In chapter six of Michael C.C Adams book he argues against the myth that war ushered in a time of prosperity for Americans. And one can defiantly see how his argument holds true not only by the historical facts he uses to disprove the myth that war ushered in a time of prosperity. Adams also brings into his argument the issue of race, and how there was almost no unity in the face of war between the races. Also to add to his argument to disprove the myth he also states that prosperity affected a select few such as large businesses as where small businesses went for broke. All these issues add up to a time of prosperity being a big myth that Americans have brought into for generations.…
Have you ever thought of the effects ISIS has on us and the military? In the article “A Case for Kill switches in Military Weaponry” by Johnathan Zittrain we notice that he mentions ISIS and how they stole our weapons. He also mentions that he believes that the only productive way to about protecting them is to create a “kill switch.” Despite lacking a ton of evidence Zittrain has an effective argument because he uses ethos, pathos, and logos making it clear to the audience that he knows what he is writing about.…
Among the bustling port cities of the early American eastern seaboard, Baltimore was the only one that was firmly in the Democratic-Republican camp at the onset of the War of 1812. The young and dynamic boomtown stood antithetical to the aged, ordered, and settled civilization of southern Maryland whose economy was founded in the eighteenth century on the backs of African slaves and tobacco production; a crop which remained during the grain transition of northern Maryland and southern Pennsylvania farmland at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Baltimore, since 1798, had been a Democratic-Republican bastion and, starting in 1801, the Maryland state government soon followed. Though the Federalists remained powerful in southern Maryland and on the Eastern Shore, there were less Federalist representatives in the state legislature as compared to the populous Democratic-Republican districts. A…
In response, the Japanese tried to reinforce their troops through the Tokyo Express by sea, but the U.S. troops fought the arriving Japanese troops on the beach in what was called the Navy Battle of Guadalcanal (www.guadalcanal.com; www.historylearningsite.co.uk). In that battle, only four thousand of the ten thousand Japanese troops were able to get through and escaped into the jungle. The Americans and the Japanese continued to fight intensely in the mountainous jungle in hot conditions, where many on both sides died from fighting, heat exhaustion and diseases. The Americans continued to attack from air, land and sea and won the battle for Guadalcanal on February 9th 1943…
The United States was unjustified when going to war with Mexico for multiple reasons. One of the biggest reasons was the expansion of a slavery state. Texas is very large and great for growing cotton, so if the U.S. annexed Texas, a very large slave state would be added. The second reason was that James Polk provoked the war. He was also a big believer in Manifest Destiny. This meant that he wanted to expand the land of the U.S. , and His motto was “54 40 or fight” which meant expanding the U.S. up to the northern boundary of the Oregon territory. If this goal was not achieved, they would go to war to get it.…
The USA employed planes such as B52 bombers to bombard the Ho Chi Minh trail in an attempt to obliterate all industrial and major transportation targets as fast as possible, with the hope that this would sink the morale of the Viet Cong and make the people afraid of the Americans; in turn disheartening them. However, although it managed to disrupt the flow of supplies, extensive aerial bombing did not prevent the North Vietnamese from moving hundreds of tons of war supplies per day down the Ho Chi Minh Trail - which ran from North Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia - into South Vietnam. The Viet Cong continually built the route into an extensive network of trails and support systems; the bombing was futile as when a section was discovered and destroyed by American planes, the trail was simply redirected through the dense jungle which concealed it from the opposition. When the most visible, truck-navigated sections of the trail were targeted, supplies were loaded onto bicycles that could no longer be detected from the air, hidden by the impenetrable foliage. In fact, despite intense U.S. bombing throughout 1965, the trail never closed once and it has been estimated that up to 40,000 people were used to keep the route open; their morale and determination were untainted. Due to the ineffectiveness of their initial bombing, the Americans were forced to use their aircraft to drop defoliants onto the jungles to kill the vegetation as they believed that this would uncover Viet Cong soldiers who had been shielded by the forest. It is estimated that 17 million litres of Agent Orange, a common defoliant, were sprayed over Vietnam by the U.S.; although they succeeded in clearing vast areas of woodland, this did little to aid the Americans in their struggle to spot their enemy. The National Liberation Front had built a system of underground tunnels that made it impossible for them to be seen from the sky, which, at its peak, linked VC support bases over a distance of some 250…
Born in 1831, Hood was educated at West Point and said to have been a mediocre cadet. The subject that Hood did excel at was military theory, a difficult class that many future leaders would lament not having done well in.…
The American civil war was one of the toughest and deadliest wars in American history. This was where the Confederate States of America fought for their independence. It took place from 1861 when the war broke out till April 9th 1865 when confederate commander Robert E. Lee surrendered at the McLean House in the village of Appomattox Court House. It was one of the earliest true industrial wars. Industrial knowledge was used to produce weapons in mass-production. Steamships and railroads were used to supply troops and the telegraph which was relatively new was used in communication. Practices of total war were being used in the civil war. This shows that this was a tough war that needed the best…
