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The Dominion of War Empire and Liberty in North America 15002000 Fred Anderson Andrew Cayton 9780670033706 Books

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The Dominion of War Empire and Liberty in North America 15002000 Fred Anderson Andrew Cayton 9780670033706 Books

Bought for class. Served it's purposes well.


Tags : The Dominion of War: Empire and Liberty in North America, 1500-2000 [Fred Anderson, Andrew Cayton] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A reinterpretation of the development of the United States argues that warfare has played a leading role in shaping North America throughout the past five hundred years,Fred Anderson, Andrew Cayton,The Dominion of War: Empire and Liberty in North America, 1500-2000,Viking Adult,0670033707,Imperialism;History.,United States;History, Military.,United States;Territorial expansion.,History,History - U.S.,History North America,History United States General,History: World,Imperialism,Military - General,Military History (General),North American,Republicanism,United States,United States - General,War and society,History, Military,Territorial expansion

The Dominion of War Empire and Liberty in North America 15002000 Fred Anderson Andrew Cayton 9780670033706 Books Reviews

As is well known, American leaders tend to justify wars by explaining them as operations in defense of liberty and democracy. This important book examines that notion through the impact of several historically key men on North America.

They include Samuel de Champlain, whose missionizing and choosing up sides in various Indian wars set the stage for "the most widespread and destructive warfare in North American history"; William Penn, whose sincere efforts to coexist peacefully with the Indians degenerated into the unapologetic expansionism of his heirs; George Washington, who foresaw so many of the dangers of military intervention abroad; the tempestuous and bullying Andrew Jackson, who owned slaves, relocated thousands of Indians west of the Mississippi, and set the stage for ongoing wars of conquest in the name of freedom and liberty (and who had the gall to argue that relocating the Indians was "not only liberal, but generous"); Ulysses Grant, reluctant participant in the land-grabbing war with Mexico, a man who clearly understood that such aggressive moves always bring punishing consequences; the grandstanding Douglas MacArthur, aging momma's boy and self-appointed missionary of Christianity and liberty, finally relieved of command by Truman for suggesting that the United States nuke China; and Colin Powell, whose highly distinguished military career ran parallel with a habit of doing what he was told while silencing his doubts--doubts that nearly always turned out to be realistically based. "I had been conditioned to believe in the wisdom of my superiors...."

The authors of this book tell a balanced tale without heavy-handed recourse to the lessons unlearned from history, but the lessons stand out anyway the conquest of the Phillipines, for example, so many of whose citizens died in the American attempt to liberate them in a bloody, exhausting campaign that only ended when the occupation did. Concentration camps and torture inflicted by MacArthur's soldiers stained these attempts to mold a nation's fate from above, as did Roosevelt's propagandistic declaration that the insurrection was over (July 4, 1902) when in fact it would not end for many years.

A poignant event might well give food for thought Woodrow Wilson's 1916 draft of a speech to Congress, which stated that "it shall not lie with American people to dictate to another people what their government shall be or what use they shall have or what persons they shall encourage or favor." Reviewing the speech, Secretary of State Robert Lansing wrote "Haiti, S. Domingo, Nicaragua, Panama" in the margin by way of comment (he might have added Cuba, Mexico, and the Phillipines), whereupon Wilson gave up on the speech, a decision that may well mark a significant difference between the politics of his time and our own.
A recurring theme noticed by the American expatriate community is the vast difference in how foreigners view America and how Americans view themselves, especially in regards to how America has dealt with other countries. In the realm of literature and history, there have been few works that have bridged this divide, and most of them dealt with narrow topics; such as US - Mexico relation, or US - Japan relations in the 20th century. This book is probably one of the few that offers a long-term historical analysis of America's foreign policy from colonial days to the end of the 20th century. Starting from the early 1500s and ending with the 20th century, the book examines America's territorial and economic expansion by tracing the lives and careers of several famous / infamous military leaders. Most are American, such as Colin Powell and George Washington. There are also some non-Americans, such as Champlain and General Santa Anna. But all lead careers that defined the destiny of America.

The book reads very quickly, and the authors are objective in their style. The authors have produced a great history book from the foundations of several biographies. Probably the best feature of this book is its critical examination of how war can and often does destroy both victor and vanquished. This point is illustrates several times in this book, using both England and the US as examples of victors in war who went on to pay dearly later on. I recommend reading this book.
This book arrived just as promised in very nice shape. My fellow readers with that insatiable appetite for books are, like me, in trouble based on the seemingly endless bargains offered by sellers.
Fred Anderson has written with grace and authority about the involvement of American colonials with their British sovereign in contesting and destroying the French colonial empire in the West during the Seven Years War. This work serves brilliantly in the first four chapters of this flawed work to explain the role of warfare in shaping the American foundation and creation. The authors get into trouble when they attempt to explain how the use of war has been a permanent theme in American history. We are a nation founded in revolutionary war, we are a nation founded as a Slave Republic, two of the more repugnant features of human politics and organization. From that perspective one might argue that we have been remarkably successful in avoiding becoming an imperial aggressor on an even more extensive scale. The authors fail to explain or even address why it is that the United States voluntarily disarmed in 1865 and in 1919 when we had military forces that could easily have conquered Canada and Mexico, annexed the Caribbean islands and much more. Why did we not? They do not ask the question.
As this book was written in the earlier stages of our latest adventure in Iraq, it is understandable why they are attempting to use war to explain a policy that our government has not successfully or convincingly explained to us. But this book does not do a better job. Too bad because the wars they have explained are no longer with us and the one that is will remain a mystery to you when you finish this deeply flawed but occasionally brilliant book.
Excellent explanation of progression of America's wars and how each impacted the United States and left causes for the next. Easy to read but very detailed.
Bought for class. Served it's purposes well.