Essay on Americas Involvement in Vietnam - 546 Words

The events that led to the United States entering the Vietnam War began when the French conquered Vietnam in the late nineteenth century. After Vietnam was conquer, they formed the League for the Independence of Vietnam in hopes of seeking independence from the French. With great effort on September 2, 1945 Ho Chi Minh proclaimed their independence from France. However, the French opposed Vietnam’s independence for approximately nine years and wanted to reestablish their rule over them. However the French were beaten at the battle of Dien Bien Phu because they were not careful and allowed the Vietnam to cut off their airway to Hanoi. After a fifty-five day siege, the French surrendered. After the war there was a conference in Geneva†¦show more content†¦Since the United States feared the spread of communism in Asia, John F. Kennedy provided economic and military aid to South Vietnam. This was done to prevent the takeover by North Vietnam. The North Vietnamese resented the intervention by the United Sates and fired torpedoes on the U.S. Destroyer Maddox. On August 3, 1964 Johnson gave the right to attack with the objective of destroying attacking forces. Retaliation air attacks began and their aims were to destroy North Vietnams gunboat capability. As two more United States destroyers were sunk, more air and sea forces were sent. After this event, the United States formally entered the Vietnam War. The United States entered the war because they wished to maintain the independence of South Vietnam and to prove to allied nations that the United States would help them resist Communist overtaking. As Congress was about to vote whether or not to allow the combat to move into North Vietnam, the North Vietnamese attacked a major U.S. airbase at Bein Hoa. Then on February 7, 1965, Johnson ordered retaliation bombing on North Vietnam. This operation was called Rolling Thunder. Its purpose was to put pressure on Hanoi and convince them that Communism could not and would not win. By the end of nineteen-sixty five, one hundred and eighty thousand Americans were in South Vietnam under the leadership of General William S. Westmoreland. By the end of nineteen-sixty eight, the number of American troops in South VietnamShow MoreRelated Americas Involvement in the Vietnam War Essay797 Words   |  4 PagesAmericas Involvement in the Vietnam War Vietnam is a time in American history that most of us would like to forget, but really, we must learn from it. Vietnam is a time where we didnt look at the whole picture, it was perceived through the lens of Cold War politics. (MP:420) With the new ?domino theory,? Americans feared for their safety and the safety of the free world. If they didnt step in, they would inevitably lose the world to communism. Many Americans believedRead MoreAmericas Involvement in Vietnam Essay example827 Words   |  4 PagesAmericas Involvement in Vietnam From the early 1800’s up until 1931 Vietnam was controlled by France, Frances rule was then ended as they were forced to pull out of Vietnam due to the start of WW2, France left a ‘puppet ruler’ named Emperor Bao Dai. This left Vietnam vulnerable to invasion which was an opportunity Japan could not refuse and took advantage of Vietnam’s situation by invading. This sparked the return of a well known Vietnamese communist, Ho Chi MinhRead MoreThe Vietnam War1402 Words   |  6 Pagesinstability in Vietnam from 1950 to 1975 between the communist North Vietnam and anti-communist South Vietnam during the Cold War era has led to the United States’ inevitable intervention in Vietnam. 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