This straightforward guide examines the causes for each of America's wars and reveals how these conflicts have shaped the nation's borders, society, politics, culture, and future. You'll meet heroes, cowards, patriots, and traitors; relive great battles; and get a taste of what combat is really like, as you discover:
- How the French/Indian war sowed the seeds of the Revolutionary War
- Why America's battle for independence didn't end at Yorktown
- Early U.S. wars against Indians, tax cheats, and pirates
- The War of 1812: guaranteeing U.S. sovereignty
- "Manifest Destiny" wars that stretched America from sea to shining sea
- Why the American Civil War could not be avoided
- The Spanish American War and the U.S. as an emerging global power
- Why World War I failed to "make the world safe for democracy"
- How World War II changed America's role in the world
- Korea and Vietnam: hot wars during the Cold War
Featuring important insights on technological, political, and social changes that transformed the way America fights its wars U.S. Military History For Dummies is your key to understanding the evolution of the most powerful military force in history.