Graded Assignment The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, Part 2

Graded Assignment
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, Part 2
Complete and submit this assignment by the due date to receive full credit.
(50 points)
Use what you have learned in completing the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, Part 1 sheet to write a well-developed essay that answers the following question—Was Congress correct in approving the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution? Your essay should include a thesis statement. Consider the following as you outline the essay:
How does the Constitution address declaring and waging war?
What was the conflict in Vietnam like up to August 1964? What was President Johnson’s view of communism in Southeast Asia?
What allegedly happened in the Gulf of Tonkin? What actually happened?
How should Congress handle similar situations in the future?
You will be graded on content, organization, and spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
ANSWER

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

After the United States Congress declared war on the Gulf of Tonken, what transpired later was a series of controversies about the legality of their decision. The purpose of this essay is to ascertain whether Congress was correct in approving the Gulf of Tonkin resolution. According to the constitution, article 1, Section 8, clause 11, the power of declaring war vests on Congress. It is up to them to declare what and decide when and where the United States army should be deployed. Before the August 1964 incident, the conflict in Vietnam was a war between North Vietnam and South Vietnam (Pusey, 2016). The north dominated and took over the south and spread its communism policies through the whole region. President Johnson dreaded the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, as Vietnam strategically dominated the administration’s foreign policy. For President Johnson, this was a diplomatic disaster that would put the country at a disadvantage.

The alleged explanation by the United States in the Gulf of Tonkin was the allegations that North Vietnam attacked two American warships on separate occasions. The US government claimed that it did nothing to provoke the war and that the North Vietnamese actions were out of spite (Pusey, 2016). This led President Johnson, under Congress, to declare war on Vietnam. However, according to top-secret declassified documents, the U.S had promoted the first attack by supporting South Vietnam with military equipment and manpower. The second attack never took place, as no solid concrete pointed to an American warship getting attacked.

Congress should handle similar situations in the future by first investigating the facts. They should also not act on a President’s prejudice against any foreign nation. The Vietnam war was triggered by a personal vendetta, and this should not be the case in a modern democratic country.

References

Pusey, A. (2016). The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution begins a war. ABAJ, 102, 72.