The Declaration of War: One for the History Books

Abstract

The concept of the declaration of war has been a part of the American system of government since the Constitution was ratified in 1789. Its justification revolves around the requirement to manifest, via the legislative process, the backing of the American people regarding the involvement of U.S. combat forces. With such reasonable justification, one would expect to see the Congress approve a declaration of war in every application of U.S. military force. However, its history presents an inverse reality. Since 1798, the United States has involved its military forces in over 200 conflicts.(15:26) Upon closer examination of these specific conflicts, it is important to note that a formal declaration of war was issued on only five occasions.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1998
Accession Number
ADA441475

Entities

People

  • John L. Bacon

Organizations

  • National War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • American Revolution
  • Congress
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • History
  • Hostility
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • Law
  • National Security
  • Second World War
  • Ships
  • Southwest Asia
  • United States
  • War
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Strategic Security Studies