Why did America get Involved in the Vietnam War between 1954 and 1965?

Have a little read: ... Rachel Cormack H1 Why did America get Involved in the Vietnam War between 1954 and 1965? In this essay, I will use my own historical knowledge as evidence to answer the question "Why did America get involved in the Vietnam war between 1954 and 1965?" Vietnam was a country on the borders of China, Laos, and Cambodia, thousands of miles away from the United States of America, and a place many Americans never even knew existed. France had ruled Vietnam before the outbreak of World War 2, and then the Japanese took over. However, the U.S. supported the Vietnamese when they tried to over throw the Japanese. This is when the American involvement began. In the Civil War that followed, there was a risk of North and South Vietnam becoming communist and I believe that this risk was the main reason that America increased their involvement in Vietnam. The U.S. feared the spread of communism and supported the opposition of the communist Vietnamese because of their capitalist views. I will now try to attest my opinion using historical evidence to answer the question "Why did America get involved in the Vietnam between 1954 and 1965?" Prior to the outbreak of World War 2, the French ruled and owned Vietnam and it was known as Indo-China. However, during World War 2, Germany invaded France, making it impossible for France to continue ruling Indo-China. Troops were withdrawn, leaving the country unprotected. The Japanese invaded to take over the country. Many of the Vietnamese people did not want to be controlled by the Japanese and so a man called Ho Chi Minh set up a defence force to fight for Vietnamese independence. This army was called the Vietminh or the Vietcong. The Vietcong was supported by the USA and they soon defeated the Japanese. Vietnam was finally independent, but after World War Two ended, this independence was threatened by the French, attempting to reclaim Vietnam. The Vietcong had fought too hard for too long just to give the country up and so another war for independence broke out in 1946. The USA had now realised that the Vietcong was a communist movement, and they supported the French, financially and supplied them with equipment and advisors. The war lasted for several years with no major breakthroughs or gains and the USA lost a huge amount of money. Finally, the war ended in 1954 at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu