How U.S. Military Interventions Shape Citizenship David Livingstone Society for Military History Pacific Region Coordinator
Phases of Citizenship in terms of U.S. Military conflict Colonial Period: Citizenship defined by Insurgency. The U.S. Civil War: The borders of Citizenship challenged – division, slavery, rights. American Imperialism: Beginnings of global citizenship – Span. Am. War, Cuba, Philippines. World War I: Expansion & Contraction – Woodrow Wilson’s idealism, the 14 Points, isolationism. World War II: Era of American Empire – U.N. Cold War: Containment, Korea, Vietnam, decolonization – the military industrial complex.
Phases of Citizenship The Post Cold War: “The End of History?” / Gulf War I, Asymmetrical Warfare – 9/11, Global War on Terror. Consequences of the Post Cold War: Decline of American influence, the Arab Spring, low intensity conflict, contraction of American citizenship abroad. Professional versus Conscript Army: Advantages – no draft, highly trained and motivated force; downsides – reduction in national service, changing perspectives on citizenship, generational challenge.
Perceptions: In which war did the U.S. Military suffer the greatest number of casualties? Source: U.S. Congressional Research: crs.org Revolutionary War: ( ) 10,623 War of 1812: ( ) 6,675 Mexican War: ( )17,435 Civil War: ( ) 646,392 Spanish-American War: ( ) 4,108 WW I: ( ) 320,518 WW II: ( )1,076,245 Korean War: ( ) 139,858 Vietnam War: ( ) 161,864 Gulf War: (1991) 850
“Over grown military establishments are under any form of government inauspicious to liberty, and are to be regarded as particularly hostile to republican liberty.” “If we desire to avoid insult, we must be ready to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known, that we are at all times ready for war.” The Paradox of How We Interpret Citizenship Through the Lens of Military Intervention
"A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled, and less than that no man shall have." Speech to veterans, Springfield, IL, July 4, 1903
Our object now... is to vindicate the principles of peace and justice in the life of the world as against selfish and autocratic power and to set up amongst the really free and self- governed peoples of the world such a concert of purpose and of action as will henceforth insure the observance of those principles. Selective Service Act 1917 President Woodrow Wilson
Who are considered citizens in times of war? Recruiting Posters Aimed at African-Americans 1918; Source: Gilder Lerhman Collection
What did serving in the military do for citizenship status?
Was there any improvement in postwar America?
Of the more than 400 Medals of Honor awarded, not one of the 1.2 million African Americans who served in the war was a recipient. Lt. Vernon J. Baker: awarded his Medal of Honor on January 13, 1997 for actions in Italy in 1945.
Executive Order 9981 – July 26, 1948
Containment, Cold War, and the Military Industrial Complex How did the policies of Eisenhower, Truman, and JFK shape the Cold War?
The Vietnam War and the Gulf of Tonkin Resolutions Why did America go to war in Vietnam? LBJ
Citizenship Through Protest?
Using Music As a Primary Source
Immigrants, Women, and the changing face of the U.S. Military Under special provisions in Section 329 of the INA, the president signed an executive order on July 3, 2002, authorizing all noncitizens who have served honorably in the U.S. armed forces on or after Sept. 11, 2001, to immediately file for citizenship.
“Valor Knows no Gender”: Women in Combat 2013, Leon Panetta lifts ban on women in combat. How does this expand citizenship for women? How does this change citizenship in America? What if any pitfalls are there in this change?
Useful Books
Teaching With Novels
Useful Websites WW I Document Archive: National Archives: Library of Congress: University of Washington: = = Feel free to contact me at if I can help in any way or you need assistance with primary