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Sparky's Quill: Wars That Shaped America

A monument for soldiers now stands at the exact spot where Abraham Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address. In his speech, Lincoln honored the fallen, wounded, and fighting men who were helping to usher in a newly defined American freedom.
A monument for soldiers now stands at the exact spot where Abraham Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address. In his speech, Lincoln honored the fallen, wounded, and fighting men who were helping to usher in a newly defined American freedom.

With Veteran's Day and the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War upon us, we here at Sparky's Quill would like to take a quick post to talk about conflicts that the United States has seen and how they helped to shape us into who we are as a nation today.

Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Not a battle site, but a monument to what the American Revolution stood for. Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Not a battle site, but a monument to what the American Revolution stood for.

The American Revolution Of course, this is arguably the most iconic conflict in our nation's history. Because of this conflict, the United States gained its current government and its patriotism.

The Civil War It is the most researched war in American History. A war between states, this conflict was extremely influential in defining the United States' version of “freedom." Reconstruction, however, was a different story.

World War I Isolationism was the name of the game in this war. The United States wanted no part in it (or so many thought) and the country was peaceful. That is, until the countries that began the war realized that the United States was not-so-secretly sending supplies to its allies. The U.S. was thrust into a trench war that lasted longer than it should have, but our cooperation with other nations helped to define a lot of our foreign policy.

A monument for soldiers now stands at the exact spot where Abraham Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address. In his speech, Lincoln honored the fallen, wounded, and fighting men who were helping to usher in a newly defined American freedom. A monument for soldiers now stands at the exact spot where Abraham Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address. In his speech, Lincoln honored the fallen, wounded, and fighting men who were helping to usher in a newly defined American freedom.

World War II Another iconic war, the United States also practiced isolationism until fired upon at Pearl Harbor. This war was characterized by an extremely united home-front and a strong sense of nationalism. Again, this war helped to refine our foreign policies, leading us into the Cold War.

The Vietnam War Public opinion of this next war was almost the exact opposite of WWII. It made the government think twice about what it could and could not do without the support of the people.

Whatever war our veterans have served in, are serving in, or will serve in, they play an integral part in defining our country as well as defending it. We here at Sparky's Quill tip our hats to veterans and thank them for their sacrifices.

Have a burning historical question? Want to talk history? Drop us a line at sparkysquill@gmail.com or find us on twitter @sparkysquill!

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