how many wars America has won in its history as an independent country?

Question

I am being pressured by a friend to name a single war we have wona aginst a foreign army or in a foreing land. He claims that we lost every single war, and WWII doesnt count because we entered the fight when the rest of the world has already been decimated after 5 years of fight. I could not come up with any satisfactory answer, except accusing him of being unpatriotic for doubting America's might and nobel causes. Is there any rational answer that I could use instead? Please advice.

Answer 1

There are a lot of military actions that don't technically count as wars. But the Mexican American war should count as a good example of a war against a foreign army, and the Spanish American war should count as a good example of a war against a foreign army in a foreign land.

Also, although there haven't been very many things in our short history that count as foreign wars, there certainly haven't been very many that we lost. Maybe Vietnam, but that's it. What wars does this idiot think we lost? And if we lost every war, then how does he think we became the most powerful country on earth? It doesn't make any sense.

Answer 2

Does the revolution count? The War of 1812? Mexican-American war? Spanish-American war? If WWII doesn't count, does WWI? Korean war? Desert storm?

Does the Civil war count? And the military interventions that we won but that weren't classified as full fledged wars?

And honestly, you have to admit that we had a good strategy in the world wars. Let everyone else beat themselves up for awhile and then come in, kick the guy that's already / almost down and feed / arm the people that we like. I think we should have done that for... every war.

Answer 3

24, We've been an independent country since the 1780's

Just to name a few in recent history of overwhelming victory:
Desert Storm
Panama
Grenada

Beating the world superpower, the English twice was no small feat if you want to look a little further back.
Other world superpowers we defeated include Spain in the Spanish-American war (1898)

I don't think we had any allies against the Mexicans in that war, if you mean war with no allies against a relatively same sized capability.

The anti-war types will argue this, but we did defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan and we did defeat Saddam in Iraq pretty quickly in 2001 and 2003 respectively.

For those of you claiming VietNam, Korea and others weren't wars, what is your definition of war? A bunch of politicians acknowledging and defining it as such or the fact that soldiers are shooting at those shooting at them? Personally, I'll go with the groundtruth rather than whether or not a politician or group of them decide to bless it as the truth.

While I will give you that some wars could be defined as battles, they still can be defined as wars that were won quickly due to superior force (which is in itself a strategy and tactic). In no respect, other than the lack of politicians to define it as such, can Korea be classified as a war.

Answer 4

Quasi-War, 1798 – 1800 (undeclared sea war with France)
First Barbary War, 1801 – 1805
War of 1812, 1812 – 1815
Second Barbary War, 1815
Mexican-American War, 1846 – 1848
Spanish-American War, 1898
Philippine-American War, 1899 - 1902
World War I, 1917 – 1918
World War II, 1941 – 1945 (America did win both 1+2)
Korean War, 1950 - 1953 (We did actually win this one..Korea was divded by treaty before this war)
Gulf War, 1990 – 1991
Afghanistan War, 2001 - present
Iraq War, 2003 - present


American Revolutionary War, 1775 – 1783 (we were not independant so this doesn't count towards your question)

We lost this one:
Vietnam War, 1959 - 1975 (we lost this one)

We won these conflicts but they were not wars:
Invasion of Grenada, 1983
Invasion of Panama, 1989-1990



So to sum up your friend needs to go to school since he/she is vastly ignorant of American History

Answer 5

america would have remained component of the British Empire and observed a parliamentary variety of government, possibly interior the guy states incredibly than interior the rustic as an entire (on the grounds that there would possibly no longer have been a rustic as an entire, a minimum of till a lot later inclusive of became the case in Canada). an exciting permutation of that: aside from the radicals, most of the yank revolutionaries incredibly needed some thing extra like the British Commonwealth immediately. The objection became no longer a lot against King George because it became against Parliament attempting to enhance its jurisdiction to a extensive land very far-off. So, had the King gained, would there have been a British Empire for terribly long? Or, would the Commonwealth have developed quicker? one situation for particular: Had he gained, George III would have been acknowledged with the help of the English as considered one of its appropriate kings ever. inspite of the loss, he's in many circumstances one in all the extra beneficial monarchs. And, he became between the longest reigning. in basic terms Victoria and Elizabeth II have been on the throne longer.

Answer 6

The Revolution
Franco-American Naval War
Barbary Wars
War of 1812
Creek War
Mexican War
Civil War
Spanish American War
WWI
WWII
KOREA- (Dont beleive what some might say, we did not loose Korea. We went in to make sure N Korea did not take S Korea, there are still 2 Koreas today and still 35,000 US Troops on the border)
Grenada
Panama
Gulf War

Answer 7

How about the first, the war for independence. The you have WWI, WWII, Desert Storm, Korea. If winning a war is determined by preventing the BAD GUY from doing what he wants, then we have won most. Is Saddam still around killing his own people for fun?

Answer 8

Your buddy doesnt know what he is talking about with WWII and needs to go back to History 101 and relearn what America is all about.

Revolution vs. England
War of 1812 vs. England
Civil War vs. Rebel states
Spanish American War (how we obtained Puerto Rico)
WW I to defend against tyrany
WW II because WE were attacked by Japan.
Korea wasnt a war
Neither was Vietnam
Cold War vs. Communism
Gulf War
War on Terror: Not yet determined, but it looks good.

Answer 9

There were NO wars USA won alone in XX century as independent country.

Oh, I forgot tiny puny Panama and Grenada!
Puny of puniest Grenada where the "mightiest army in the world" fought against Cuban "stroibat" (army construction battalion). As we said back in times, "stroibat" soldiers have the best weapons in the world: shovels and jackhammers.

And Mexico, as mentioned the author below.

Of course, the lost wars were only in Korea and Vietnam.

Answer 10

Only very small wars, apart from those that have been fought with the assistance of allies.
The war against Mexico 1846 - 1848.Can't think of much more.