A thought-provoking and engaging guide to the legal, moral, and political issues that arise when the United States goes to war.

From the American Revolution to the Bush administration's new type of war on terror, Waging War on Trial views warfare from a legal, social, cultural, and political standpoint. Included are homefront debates during major hostilities, "brushfire" incidents, and how the events of September 11th have shaped our domestic wartime policy.



The battle continues today as the President and Congress debate over who begins and ends military operations. Concerns about civil liberties, the draft, and internal security are as relevant today as during the Civil War. Questions arise on how dissenters and minorities are treated and if America can legally control the behavior of our soldiers. It's an intricate interplay between war and America's institutions.









A–Z entries on key people such as Oliver Wendell Holmes and Senator Lee Overman, court decisions such as Abrams v. United States and Schenck v. United States, events such as the Gulf War, and issues such as the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus



A chronology spanning the history of waging war from 1792, which saw the formation of the Society of Cincinnatus, through 2002, with the United States contemplating war with Iraq