Why Americans fight: Justifications for asymmetric warfare

Popular justifications for war in the USA have long been based on normative values embodied in America's civil religion, including a sacred right of self-defense. Over time, these justificatory rationales have been adapted and expanded to generate public support for asymmetric wars. An early example of this – the First Seminole War – may help us understand subsequent transformations of the doctrine of self-defense in the light of America's later “superpower” status.