Editors' Note
This post has been corrected to remove phrasing that was copied from Wikipedia, Prof. Boerner's Explanations, and Senate.gov.
BuzzFeed takes its responsibility to readers very seriously, and plagiarism is a major breach of that responsibility. Please read our apology to readers here.
Right here the Constitution says "Congress shall have the power ... to declare war."
So Obama's decision to punt to congress on the decision for military action in Syria has a solid Constitutional basis.
1. After the American revolution there were many unresolved conflicts with Great Britain.
On June 17, 1812, Congress approved a resolution declaring war with Great Britain.
The military conflict ended after decisive, surprise victories in the Battle of New Orleans and the Battle of Baltimore.
Although the Brits did get to burn down the damn White House.
2. In 1821 Mexico was trying to maintain control over a vast Spanish territory after their recent independence from Spain. When Texas declared independence, a border war broke out between Mexico and the United States.
On May 12, 1846, Congress agreed to declare war on Mexico.
The war lasted a a year and a half. In that time American forces occupied New Mexico and California, parts of Northern Mexico and Baja California.
A Mexican surrender was forced when the American army captured Mexico City in 1847.
And when final negotiations between the two nations were over, America got this SWAG:
3. Revolts against Spanish rule had been occurring for some years in Cuba; In 1898 President McKinley sent the USS Maine to Havana after riots threatened American citizens.
On April 25, 1898, Congress approved a resolution declaring war with Spain.
The 10-week conflict ended in decisive American victories against outnumbered Spanish forces.
4. In 1914, World War I broke out between Germany and Austria-Hungary and United Kingdom, France and the Russian Empire. America did not intervene in this war for the first three years.
But in 1917, Americans were made aware of a German plan to finance a Mexican war to help recover the territories of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.
On April 6, 1917, Congress approved a resolution declaring war with Germany.
Congress voted to go to war with Austria-Hungary on December 7, 1917.
2.8 million American men were drafted to fight and by summer 1918, 10,000 American soldiers were arriving in France daily.
After the collapse of German lines in 1918 an armistice was signed. The 1919 Versailles Treaty formally ended the declaration of war between the Allies and Germany.
Treaties with Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire were subsequently signed.
5. 21 years after the Treaty of Versailles, Americans were not inclined to join another European conflict.
But when this happened to American forces in Pearl Harbor, national sentiment changed.
Between December 8 and 11, 1941, Congress agreed to declare war with Japan, Germany and Italy.
The vote was 82-0.
On June 4, 1942, Congress approved war resolutions against other Axis countries of Bulgaria, Hungary and 'Rumania'.
And the Senate unanimously voted in favor, 73-0.
After five years of fighting all Axis forces had surrendered to the Allies.
The war cost 418,500 American lives.
The American Congress has not formally declared war on any nation since.
