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 ...
 * 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

At the time North Vietnam was communist and South Vietnam was not. Of course, the U.S. is fighting for the South. After Japan leaves Vietnam after WW2, the Vietnamese wanted to break away from the French and be independent. The USSR was spreading communism in Europe and Harry S. Truman thought it the U.S.'s job to prevent it's spread. France wanted Vietnam back and were willing to fight for it. During a battle between North Vietnam and France, the french lost the long battle and didn't want to carry on the war anymore. Vietnam was split in two at the 17th parallel. After that, the North Vietnam wanted to send in supplies to their soldiers in the South. The path they took to do so is along the Vietnam - Cambodia border and is known as the Ho Chi Minh trail. When JFK was elected the US got more involved in Nam. In 1961 Kennedy sent help to South Vietnam. He sent in new equipment and military adivisors to teach the south Vietnamese how to fight. Later that year the U.S. sent in helicopters to the South along with 400 trained soldiers to fly and keep control of them. The South Vietnamese were starting to dislike their leader and had many violent protests. U.S. replaced the leader and Diem was assassinated. A few weeks later JFK was assassinated and London B. Johnson was elected president. Soon after, a US ship was patrolling the Gulf of Tonkin and was torpedoed by the communists. In retaliation Johnson bombed North Vietnam and kept doing that for a while. Since North Vietnam kept attacking the South Johnson had to send in troops and the US got fully involved.

Ho Chi Minh http://www.quandoan1.org.vn/Uploads/tulieuanh/u13/image/Hoc_tap_Lam_theo_loi_Bac/20070516_HoChiMinh.jpg

John F. Kennedy http://students.umf.maine.edu/yestrajm/public.www/Immigration%20Website/jfk.jpg