Nguyen Thai Hoc tried to fight against the imperialism of the French, so he formed the Vietnamese Nationalist Party during the 1920's. Nguyen explains in his document, "Letter to the French Chamber of Deputies," how everyone has the right to defend his own land, and if the French are going to try and rule over his country, then why are Vietnamese treated in a completely different way from the French citizens? When looking at the French document entitled, "National Assembly, Declaration of the Rights of Man And Of The Citizen" one passage describes the rights of the French citizen. The documents states, "Men are born free and remain free and equal in rights." How can a country that believes in these rights have the ability to take control over Vietnam and treat these native people with no respect or care for their well-being?
             Another intriguing document is Jules Ferry's "Speech Before The National Assembly." Ferry points out how he feels that, "Superior races have the rights over inferior races" and that French Imperialism is a necessity that will benefit not only France but also Europe as a whole, as if that region is the only that matters. Ferry believes France is doing nothing wrong by taking over other countries, controlling how they live and what type of government they can and cannot have. Nguyen feels the French are holding back Vietnam's chance of growing on its own and that the French need to leave. The document, by Phan Thanh Gian, entitled, "Letter To Emperor Tu Duc And Last Message to his Administrators," shows how the French came to Vietnam in the 1830's and ended up staying in Vietnam, sending more and more troops to fight against the Vietnamese. They did this until they sustained a sufficient amount of control over the country. The French kept expanding their power, and eventually the Vietnamese had to give up their fight. It is very fascinating to read the idea...