TIMES OF CHANGE- Vietnam

A Dubious Crusade

1. Dubious is an adjective used to describe an event, decision, or thing marked by doubt in quality or morale. A crusade is a military advancement to defend or advance something.

2. I think that Warren is saying that the conflict in Vietnam was a war that is still questioned today. People then and know doubt the morality of the U.S. entering the war, and if it was a smart move. It was a crusade against communism, and the U.S. was trying to stop it everywhere, even if it meant starting a war that lasted over 10 years. I think this will be a guiding question or pronciple that will lead us through our study of Vietnam because the message it sends is so important.

History

1. The overall theme of this poem is death, and the dozens of alliances and millions of killings that took place in China and Vietnam. Although the same people were being persecuted, they are still in power and won a 10+ year war aginast America and its Allies from Europe

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

1. The main thesis of this essay is that the incident, or lack thereof, that started the Vietnam war, is a very controversial event. The author also states that the conflict could have been started with a lie from Lyndon Johnson, who was the current president.

2. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was a resolution proposed by Johnson to Congress to allow the U.S. to defend its interests in the Gulf of Tonkin. This act was brought up because Vietcong ships supposedly fired upon U.S. ships.

3. Some of the evidence that the author brings up is that Lyndon Johnson either magnified the firing on U.S. ships to make it seem like a terrible event that is considerd enough to declare war. The essay also states that President Johnson could have also been flat-out lying and that there was no firing upon U.S. ships. Some evidence to support that is that the U.S. ships that were supposedly attacked came out of the ordeal with no scratches.

4. This links to the first theme of a 'Dubious Crusade' because President Johnson blew up this minor event in order to get Congressional approval to defend themselves in Vietnam. This event it covered in doubt and could just be another example of the crusade against communism.