Transcript Major Wars in American History

Major Wars in American History
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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
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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 threeday 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