For a topic that plays such an important role in American history and accounts for nearly half our country's total expenditures, the American military is only vaguely understood by the civilian population of the country. Everyone has their own opinions, but rarely are they based in anything but the most superficial knowledge of our armed forces--how they are structured, how they operate, and what has come before in order to help the country grow and protect itself. Ways of War aims to provide a complete survey of the military's growth and development, including air power and naval power, and dwelling on the ideologies that make up the citizen-soldier armed forces we're familiar with today. It encompasses conflicts fought in North America from the 17th through the 20th centuries, as well as wars undertaken by the US in other parts of the world up through the 21st century. Each chapter includes maps and illustrations, as well as sidebars and lists of further research. A highly-interactive companion website provides student review materials as well as primary sources, maps and other images suitable for use with Blackboard. Whether you've tramped with your parents across the battlefield at Gettysburg or ever wondered how exactly we got into Vietnam, The American Militaryis the first source to consult to understand how the history of the American military fits into the history of the United States.