Vietnam+Path+to+War


 * =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 ...  Need some help? How about ... This voicethread, made by your favorite 8th grade American history teacher that you have this year (I like to limit my competition)  //Creating America// [|This cool animation] [|Into Vietnam (Overview)] from ABC-CLIO [|Timeline of the Vietnam War] [|Vietnam Online Timeline] Causes of the Vietnam War video below ||  || In the 1930's **Ho Chi Minh** and his followers wanted independence from **France** so they staged a revolt. **France** arrested him but then he went to China and later the Soviet Union. Since Japan took over Vietnam in WWII **Ho Chi Minh** used guerilla warfare to help defeat the Japanese and America took notice of it. After WWII **France** returned to Vietnam because they said it was their's before the war so it should be their's after. **Ho Chi Minh** does not like this at all and forms the Vietnam Party in order to get independence from France and declares independence in 1945. Since **Ho Chi Minh** loves America so much he modeled the Declaration to be like America's. Nine years later after fighting the French, Vietminh won and got their independence from **France** and then established a **Communist** government in the North. When Vietnam won their independence it was 1954 one year after the end of the Korean War. Since America is worried about the spread of **Communism** Vietnam is temporarily split up on the **17th parallel**. **Ho Chi Minh** is in North Vietnam which is **Communist** while **Ngo Dinh Diem** is in the South which is more US friendly. There was a meeting in Geneva Switzerland to discuss how Vietnam would be reunited. They were going to be free elections but since **Ho CHi Minh** freed Vietnam the country was going to vote for him and America didn't like him because of his views on **Communism**. Because of this there is a civil war in Vietnam. The North supported by the Soviet Union and the South supported by America.
 * 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

During this time **US presidents Truman, Kennedy and Johnson** all do different things to try and stop the spread of **Communism**. **Truman** tried to help out **France** by giving them economic and military aid so that they could still keep their colonies in Indochina to prevent the spread of **Communism**. Next **President Eisenhower** thought that if one country falls to **Communism** others will follow so he increased military support so **Communism** does not spread. he sent **military advisors** to South Vietnam to help the South Vietnam Army. South Vietnam did not have a good leader, **Ngo Dinh Diem** since he was corrupt. He also was catholic so he did not get along with the Buddhist Monks so no one really liked him as a leader, so no free elections were held, otherwise all of Vietnam would fall to **Communism**. After **Kennedy** becomes president he does not like **Ngo Dinh Diem** and supports an overthrow in 1963. When this happens **Ngo Dinh Diem** is killed. **Kennedy** did not want to be soft on **Communism** so he continued to send advisors. He sent **16,000 military advisors** when he died but there were no ground troops yet. **President Johnson** commits the US fully to the Vietnam War. At first he thought that America should let Asia handle it themselves. Then he changes his mind and thinks the US needs to stop the spread of **Communism**. Doesn't wants **Ho Chi Minh** to turn into a Hitler.

There were American ships in the **Gulf of Tonkin** and they were shot at by North Vietnam ships. The ship was ok but **President Johnson** sees this as an act of war and asks Congress to go to War. Congress voted unanimously in the House and only two opposers in the Senate. They say "All of Vietnam is not worth the life of a single American boy (one of the opposers). Congress gives **Johnson** a "**Blank Check**". This means that he can call all the shots and do pretty much what ever he wants. **Johnson** says that we are there to seek no wider war but then the President calls for **Operation Rolling Thunder**. **Rolling Thunder** was when America kept dropping bombs on North Vietnam more bombs then dropped on Germany in WWII. **After that in 1965 Johnson sent the first 3,500 Marines to land in Vietnam.**