Gulf Of Tonkin Resolution

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The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was the resolution passed by Congress on August 7th, 1964, following the Gulf of Tonkin incident. The Gulf of Tonkin incident was when allegedly two American destroyers were forced on by North Vietnam torpedo ships to cause damage. It gave Lyndon B. Johnson power to expand the U.S role in Vietnam without a legal declaration. This meant he could take any measure that he thought was necessary to protect and promote international peace in Southeast Asia. It also meant, that he was avid in trying to help repel any attack that was to be forced on the U.S and stop any aggression. The Johnson Administration now had the power to begin a strategy of rapid escalation of U.S military involvement.

Tet Offensive:

The …show more content…
National Guard troops were sent to stop the protests and they ordered the crowd to disperse. Some students didn’t listen and rebelled by chanting slogans and throwing rocks. By this point, the National Guard troops opened fire which caused 4 students to be killed and 9 were injured. A similar event happened just 9 days later at Jackson State College in Mississippi. This only caused the American population to be shocked and start more protests on college campuses and cities all across the nation. However, most Americans rejected the protests as they saw them as ‘unpatriotic and disruptive’.

War Powers Act:

A resolution was passed in 1973 which placed strict limits on a president’s power to use armed forces in hostiles without congressional approval. With this act, the President needs to inform Congress at least 2 days ahead of time. They can say no or yes to what the President wants to do, as this is essentially a check and balance. It was created in order to restore the powers that Johnson twisted. For example, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was a breach of Johnson’s power, therefore, this act is now in place so President’s can not just have the United States military at arm’s
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