Legal Document

Forget the flowery words and powerful visuals: this ain't a speech to make an audience tear up.

The Tonkin Gulf Resolution is a formal legislative document, that clearly states the government's decision regarding military involvement in Vietnam. It is not a statement meant to convince, nor is it an essay rambling about some political issue. This resolution is quick and direct, stating the reasons for war, and then giving the president permission to go to war.

Take a look at the top of the document: it says "Joint Resolution." That means Congress has voted, and passed, this legislation. Then, notice the writing style: it doesn't have much of a "flow." Again, it's not meant to be an inspiring speech. The first five paragraphs are actually one giant run-on sentence, if you can believe it. (These folks clearly didn't stay awake in Language Arts.)

But this is actually how lots of legislation is written—highly formalized, almost outdating-sounding, legislative writing. Yeesh.

How it Breaks Down

First: Communist Bad Guys

So, the first section is one giant sentence spread across five paragraphs. You heard right, one sentence; five paragraphs.

In that humongous sentence, Congress blames North Vietnam for attacking U.S. ships, points a finger at North Vietnam for spreading communism, and says that the whole Southeast Asia region is in danger.

Second: The Blank Check

Scaling back a bit, Congress writes a much shorter sentence here, giving the President a "blank check." The meaning? Unlimited authority and resources to wage war in Vietnam, as he sees fit. (Whoa.)

Third: Expiration

So when does this presidential permission slip expire? This final section tells us how the Resolution can come to an end. And that's that.