The Vietnam War

In 1954, the Geneva Accords temporarily divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel so that the north was controlled by the communists and the south was controlled by anticommunist nationalists.In 1956, an election for unifying Vietnam was considered but due to the tensions between the north and the south, it didn't occur. In the south, a communist group against the South Vietnam government began to attack the government in 1957. They were called the Vietcong.

The United States became involved in the civil war that broke out between the north and Vietcong and the south because the United States government felt it was their duty to actively work to contain communism around the world, especially during this time, which was in the height of the Cold War. They aided South Vietnam against the communist north and the Vietcong, stating that according to the domino theory, when one country falls to communism, the countries around it also fall, like in a game of dominoes.

The United States started sending in money and military advisors to Vietnam under President Kennedy but it was his successor, President Johnson who expanded the military involvement of the United States in Vietnam. President Johnson, or LBJ as he was called, was certain the United States would be able to quickly win the war. However, he severely underestimated the enemy. The Vietnamese had the advantage of being in their home front - they were familiar with the forest terrains where they could easily hide and attack secretly whereas the American soldiers were new to the land. The guerilla tactics used by the Vietcong, as well as their networks of tunnels throughout the country were an advantage to the communists. In addition, the American soldiers had a hard time distinguishing friend versus foe since both sides of the civil war were Vietnamese.

Incorrect information in the White House and small lies with big consequences brought the United States deeper into the war. An American ship, the USS Maddox was fired on in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Norht Vietnam. When it and anther ship returned to enemy territory once again, they crew thought they were beign attacked and retaliated. President Johnson used this incident, not knowing that in reality, the two ships weren't attacked, to get Congress of pass the Tokin Gulf Resolution that gave the president the military ability to do anything short of actually declaring war.

Eventually, the sinking morale of the soldiers, the many casualties on both sides, the suffering of United States economy for a war on the other side of the world, and the bad media from the United States agaisnt the American involvement in the war caused President Johnson to work to pull their troops out of the war. The United States finally ended their involvement under President Nixon in 1973 after a few years of slowly decreasing their activity to leave with "honor" and "dignity" and not like they were being chased out.

by Nicky