war in the usa

[ON THE ROAD]

Who was the first head of state to declare war on the U.S.

[dot.hawkes]

George 1V I think, though it wasn;'t the United States then. When was Montezuma?

[ON THE ROAD]

Thanks for your help. I believe it was the Americans who declared war on Britain. (This question is a little difficult to qualify in so far as it has rarely happened to America and does it count if you counter-declare war rather than make the initial declaration.) It could simply be Hitler

[Davethedog]

The war of 1812 was USA on Britain - 1917 USA on Germany

So I think you may well be right. Hirihito or Hitler

[stewey]

Another complication to this question is the question does a head of state actually declare war? In recent history has it not been a branch, or branches, of the government which actually makes a declaration of war?

[Lynn_M]

I believe the USA was at war with Mexico at some point (Davy Crocket, the Alamo, etc.).

[Clanad]

According to our friends at Wikipedia, "...in 1801, Yussif Karamanli, the Pasha (or Bashaw) of Tripoli... declared war on the U.S. by cutting down the flagpole front of the U.S. Consulate in Morocco, Algiers, and Tunis...

Thus began The First Barbary War (1801�1805)... Yussif Karamanli signed a treaty ending hostilities on June 10, 1805...

[jno]

Sounds as if Clanad is correct, though I am unclear whether Tripoli was a state - it appears to have been an Ottoman province, around the current Libyan capital. (Incidentally, Clanad, is this the Tripoli whose shores are sung about along with the halls of Montezuma?)

Here's a list of US wars

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Wars

Seems they seldom sit around and wait for anyone to declare war agains them; they generally get in first.

[ON THE ROAD]

Thanks all,
Certainly given me food for thought .Now its just a matter of being certain of Tripoli's status at that time, but it looks right.

[Clanad]

Most certainly, jno...

[Clanad]

Semper Fi!

[jno]

Thanks, Clanad - I've sometimes wondered if it was the one in Lebanon, though I couldn't remember the marines ever going there.

[fredpuli47]

Tripoli was the subject of the interest of the US Marines.They were in the area to deal with pirates ( that's Fox News' version, put out in the light of recent piracy stories !). In fact they landed to reinstate the ruler of the Barbary state, who had been deposed by one of his relatives.They won the consequent first battle of 'The Barbary War' in 1805, at a place called Derna, near Tripoli.

[themi-joseph]

Don't you think it might of been by the Native>North American Indians? Just a thought!

[Toureman]

"Per Mare Per terram"..............Clanad

That's the Royal Marine Commandos Equivalent of the "Sempa Fi"

Not sure if they used it when they sacked the White House though.