ESSAY OUTLINE
PLANNING THE ESSAY
Student: Adam Spark
Paragraph 1 (Introductory Paragraph)
Background Information: Since the end of World War II, the United States of America have been the
superpower of the world. They have acted as the policemen and watch men of the world. After
World War II, the U.S. has been in and out of conflicts non stop. One of the most major conflicts
was the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was a civil war where communist forces of the Democratic
Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam, (also
known as the Viet Cong) fought the anti-communist forces of the Republic of Vietnam (South
Vietnam) in an effort to unify Vietnam into a single independent, communist state.
Controversial Question: Assess the American decision to become involved in Vietnam. Was this a genuine attempt to
preserve freedom in South Vietnam or a war of self-interest using Vietnam as a backdrop?
Thesis Statement: The United States got involved in the Vietnam War for their own purposes to show the Soviet Union
their power, stop the spread of communism, and to gain more influence in Asia by controlling a country.
Sub-Topics:
1) Show the Soviet Union their power
2) Stop the spread of communism
3) To gain more influence in Asia by controlling a country
Paragraph 2 (Sub-Topic 1)
Major Idea: America got involved in the Vietnam to show the Soviet Union their military power.
Evidence:
1) The first planning and intervention in the Vietnam War was during the Cold War.
2) The U.S. had no real reason to be in the war because the attack at the Gulf of Tonkin was fabricated.
3) The Soviets supported the North, so the U.S. supported the South. It was a power struggle between the two super
powers of the Cold War.
Concluding Sentence: Therefore, this evidence proves that America used the war in Vietnam as a way to show the
Soviet Union their military power.
Paragraph 3 (Sub-Topic 2)
Major Idea: Another reason that the U.S. got involved in the Vietnam War was to stop the spread of communism.
Evidence:
1) America was worried about the Domino Effect in Asia
2) America was fighting the communists in the cold war.
3) Americans were the “front line” against communism, this was just another way to fight it.
Concluding Sentence: After looking at the evidence, one can see that America fought during the Vietnam War to stop
the spread of communism.
Paragraph 4 (Sub-Topic 3)
Major Idea: The U.S. got involved in Vietnam to gain more influence in Asia, by controlling a country.
Evidence:
1) The Americans were in Vietnam even before the French and Vietnamese began fighting
2) America played both sides of Vietnam, with both leaders, manipulating both to start the war and gain control of
Vietnam.
3) Americans set it up so they could control the country, using Diem as a puppet to get influence in Asia
Concluding Sentence: The evidence proves that the U.S. got involved in Vietnam to gain more influence in Asia, by
controlling an Asian country.
Paragraph 5 (Conclusion)
Summary of Sub-Topics: This paper has investigated America’s motives to becoming involved in Vietnam. They were: to
show the Soviet Union their military power, to stop the spread of communism, and to gain more influence in Asia by
controlling a country.
Restate the Thesis: The United States got involved in the Vietnam War for their own purposes to show the Soviet Union
their power, stop the spread of communism, and to gain more influence in Asia by controlling a country
Working Bibliography
Daugherty, Leo. The Vietnam War Day By Day
Miami: Lewis International, 2002
Drake, Jeff . “How the U.S. Got Involved In Vietnam”
http://www.vietvet.org/jeffviet.htm
Guilmartin, Dr. John. America in Vietnam
Surrey, England: Colour Library Books, 1991
Ferry, Joseph. “Chapter 2: The Vietnam War”
http://web.ebscohost.com/src/detail?vid=16&hid=11&sid=4bd0d040-c131-46bc-bdbc-5b5cc192b3ce%40sessionmgr103
Gilbert, Sir Martin. A History of the Twentieth Century 1952-1999
Great Britain: HarperCollins Publishers, 1999
Bragden, Henry; McCutchen, Samuel; Ritchie, Donald. History of a Free Nation
United States: Glencoe/McGraw – Hill, 1998