The Complete History of U.S. Wars
War has always been part of the American experience. From the time the first colonists set foot upon North America's shores, they were in conflict with the Native inhabitants. One hundred years later the colonies suddenly found themselves an extension of the conflicts in Europe. Less than a century later, the Revolutionary War freed the fledgling United States from its British overlords and European entanglements. Born and nurtured in war, America grew in strength and power until at the beginning of the 21st century it was the foremost military power in the world.
- Title ID 26-USW
- History, American History, Military History, Political Science
- 8 Programs
- 30 Supplemental Files
- 10th Grade through Post Secondary
- Published by Ambrose Video Publishing Inc./Centre Communications
Included Programs
Supplemental Files
Included Programs
Wars for the ContinentRunning time is 27 minutes
American Wars in American History are examined in this first program on war in U.S. History.
Chapter List
- 1702 - Queen Anne's War
- Spanish colonies, especially St. Augustine, would be a strategic point in Queen Anne's War.
- 1713 - The Treaty of Utrecht
- The Treaty of Utrecht ended Queen Anne's War but would set the stage for the War of Jenkins Ear 30 years later.
- 1739 - War of Jenkins Ear Begins
- The War of Jenkins Ear would bring colonial militias into the European Wars and eventually lead to the Founding of America and the United States.
- 1754 - 1763 French and Indian War
- The French and Indian War produced American war leaders such as George Washington, and in founding America, led to the American Revolution. Chief Pontiac, an America Indian leader, led Native Americans in a war of independence in the old Northwest and Kentucky against British forces and American colonists.
- 1763 - Pontiac's War
- Chief Pontiac, an America Indian leader, led Native Americans in a war of independence in the old Northwest and Kentucky against British forces and American colonists
- 1770 - Boston Massacre
- The Boston Massacre and the Liberty pole riot jump started the American Revolution and helped produce heroes like Paul Revere in the Revolutionary War.
The Revolutionary WarRunning time is 27 minutes
American Wars in American History are examined in this second program on war in U.S. History.
Chapter List
- 1775 - The Battle of Lexington and Concord
- Concord and Lexington started the Revolutionary War, after Paul Revere's ride, a heroic act of the American Revolution.
- 1775 - George Washington Takes Command of the Continental Army
- George Washington was appointed leader of the Continental Army, while the Battle of Bunker Hill became the first full scale military battle of the Revolutionary War at the beginning of the American Revolution.
- 1776 - Washington Crosses the Delaware
- Washington crosses the Delaware in 1776 establishing George Washington as a true hero and leader during the Revolutionary War, while the importance of the American Revolution is written about by Thomas Paine.
- 1777 - Second Battle of Saratoga
- The Colonies' Revolutionary War turns around at the Battle of Saratoga, beginning the march to a successful American Revolution built on the backbone of the colonial militia.
- 1777 - John Paul Jones Sets Sail
- John Paul Jones fought for the Revolutionary war and helped to make the American Revolution successful by showing the American Navy could fight.
- 1777 - The Winter at Valley Forge
- From the darkest days of Valley Forge in the second year of the Revolutionary War, the American Revolution and its military leaders like George Washington and Baron Frederick Von Steuben, as well as heroines like Mary Ludwig Hayes - Molly Pitcher - never gave up on the ideal of freedom and as a result, battles like the Battle of Monmouth would be won by the colonies.
- 1778 - George Rogers Clark Captures Kaskaskia
- George Rogers Clark during the American Revolution, the Revolutionary War, led an attack on Kaskaskia at the bidding of Patrick Henry, in order to secure the Old Northwest Territory for the colonies..
- 1781 - Siege of Yorktown
- Yorktown ended the Revolutionary War, but only after military leaders of the American Revolution, under the command of George Washington, defeated the British at Cowpens, and sent British general Lord Cornwallis into retreat to Virginia
Manifest Destiny WarsRunning time is 27 minutes
American Wars in American History are examined in this third program on war in U.S. History.
Chapter List
- 1797 - U.S.S. Constitution is Launched
- The U.S.S. Constitution helped set in motion an American Navy and Marine Corps.
- 1811 - Battle of Tippecanoe
- At the Battle of Tippecanoe, Shawnee leader Tecumseh was defeated by General William Henry Harrison.
