Major Wars in American History

• French and Indian War• Revolutionary War• War of 1812• Civil War• War for Texas Independence• Spanish-American War• World War I• World War II

French and Indian War

• Also known as the Seven Years’ War in Europe• Fought between France and Great Britain• Cause: Each country wanted to control North

America• Outcome: British won• Ended by Treaty of Paris, 1763• Followed by Proclamation of 1763 when

colonists were not allowed to cross the Appalachian Mountains and anger Indians

American Revolution

• Major battles: “Let’s Be Smart Ya’ll.”

• L=Lexington (first shots fired)

• B=Bunker Hill (first major battle)

• S=Saratoga (turning point of war—France joined the United States against British)

• Y=Yorktown (British surrendered)

American Revolution

• Thomas Jefferson (wrote Declaration of Independence)

• Samuel Adams (leader of Sons of Liberty and Boston Tea Party)

• George Washington (commander of colonial army; first U.S. president)

• Paul Revere (warned Samuel Adams as British were going to Lexington & Concord)

American Revolution

• Ended by Treaty of Paris, 1783

• British recognized U.S. independence

• Boundary line for U.S. was the Mississippi River

• The 13 colonies became the 13 states governed by the Second Continental Congress and later the Articles of Confederation

War of 1812

• Fought between U.S. and Great Britain

• Main reasons included (1) Impressment and (2) British were arming Indians

• Washington, D. C. was burned by British

• Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner while watching the battle at Fort McHenry near Baltimore

War of 1812

• (1) Battle of Horseshoe Bend (Alabama) (Cherokee helped Andrew Jackson win)• (2) Treaty of Ghent signed, ending the war• (3) Battle of New Orleans fought two

weeks after the war was over (Americans led by Andrew Jackson won)

• (4) Andrew Jackson, having become a national hero, was elected U.S. President

Civil War

• Primary issue was whether states or federal government could decide what laws states had to follow

• Examples were the protective tariff (nullification) and slavery

Civil War

• First state to secede (leave)—South Carolina

• First shots—Fort Sumter, South Carolina• First major battle—Bull Run (South won)• Turning point—Gettysburg (North won;

beat General Robert E. Lee)• Gen. Lee surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S.

Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia ending the war

Civil War

• Bloodiest one-day battle was at Antietam

• Bloodiest battle of the war was the three-day Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee. While called a tie, the South lost many men and much material that it could not afford to lose.

Civil War

• Gettysburg Address was given at the dedication of a military cemetery

• Emancipation Proclamation was given by President Abraham Lincoln, freeing the slaves in all states in rebellion to the Union. He did not free all slaves—he freed none in the North

Civil War

• Anaconda Plan—the plan the North had to beat the South. It involved a naval blockade of Southern ports in order to deprive the South of the materials it needed to survive the war.

• The Monitor and Merrimack were the first ironclad warships.

Civil War

• The North had more people, industry, railroads, and territory.

• The South had better generals and was fighting a defensive war. The North had to conquer the South, but the South needed only to survive.

• General Sherman marched to the sea, burning Atlanta. This was an example of total war involving civilians, not only soldiers.

Civil War

• President of the United States of America: Abraham Lincoln

• President of the Confederate States of America: Jefferson Davis

War for Texas Independence

• Caused by Americans wanting rights like they had before they moved to Mexico.

• Santa Anna was the Mexican dictator

• Sam Houston was the first president of Texas.

• Stephen Austin was the “Father of Texas”

• Texas known as Lone Star Republic

• Most famous battle: The Alamo

Spanish-American War

• Spain vs. the U.S.• Yellow journalism—newspaper publishers

like Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst would print anything to sell newspapers. They used sensationalism to play on emotions.

• “Remember the Maine”—the Spanish were blamed when the U.S. battleship exploded in port at Havana, Cuba.

Spanish-American War

• Spanish General “Butcher” Weyler used reconcentration camps to punish his enemies or anyone who was seen as a threat to his power.

• Theodore Roosevelt, future President of the U.S., gained much fame for helping lead the “Rough Riders” (a U.S. Calvary unit) in a charge up San Juan Hill.

Spanish-American War

• As a result of the war, the USA acquired the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam. For awhile, the US established a military governor in Cuba, but Cuba was never annexed by the USA.

• The Philippines eventually got its independence while Puerto Rico and Guam were annexed as territories.

World War I

• Long-term Causes: (1) Militarism—building up an army and navy (2) Imperialism—desire to acquire territory for an empire (3) Nationalism—desire to rule one’s own country and have great pride in it (4) Alliance System—most countries in Europe

were bound to support their friends if they were attacked

World War I

• Immediate Cause of the War—While on vacation in Sarajevo, the heir to the Austrian throne, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, was assassinated (murdered) by Serbian nationalists. This prompted Austria to seek revenge against Serbia. Germany backed Austria. Russia backed Serbia. France and Britain were tied to Russia by treaty, so when the shooting started, everyone was at war in a few days.

Why did the USA get involved in WWI?

• The Zimmerman note. German foreign minister Arthur Zimmerman sent a note asking Mexico to attack the U.S. It was intercepted and given to U.S. government officials.

• Unrestricted Submarine Warfare. German subs were sinking American shipping on its way to Europe. The sinking of the luxury liner Lusitania caused the Americans to get involved.

World War I

• Allied Powers (Britain, France, Russia, US) “Best Friends Are Us”

• Central Powers (Austria-Hungary, Germany, Ottoman Empire)

• New technology included submarines, machine guns, long-range artillery, poison gas, tanks, and airplanes.

World War I

War ended by the Treaty of Versailles:

• Reparations (payment for war)

• War Guilt Clause (Germany had to take sole responsibility for the war)

• Disarmament (Germany had to give up or destroy most of its military weaponry)

• Loss of Germany’s empire

World War I

• Woodrow Wilson was President of the United States during WWI.

• Wilson’s 14 points represented his plan for peace. It was not meant to punish Germany as the other Allies wanted.

• Wilson’s most prized point was number 14, which was the League of Nations.

• The USA never signed the Treaty of Versailles or joined the League.

World War I

• Effects:

• Germany looked for revenge, and