Paper details: The Vietnam War was a watershed moment in United States history. You’ve learned that the war spanned the terms of three different presidents, divided the nation politically, and tested the adaptability of the U.S. military. For this assignment, please write a 2,000 to 3,000-word essay on one of the two prompts below.

Prompts

Choose one of the following prompts to examine in your essay:

1. In what ways did President Lyndon Johnson escalate US involvement in the Vietnam War? Why did he choose to continue increasing American involvement in Vietnam? How did this differ from the way President Richard Nixon later approached the Vietnam War? How did the American public feel about Johnson’s and Nixon’s respective strategies?

2. During the Vietnam war, the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong employed guerilla warfare tactics when engaging South Vietnamese and United States forces, and guerilla warfare continues to be a primary tactic used in modern warfare. Compose an essay evaluating the use and evolution of guerilla warfare in the Vietnam War and beyond. In your essay, consider how American soldiers adapted or failed to adapt to this fighting strategy, and then argue how this influenced the outcome of the Vietnam War as well as military tactics in ongoing wars today.

Related Lessons

Johnson Americanizes the War in Vietnam

Johnson’s Military Strategies for American Success

Vietnamization: Nixon’s Plan to Withdraw American Forces

Opposition to the Vietnam War, 1965-1968

People’s Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front

Causes of American Defeat in the Vietnam War

Casualties of the Vietnam War: Causes & Statistics

Formatting & Sources

Please write your paper in the APA format. As part of your research, you may refer to the course material for supporting evidence, but you must also use at least two primary and three secondary sources and cite them using APA format as well. Please include a mix of both primary and secondary sources, with at least one source from a scholarly peer-reviewed journal. If you use any Study.com lessons as sources, please also cite them in APA (including the lesson title and instructor’s name).

Primary sources are first-hand accounts such as interviews, advertisements, speeches, company documents, statements, and press releases published by the company in question.

Secondary sources come from peer-reviewed scholarly journals, such as the Journal of Management. You may use like JSTOR, Google Scholar, and Social Science Research Network to find articles from these journals. Secondary sources may also come from reputable websites with .gov, .edu, or .org in the domain. (Wikipedia is not a reputable source, though the sources listed in Wikipedia articles may be acceptable.)

If you’re unsure about how to use APA format for your paper and sources, please see the following lessons:

What is APA Format? Definition & Style

How To Format APA Citations

Grading Rubric

You will be graded according to the following rubric:

Category         Unacceptable (0-1)     Needs Improvement (2-3)      Good (4)            Excellent (5)   Total Possible Points

Thesis (x2)      Essay contains no central cohesive argument; thesis is missing or unclear Main argument is unfocused, or disjointed; thesis lacks depth, specificity, or clarity Main argument is focused and thoughtful; thesis is clear and developed            Main argument is original, focused, and well-developed; thesis is concise and compelling      10

Structure (x1) Structure is illogical and disorganized; hinders understanding            Essay organization makes it difficult to identify main arguments; ideas are disjointed        Structure supports the essay’s main points; arguments and comparisons are easily identifiable; transitions and connections may be lacking  Structure enhances the essay’s main points; arguments and comparisons are well-integrated and ideas flow logically 5

Analysis (x4)  No or very few examples are used to support arguments; analysis and comparisons are missing or incorrect Few or weak examples are given to support main points; analysis and comparisons lack depth or relevance        Relevant examples are given to support main arguments; analysis and comparisons are thoughtful and well-developed           Evidence is of exceptional quality and enhances all main arguments; analysis and comparisons are original and well-developed        20

Mechanics (x1)           Incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and use of standard English grammar hinders understanding     Several instances of incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and usage of standard English grammar            Few instances of incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and usage of standard English grammar     No or very few instances of incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and usage of standard English grammar            5

Sources (x2)    No outside sources utilized or sources utilized are not scholarly; citations do not properly follow APA format Some scholarly outside sources utilized; citations do not properly follow APA format Five or more scholarly outside sources support the essay; citations generally follow proper APA format     Five or more scholarly outside sources enhance the essay; citatiocejns follow proper APA format            10