War is a trademark of our nation. It’s not the best characteristic to have but maintaining our nation’s freedoms and interests takes a strong defense to do so. America has been at war basically since we were founded. It took a war just to get our country going. From smaller conflicts to major ones, here’s a look at the war timeline in America.
Is America at War?
Determining whether or not America is at war depends on how you define things. Here are a few facts about the military history of the United States:
- The U.S. has fought in a total of around 108 conflicts. Some of them are ongoing. However, the last time the United States formally declared war through Congress was during World War II.
- Since WWII, there have been plenty of conflicts, wars, and fights involving American troops. However, they have not been formal declarations. While it may feel like just a focus on semantics, some have criticized America being at war without formal declarations through Congress.
- Furthermore, in a post-9/11 world, military conflicts have changed—particularly those in the Middle East and Africa.
- Drone strikes and operations to take out terrorists have been conducted through alternative means without the formal declaration being necessary.
- Even now as the Global War on Terror (GWOT) is officially over, though still never declared through Congress, our nation continues to fight and hunt terrorists in multiple countries.
Breaking Down the War Timeline in America
The US war timeline can contain many smaller conflicts and major conflicts. Veterans should understand more modern conflicts as these periods can affect benefits.
While not a comprehensive list, here are the major conflicts that made America’s war timeline since our independence:
American Revolution (Apr 19, 1775 to Sep 3, 1783)
America’s first war was telling Great Britain enough was enough. Our fight for independence proved successful and helped transform the colonies into a proper nation.
War of 1812 (Jun 18, 1812 to Feb 17, 1815)
Peace with Great Britain didn’t last too long before both nations were once again up in arms.
Started by maritime, trade, and expansion disagreements, the War of 1812 came to an end after the Treaty of Ghent.
American Indian Wars
Also known as the American Frontier Wars, this is an area in which the timeline of America’s wars can get a bit tricky.
Technically, colonists were fighting Native Americans as far back as the early 1600s, though this technically predates the United States.
Furthermore, because the Indian Wars involved varying tribes, different wars went on at different times.
Some experts believe the wars went on from around 1817 to 1898. Others have ranges starting with the birth of our nation in 1775 and going into the early 20th century.
Mexican–American War (Apr 25, 1846 to Feb 2, 1848)
The United States and Mexico couldn’t agree on who belonged where while disputing land along the Nueces Strip.
Furthermore, Mexico didn’t think of Texas as an American territory anyway, so tensions grew.
The Mexican War broke out after Texas formally joined the U.S. and came to an end after Mexico’s government had been pushed back with both sides agreeing to stop the fighting and sign the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
American Civil War (Apr 12, 1861 to May 26, 1865)
Having America at war with itself was a reality during the Civil War following the Confederate States of America succeeding from the Union.
After what would become our nation’s deadliest conflict, the Union eventually brought the country back together, declared slavery over with, and the United States moved forward as one.
Spanish-American War (Apr 21, 1898 to Dec 10, 1898)
Known as a splendid little war due to its relatively low loss of life and short time period, the Spanish-American War would find the United States fighting off Spain in the Philippines and Cuba.
Both groups of people wanted independence from Spain at the time.
Combined with the suspicion that the USS Maine was blown up while in Havana, America was ready to act.
Much later, it was discovered that the explosion was unlikely from a mine or explosive and actually likely due to a coal fire.
World War I (Apr 4, 1917 to Nov 11, 1918)
Once Germany continued its U-boat campaign of sinking ships in the Atlantic and the revelation that Germany tried to get Mexico to attack the U.S. with the Zimmermann Telegram, America joined the Great War.
At the end of the conflict, America joined the fight as the Allies were able to finally overcome the Central Powers.
World War II (Dec 8, 1941 to Sept 2, 1945)
For years, the United States avoided WWII but the attack on Pearl Harbor left our nation with no choice but to respond.
World War II is a major event in the timeline of US wars as it would see our nation rise to an undeniable superpower in the aftermath.
Not only did we help the Allies defeat the Axis powers but our position as a nuclear power was a change still felt in modern times.
Korean War (Jun 27, 1950 to Jul 27, 1953)
Technically, the US never declared war on North Korea but the conflict is undeniable.
However, it’s interesting because while an armistice ended fighting, another technicality is that the conflict is still ongoing.
The Korean War adds to the confusing nature of America at war as our nation and North Korea continue to avoid traditional fighting, yet tensions are always simmering.
Vietnam War (Nov 1, 1955 – Apr 30, 1975)
The Cold War had skirmishes, conflicts, and proxy wars. However, the Vietnam War was the biggest moment of warfare between the United States and the Communists.
Eventually, American GIs headed home following a bloody couple of decades in the jungles, mountains, and seas of Southeast Asia in an event that would change the way the American people viewed war altogether.
The Gulf War (Aug 2, 1990 to Feb 28, 1991)
Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm came to be after President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait with Iraqi forces.
Though there are evolving, more complex reasons that continue to emerge as a cause of the conflict, control over the area’s oil supply was a driving force behind the war.
The United States left the Gulf War once Kuwait was no longer under occupation by Iraq.
Global War on Terror (Oct 7, 2001 to Sept 2021)
The September 11 attacks demanded a strong response by the United States.
America was at war as soon as the attacks took place, though the initial invasion of Afghanistan took place in October 2001, until the U.S. left in late August, ending the conflict in September.
Despite this timeline, the American Armed Forces continue to fight against terrorists all over the world.
The War on Terror was never formally declared nor formally ended. It continues to shape the timeline of wars in US history presently.
How Many Years Has America Been at War?
Depending on how you look at it, America has been at war for at least 156 years of its 248 years of existence. Some estimates have this figure as high as 230+ years so far.
This is because while the major, formal wars listed above highlight our nation’s most prolific conflicts, there continue to be several smaller fights that Americans find themselves a part of.
Furthermore, some wars within wars also may not be fully represented by the list above but are relevant to our nation’s timeline. Some of these include the following:
- The Barbary Wars (1801 to 1805 and 1815 to 1816)
- The Philippine–American War (Dec 1898 to Jul 4, 1902)
- The American Occupation of Haiti (Jul 28, 1915 – Aug 1, 1934)
- The Bay of Pigs Invasion (April 17, 1961)
- The Iraq War (Mar 20, 2003 to Dec 15, 2011)
- The War on ISIS (Jun 13, 2014 to present)
The timeline of America at War is complex. It continues with support directly and indirectly in ongoing conflicts where there are threats to our nation and our allies.
Related reads:
- Your Ultimate Veterans Benefits Guide for the VA and Much More
- Behind the Uniform: Essential Resources for Veteran Business Owners
- A Closer Look at Each Vice President That Served in the Military
