Vietnam+-+The+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 ...  At first, Vietnam was a French colon in the late 1800's. In the 1930's, there were communist revolts, lead by Ho Chi Minh, who then goes to Russia and China. During WWII, Japan takes over most of IndoChina, including Vietnam, and Minh starts a Guerilla War against Japan. France takes over Vietnam after WWII, and Minh forms the Vietminh party for Vietnam to be an independent country, and they become one in 1945. In northern Vietnam, the Vietminh beat the French, and form a communist government. Vietnam is split down the middle, with a communist North, and a free South, with plans of becoming a single country again. In the late 1950's, Vietnam has a Civil War between communist north and American supported south. American involvement with the Vietnam war was the doing of five different American presidents. First, Truman, who helped France try and keep the IndoChinese colonies. Next, president Eisenhower, who thought of the Domino Effect with communism, that if a country fell to communism, others would fall, too so he helped out southern Vietnam, and sent military advisors there, but the southern Vietnam leader refused having free elections. The Next president, J.F. Kennedy, wanted to overthrow the Southern Vietnam leader by the name of Ngo Dinh Diem in 1963. JFK really did not want the south to fall to communism, so he kept sending thousands of military advisors to south Vietnam. Lyndon B. Johnson got America fully into the Vietnam War, and he sends even more military advisors. Johnson gets angry because an American ship was attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin. Operation Rolling Thunder was in affect to try and bomb North Vietnam, and Johnson sent 3,500 American marines to join over 20,000 military advisors. Johnson originally wanted to fight a limited war, and most Americans supported the Vietnam War at first. 
 * 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

 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)

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//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

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