Vietnam+the+Path+to+War

=VIETNAM - THE PATH TO WAR =

You all know that the United States was involved in a major military conflict 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 paragraphs
 * contain the following terms - France, Ho Chi Minh, communism, Ngo Dinh Diem, military advisors, Gulf of Tonkin
 * 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 seeds of conflict were planted back in WWII when we supplied the Vietnamhin so they could take back their country from the Japanese. The group how ever was lead by Ho Chi Minh  a communist leader. After they had driven out the Japanese and taken back most of Northern Vietnam they tried to push out the French who had colonial power over them for some time. The Vietminh gaind populairty with those who didn't want the colonial rule any more and their support helped them kick out the frenchin 1946. Ho Chi Minh led the North while Ngo Dinh Diem controled the South. By 1950 the USSR had offered the Communist Vietminh weapons as did the Chinese. This scared the US because it was a prime example of the domino effect. In retaliation the US sends 15 million to the French in the Indochina War. In 1954 the Vietminh break the French off from their supply lines and it seems that the French have been matched and they leave in 1956. Things really start to pick up and the communists start making some major moves Sputnik, insurgance of Vietnam, they take the Mekong Delta, 1960 Vietcong are formed by Diem. Dwight D. Eisenhower sends 900 military advisers responding to Diems request, and by the end of 1963 that number goes up to 1100. 1964 Vietnemese fire torpedoes at the USS Maddox in the Tonkin Gulf which was in international waters. The Gulf of Tonkin bill aloud Lyndon Johnson to make war but not have to declare war by asking congress for a "Blank Check" to do what he wanted with troops in vietnam. 

Need some help? How about ... //Creating America// [|Into Vietnam (Overview)] from ABC-CLIO [|**Vietnam War** - the **Causes**] [|Timeline of the Vietnam War] [|Vietnam Online Timeline] Causes of the Vietnam War video below