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Revolutionary War
-The first shots rang out on the morning of April 19, 1775 in Lexington, Mass.
-Congress chose George Washington as commander and chief of America's armed forces.
-The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, and Great Britain acknowledged America's independence. The treaty established a northern boundary with Canada and set the Mississippi River as the western boundary.
-War ended Sept. 3, 1783 -
War of 1812
-The U.S. declared war on Great Britain during its war with France.
-Capt. Oliver Perry's victory on Lake Erie in September 1813 allowed American forces, to advance against the British, who burned Detroit and retreated into Canada.
-The American victory at Fort McHenry near Baltimore inspired Francis Scott Key to write our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
-War ended on March 23, 1815 -
Mexican-American War
-The U.S. fought against Mexico over Texas and California.
-After settling Texas and admitting it to the Union in 1845, the U.S. wished to negotiate a settlement deal with Mexico, which had recently won its independence from Spain. Mexico declined to negotiate and the U.S. decided to use force.
-American troops overtook Mexico's weakened army and declared victory.
-Treaty of Guadalupe was signed in 1848. Mexico gave up two-fifths of its territory.
-War ended Feb. 2, 1848 -
Civil War
-The northern states and the southern states fought over slavery and states' rights.
-Union victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in 1863 marked the turning point in the war.
The South surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia, in 1865.
-More than 180,000 black soldiers fought in the Army. By the end of the war, they made up 10% of the Union troops. Both free Africans Americans and runaway slaves volunteered as soldiers.
-The Union victory ended slavery.
-War ended May 9, 1865 -
Spanish-American War
-Spain declared war on the U.S. because the U.S. supported Cuba's wish to be independent of Spanish rule.
-The Spanish military forced Cubans into slave communities and thousands died from disease and starvation.
-A submarine mine exploded in Havana Harbor in Cuba, it was never proven, America placed responsibility on Spain. “Remember the Maine!” became the war’s most famous slogan.
-The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1898.
-War ended Aug. 1898. -
World War I
-U.S. joined Allies (Britain, France, Russia, Italy, and Japan), who were at war with the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey)
-Treaty of Versailles, was one of 5 peace treaties signed after the Central Powers surrendered to the Allies. Germany was forced to acknowledge guilt for the war, it was forced to return territory it claimed during the war to France, Poland, Belgium, and Denmark. After unsuccessful protests, Germany signed the treaty. -
World War II
-U.S. joined the Allies (Britain, France, and the USSR) to fight the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) after the U.S. forces were attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor in 1941.
-One of the most horrific chapters of the war was the Holocaust, the systematic annihilation of about 6 million Jews, as well as millions of others who did not conform to Nazi Germany’s racist ideals.
-War ended Sept. 2, 1945 -
Korean War
-North Korea's Communist forces fought against South Korea's non-Communist forces supported by U.N. forces, principally made up of U.S. troops.
-U.N forces pushed them back towards North Korea and eventually the boarder with China. Communist China lent their support to the North Koreans and their effort regained control of Seoul.
-After the 1953 truce at Panmunjom, North Korea, North and South Korea remained separate, as before the war.
-War ended Jul. 27, 1953 -
Vietnam War
-The U.S. helped non-Communist South Vietnam fight invasion by Communist North Vietnam.
-President Nixon begins troop withdrawals from the region in May 1969, as massive demonstrations and protests against the war went on in the United States.
-A cease-fire was signed in Paris, 1973. War broke out again in the region, but North Vietnam's victory in 1975 ended the longest war in which the U.S. had ever been involved.
-War ended Apr. 30, 1975