- 1814 - Washington, D.C. is Captured and Burned by the British
- The War of 1812 produced heroes such as Commodore Perry and Dolley Madison, while Fort Miggs was defended by General Harrison and the White House were burned.
- 1814 - The Star Spangled Banner is Written
- In the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key wrote the Spangled banner during the siege of Fort McHenry.
- 1815 - Battle of New Orleans
- In the War of 1812, the Battle of New Orleans was won by Andrew Jackson after the Ghent Treaty had ended the war.
- 1832 - Massacre at Bad Axe River Ends Black Hawk War
- Chief Black Hawk, who led American Indians in Black Hawk War, which ended in the Massacre at Bad Axe River, also wrote Black Hawk an Autobiography.
- 1836 - Alamo Falls
- The Alamo, would introduce American heroes James Bowie, William Travis, and Davy Crockett, in the fight to free Texas led by Stephen Austin.
The Civil WarRunning time is 28 minutes
American Wars in American History are examined in this fourth program on war in U.S. History.
Chapter List
- 1846 - United States Declares War on Mexico
- The Mexican American War, begun by President John K. Polk, was fought to bring Texas into the union and to promote slavery and Manifest Destiny.
- 1861 - Eleven States Comprise the Confederacy
- The Civil War, fought to end Slavery and bring the Confederacy back into the Union was led by Abraham Lincoln.
- 1862 - Emancipation Proclamation
- The Emancipation Proclamation, ending slavery during the Civil War, was written by Abe Lincoln, to rally the support of abolitionists later the Union's victory at the Battle of Antietam.
- 1863 - Lincoln Delivers His Gettysburg Address
- During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln gave his immortal Gettysburg Address.
- 1863 - The Fall of Vicksburg
- When in the Civil War, the Union, under the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, captured Vicksburg, the war was all but over, a war that had begun badly for the North with defeat at the Battle of Bull Run won by the Confederacy; but victories at Antietam and Gettysburg, and generals such as U.S. Grant and Philip Sheridan were able to defeat the brilliant leadership of Robert E. Lee and lead the north to victory at Appomattox, while at the same time naval warfare was changed forever in the battle bet
- 1865 - Lee Surrenders at Appomattox
- Appomattox, ending the civil war, brought together Confederate General Robert E. Lee, and Union General U.S. Grant.
The Imperial WarsRunning time is 27 minutes
American Wars in American History are examined in this fifth program on war in U.S. History.
Chapter List
- 1750 - Native American Horse Cultures Dominate the Great Plains
- The Pueblo Indian revolt led directly to the creation of the American Indian horse culture in the 18th century.
- 1876 - Battle at the Little Big Horn
- At the Battle of Little Big Horn, George Armstrong Custer was defeated by Crazy Horse leading northern Indian Plains tribes.
- 1890 - Battle at Wounded Knee
- The Battle of Wounded Knee, fought t stop the Ghost Dance, happened after the great Sioux leader, Sitting Bull, was killed.
- 1898 - Sinking of the Maine
- The Sinking of the Maine launches American imperialism to take over Cuba, the Philippines, Guam, Puerto Rico and destroys the Spanish fleet and makes the reputation of, Teddy Roosevelt.
- 1914 - 1917 America Prepares for World War I
- World War I begins but President Woodrow Wilson keeps America out of War until the Arthur Zimmerman telegram demonstrates Germany's involvement in North American politics.
- 1917 - America Enters World War I
- During World War I, America's Selective Service Act, drafts men to fight against Germany; and from this war, heroes, such as John Black Jack Pershing and Eddie Rickenbacker, would emerge, as well as the call for League of Nations, created by President Woodrow Wilson.
The Global WarsRunning time is 27 minutes
American Wars in American History are examined in this sixth program on war in U.S. History.
Chapter List
- 1941 - Japanese Bomb Pearl Harbor
- After Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, destroying the airfield and naval base at Pearl Harbor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt declares war and Douglas MacArthur vows to return to the Philippines.
- 1944 - D-Day "Operation Overlord"
- D-Day, known as Operation overlord, began the fight in western Europe against fascism and pitted American Generals like George S. Patton and Dwight David Eisenhower against German militarists such as Erwin Rommel, in a war that began for America at Pearl Harbor and was led by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and created The Greatest Generation of Americans in the 20th century.
