What is the significance of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution is significant because it granted President Lyndon B. Johnson broad authority to escalate U.S. military engagement in Vietnam. Following the Gulf of Tonkin incident in August 1964, where North Vietnamese forces were reported to have attacked U.S. naval vessels, Congress passed the resolution in response to the President's request for the means to protect American interests and personnel in the region. This resolution effectively enabled Johnson to increase military operations without a formal declaration of war, leading to a substantial escalation of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

The other options do not accurately reflect the resolution's purpose or impact. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution did not end the Vietnam War, as it occurred early in the conflict and preceded many years of intense fighting. It was not a peace treaty, as peace negotiations with North Vietnam would come years later, and it had no connection to the establishment of NATO, which was formed in 1949 as a collective defense organization in response to the perceived threat from the Soviet Union. Thus, the resolution played a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of U.S. military action in Vietnam.