Looking back to American history, some cringe with regret at events that were catastrophic and villainous. While in some instances we overwhelmed with pride for the right decisions our ancestors chose. But it is events like the US - mexican war that brings us the realization that in order for America to be the great nation it is, the war was a necessary act. Amy Greenberg’s A Wicked War captures the lives of five important people that left their legacy in American history.…
Military theory spans centuries of conflict all across the world. As such, military theorists have written in a variety of military climates, varying from the absence of gun powder to the presence of nuclear weapons. However, some military theories are transcendent. Some elements of Sun Tzu and Clausewitz are eternally wise. While their similarities may become universal truths, their differences are equally worthy of study because, it is in the differences where choices are made. Sun Tzu and Clausewitz agreed that war is chaos, military action is a tool for diplomatic goals and, as such, the results of warfare are not final. Their differences lie in how they advocate for waging war. The style and preparations for war contrast. This is where…
To most people war is a way that we settle disputes with other nations, but they don’t fully understand the intricate details that go along with it. Its not just about the guns, gernades and tanks, it brings out different aspects of soldiers personalities and I think should be more focused on the hardships that individual and groups of soldiers endure. The horrific situations that soldiers undergo can cause different types of actions that they would take because war is contradictory. Soldiers experience unimaginable stress that can make them appear weak or strong. Which is the biggest contradiction that war presents; war makes you strong and war makes you weak. There are numerous examples which can easily be found in the book The things they carried by Tim O’brien. Two stories that demonstrate it best are “the man I killed” and “speaking of courage.” Looking back through history also farther promotes the idea, like when America created the atomic bomb, and started a draft.…
As the Army transitions from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, the organization is well served to take a long look in the mirror. After ten plus years of deployments, our combat tested warriors are sure to possess more than enough valuable knowledge to reinforce and improve upon our status as a profession. A TRADOC published paper explains “to be a professional is to understand, embrace, and competently practice the expertise of the profession.” I believe the profession of arms exists and there are many components that reinforce this argument. Among these components, initial entry training and institutional learning, shared values, and a monopoly on our mission are three of the most important tenants. All Soldiers must graduate from Basic Combat Training and all officers must graduate from a commissioning source. Similar to medical school or law school in other traditional professions, these schools set the foundation for years of practice that will lead to expert work. From the first day in these schools, Soldiers are taught the seven Army values and the Soldiers creed. Comparable to the Hippocratic Oath, these words set basic principles all Soldiers must live by. Last, no other organization has the knowledge, material, or will to ensure national defense and security. The Army’s unique and expert work ensures it is a profession in the truest sense of the word.…
The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a pivotal conflict during World War II characterized by some of the fiercest fighting in the Pacific Campaign. For Japan, Iwo Jima served as their last line of defense protecting their homeland from the Allied advancements. Japan knew the strategic significance of the island for both Allied and Axis powers and was equally certain that the U. S. would seek to secure it. Resolved that America would pay a huge price for every inch of ground gained, The Battle of Iwo Jima become the bloodiest battle of World War II and remains the most costly of battles in Marine Corps history. Three Marine Divisions conducted an amphibious landing and assault to destroy one heavily defended Japanese Division on the 7.5 square mile island of Iwo Jima. The 36-day assault claimed 6,766 U.S. lives and nearly 20,000 wounded. For the Japanese, the loss was even more staggering with only 1,083 survivors of the original 21,060 defenders. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the commander for Japanese forces, “proved to be Japan’s greatest wartime general and…the most redoubtable adversary” for the United States. Kuribayashi displayed brilliant leadership and tactical application of strategic objectives, as he skillfully employed the art and science of mission command in his epic defense of Iwo Jima.…
The Impact of less-lethal weapons and tactics. The effect on modern law enforcement from the use and advancements of intermediate weapons.…
In the book, America's Great War: World War I and the American Experience, Robert H. Zieger discusses the events between 1914 through 1920 forever defined the United States in the Twentieth Century. When conflict broke out in Europe in 1914, the President, Woodrow Wilson, along with the American people wished to remain neutral. In the beginning of the Twentieth Century United States politics was still based on the "isolationism" ideals of the previous century. The United States did not wish to be involved in European politics or world matters. The U.S. goal was to expand trade and commerce throughout the world and protect the borders of North America.…