering continuous air-strikes and bombs. This would be called Rolling Thunder. He also asked congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin resolution which would allow the president to send over troops without having Congress declare war. Johnson, after congress passed it, then sent marines to land on Vietnam in 1965.