Times of Change - Vietnam and the 60's

A Dubious Crusade by James A. Warren

Look up both words in the title of the short essay. What do they mean?

Dubious: (1)doubtful; marked by or occasioning doubt; (2)of doubtful quality or propriety/questionable; (3)of uncertain outcome; (4)wavering or hesitating in opinion; inclined to doubt.

Crusade: (1)any war carried on under papal sanction; (2)any vigorous, aggressive movement for the defense or advancement of an idea, cause; (3) to go on or engage in a crusade.
Relate the title to the reading. What is Warren saying? I think Warren is saying that The Vietnam War was a long and controversial conflict in history. The war is confusing considering that it's hard to say when it officially began.

How do you think this will relate to the rest of our study if Vietnam? I think this will relate to our studies of the war because will be trying to figure out what happened and why it happened in this complex war.





History by Thuong Vuong-Riddick

What is the overall theme of Vuong-Riddick's poem? Reading the poem was confusing. I think what Voung-Riddick is trying to say is that the there was a lot of "killing" and "allied with" in the war and that it's hard to try to understand who killed who and who allied with who after killing them.



The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution … by Goldberg

What is the main thesis of the essay? I think the main point is that people were always fighting and how it marked a turning point in the war where the United States got more involved.

What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution? It was something that began by three Vietnamese torpedo boats attacking the Maddox, which was a US destroyer on the Gulf of Tonkin on August 2, 1964. Two days later, that vessel and another U.S. destroyer (the Turner Joy) in the area both reported themselves under attack, although North Vietnam insisted that it hadn't attacked — and no attack is now believed to have occurred on the 4th of August.

What evidence does the author give to support his thesis? Goldberg said that only congress can delcare war, and in the case of Vietnam, congress never really did declare war. The closest they came was the Gulf of Tonkin, and now the attack may be a lie.

How does this link to the theme of the first reading, “A Dubious Crusade”? The act of war or aggressive movement is uncertain and doubtful so it the Gul of Tonkin relates back to the first reading because it's an example of a "doubious crusade".