US wars history

[American2020]

There was no world peace in the human history.
The US, like other countries, has fought wars.

What were the most legitimate and understandable wars in the US history ?

Make your choice.

Mine: World War II, Korea, Gulf War, Bosnia and Kosovo, Independence war.

[dead0man]

Indy, Civil and 2 are the only "good" wars

[Dr. MB]

Indy, Civil and 2 are the only "good" wars

[Blue3]

Indy, Civil and 2 are the only "good" wars

I’d add a limited Afghanistan war without an invasion, that ended with the ruin of Al Qaeda and capture/death of Bin Laden. I still wish Obama announced withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2011, after Bin Laden’s death.

[1978 New Wave skinny trousers]

I voted Independence, Civil, World War II, Korea, Gulf, and Bosnia and Kosovo. However, Afghanistan was also somewhat justified, as the Taliban were sheltering Al-Qaeda. The war was just managed and planned very badly. Also, you forgot to list the Mexican-American and Spanish-American wars.

[Kingpoleon]

WWII
Independence
Civil War
Korean War
Gulf War
Afghanistan
Spanish
Mexican

Vietnam
Iraq

WWI

[Blue3]

Btw, not sure why Bosnia and Kosovo are on this list. I was even alive then (though a kid), and I still don't know what that was about, what happened, what the effect was, or why it's important, and when I remember when I asked my history teacher he said "what war?"

[°Leprechaun]

Good war is an oxymoron. War is never understandable or legitimate.

[Kingpoleon]

Btw, not sure why Bosnia and Kosovo are on this list. I was even alive then (though a kid), and I still don't know what that was about, what happened, what the effect was, or why it's important, and when I remember when I asked my history teacher he said "what war?"

“I’m an ignorant American who once had an ignorant history teacher.”

[Blue3]

Btw, not sure why Bosnia and Kosovo are on this list. I was even alive then (though a kid), and I still don't know what that was about, what happened, what the effect was, or why it's important, and when I remember when I asked my history teacher he said "what war?"

“I’m an ignorant American who once had an ignorant history teacher.”

The history teacher's point was that he wouldn't classify US intervention there as a war. I've researched it since and it still isn't clear to me what happened (nor why it would count as a major war).

[ABTars2000]

Btw, not sure why Bosnia and Kosovo are on this list. I was even alive then (though a kid), and I still don't know what that was about, what happened, what the effect was, or why it's important, and when I remember when I asked my history teacher he said "what war?"

“I’m an ignorant American who once had an ignorant history teacher.”

The history teacher's point was that he wouldn't classify US intervention there as a war. I've researched it since and it still isn't clear to me what happened (nor why it would count as a major war).
Yeah, if we're gonna count Bosnia, we might as well count Panama, Grenada, the Invasion of the Dominican Republic,

Yeah, it's strange to me that they counted Bosnia, but not the War of 1812, Mexican-American War, Spanish-American War, Philippine Insurrection, Intervention in the Russian Civil War, Grenada, Panama, Somalia, etc. 

[Bismarck]

Independence, Civil, and WW2 are the obvious ones. Afghanistan is as well. The Korean War is more debatable but in the long term saving South Korea has proven to be an excellent choice. The gulf war is okay because of the way it was carried out.

[Orser67]

Righteous:
Civil War
World War II
Persian Gulf War
Balkans War
Afghanistan War

Justifiable:
American Revolution
Quasi-War
War of 1812
World War I (even if it didn't work out all that well)
Korean War
Vietnam War (going to war to save South Vietnam is justifiable, though other aspects of the war, including sending thousands of Americans to die in a country they don't care about, aren't so great)

Semi-justifiable:
Mexican-American War (the justifiable part is the annexation of Texas, taking the rest of the territory not so much)
Spanish-American War (it really was a good thing to get Spain out of Cuba after years of rebellions)
Iraq War (shouldn't have gone in but Saddam was a pretty dude)

[LBJer]

I voted for the Civil War (Union) and WWII.  They were the only ones that both truly had to be fought, and where the U.S. was clearly in the right morally. The Revolution is justifiable, but one can make a reasonable argument for the British/Loyalist side as well--the conflict was not a clear case of right against wrong.  The most clearly indefensible were the Mexican-American and the Iraq wars.  The two have a lot in common--both featured the use of weak, trumped up arguments to justify a war that the president and his administration wanted for other reasons.  In the Indian wars, of course, the U.S. was generally the aggressor, and therefore in the wrong, as well.