The cost of war: in lives and dollars.

As discussed in the article "Vietnam: The War That's Still With Us," wars exact a great tort on the home front as weft as on the battlefield.

During its history, the United States has fought in major wars at least once about every three decades. The wars have varied greatly in terms of their cost in dollars and in the lives of American troops.

Some 4,400 Americans died fighting the British in the Revolutionary War, and 2,300 died in the rematch in 1812--figures that pate in comparison with the numbers who died in the Civil War. (So many died that the numbers had to be divided to fit into this graph).

In the current war in Iraq, more than 3,000 Americans have been killed (and some 23,000 wounded). And the cost of the war has so far been more than $360 billion.

ANALYZE THE GRAPH

1. What was the approximate
total, of all deaths--Union
and Confederate--in the
Civil War?

(a) 450,000   (c) 600,000
(b) 560,000   (d) 650,000

2. The graph shows deaths
from art causes, including
accidents and illness. It
does not include those
wounded. In World War II,
for example, some 264,000
more U.S. soldiers were
wounded than were killed.
About how many were
wounded?

(a) 671,000   (c) 690,000
(b) 555,000   (d) 701,000

3. The most expensive war
in U.S. history, by far, was
World War II. The next
most costly war was --.
And the least
costly war was --

4. About how many more
Americans died in the
Korean War (1950-53) than
in the Mexican-American
War (1846-48)?

(a) 12,000   (c) 20,000
(b) 15,000   (d) 30,000

5. In one war, almost twice
as many Americans died
than the number who died
in the Vietnam War. Which
war was that? --

6. The war in Vietnam tasted
11 years. How much did
the war cost, on average,
each year?

(a) $55 B   (c) $63 B
(b) $59 B   (d) $67 B

7. Discussion: The Vietnam
War Lasted almost seven
years more than U.S. participation
in World War II.
Why do you suppose there
were far fewer American
deaths in the Vietnam War?

1. [b] 560,000

2. [a] 671,000

3. Korean War & War of 1812.

4. [c] 20,000

5. World War I

6. [b] $59 billion

7. Answers will vary.

This graph shows the number of Americans who died in 10 major wars. The table accompanying it shows the cost in 2007 dollars of each war. Use the data to answer the questions below.

[GRAPHIC OMITTED]

War                      Cost in 2007 Dollars

Revolutionary War        $3.6 billion
War of 1812              $1.1 billion
Mexican-American War     $2 billion
Civil War: Union         $56.3 billion
Civil War: Confederacy   $24.5 billion
Spanish-American War     $7.3 billion
World War I              $642 billion
World War II             $3 trillion
Korean War               $691 billion
Vietnam War              $650 billion
First Gulf War           $92 billion