- 1945 - America Drops an Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima
- Hiroshima and Nagasaki, were the only targets of the Atomic bomb developed by Manhattan Project, led Robert Oppenheimer, and used to end the Pacific war in World War II.
- 1950 - President Truman Sends American Troops to the Aid of South Korea
- The Korean War, during the administration of Harry Truman, pitted the west against communism as Korea's Communist North Korea fought the capitalist South Korea.
- 1950 - 1953 The Korean War
- The Korean War started when North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel between North Korea and South Korea, and Generals Douglas MacArthur and Matthew Ridgeway during the administration of Harry Truman lead American forces against communism
The Cold WarRunning time is 27 minutes
American Wars in American History are examined in this seventh program on war in U.S. History.
Chapter List
- 1952 - The Marshall Plan Wins the Battle for Western Europe
- The Marshall Plan was developed after World War II by George Marshall, and was used to save Europe from Stalin and Russia, though a Cold War developed, which created an Iron Curtain across Eastern Europe and a Western Europe protected by NATO.
- 1954 - John Foster Dulles Becomes Eisenhower's Cold War Warrior
- The Cold War, started under Harry Truman, was continued by cold war warriors John Foster Dulles and Eisenhower, eventually resulting in a stand against communism in the Vietnam War.
- 1962 - Cuban Missile Crisis
- The Cuban Missile Crisis pitted John Kennedy against Khrushchev and Fidel Castro in America's cold war fight against, communism.
- 1964 - Vietnam War: Congress Passes Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
- America scaled up the Vietnam War with the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution proposed by Lyndon Johnson to fight communism and the Viet Cong.
- 1968 - Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive
- The Vietnam War's Tet Offensive would mark the end of U.S. begun by Lyndon Johnson, and the rise of Communism begun by Ho Chi Minh.
The Police WarsRunning time is 27 minutes
American Wars in American History are examined in this eighth program on war in U.S. History.
Chapter List
- 1973 - Vietnam War: Cease-Fire Ends War
- With Vietnam and the Vietnam War causing protests at schools like Kent State, shootings occurred as the anti communism fervor of the cold war came against the civil rights of protest, eventually civil rights winning out with the Elsberg Papers.
- 1983 - The Grenada Conflict
- Grenada, a hot spot in America's cold war against communism, helped Ronald Reagan promote the U.S. Military, and ten years later the ouster of Manuel Noriega from Panama would demonstrate American military superiority.
- 1990 - The Gulf War
- The Gulf War pitted Iraq, governed by Saddam Hussein, against America, under by George Bush, and in the war, Iraqis were defeated by a coalition under the command of General Norman Schwarzkopf.
- 1991 - End of the Cold War
- The Cold War, ended with the defeat of communism when America led by Ronald Reagan defeated the USSR led by Mikhail Gorbachev.
- 2003 - Gulf War II
- Using the reason searching for Weapons of Mass destruction, George W. Bush and the Neocons led the United States into the Iraqi war.
Supplemental Files
- Historical Overview of Weapons
- Map - Afghanistan
- Map - Battle of Saratoga
- Map - Battle of Wilderness
- Map - Battle of Wounded Knee
- Map - Black Hawk War
- Map - Civil War Battle of Antietam
- Map - Civil War Blockaded Ports
- Map - Civil War Divisions
- Map - Communist Countries 1980
- Map - Europe Soviet Empire 1950
- Map - Grenada
- Map - Iraq and Kuwait
- Map - Japan Controlled Land 1942
- Map - Korea 38th Parallel
- Map - Line of Proclamation
- Map - Little Bighorn Battlefield
- Map - Nazi Controlled Lands - 1942
- MARC Records for USW
- MARC records for the series The Complete History of U.S. Wars
- Timeline - American Wars
- Timeline - Foreign Wars
- Timeline - Indian Wars
- Transcription for Wars for the Continent
- Transcription for The Revolutionary War
- Transcription for Manifest Destiny Wars
- Transcription for The Civil War
- Transcription for The Imperial Wars
- Transcription for The Global Wars
- Transcription for The Cold War
- Transcription for The Police Wars