This is an excerpt from the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution issued by Congress on August 7, 1964.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that the Congress approves and supports the determination of the
President, as Commander in Chief, to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression. The United
States regards as vital to its national interest and to world peace the maintenance of international peace and security in Southeast Asia...[and] is...prepared...to assist any
member...of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty requesting assistance in defense of its freedom.
Based on this excerpt, why was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution significant?
O It gave the president the power to use military force without a formal declaration of war.
O It limited the power of the president by requiring any military action to be approved by Congress.
It authorized the president to de-escalate American involvement in the Vietnam War.