Synopses & Reviews
While there have been many analyses of American imperialism, few have equaled the breadth or insight of
America: From White Settlement to World Hegemony, which was one of the first books to provide a historical perspective on the origins of the American empire.
Victor Kiernan, heralded by Edward Said as the “great Scottish historian of empire,” employs a nuanced knowledge of history, literature, and politics in his tracing of the evolution of American power. Far reaching and ambitious in its scope, the book combines accounts of the changing relationship between Native Americans and the white population with readings of the works of key cultural figures such as Melville and Whitman, as well as an analysis of the way in which money and politics became so closely intertwined in American democracy. The result is a compelling account of how the country came to be the dangerous global power that it is today. Brought up-to-date with an afterword by John Trumpbour, research director at Harvard Law School, this new edition includes a look at America’s ongoing war on terror.
Review
"The re-issue of Kiernan’s fine study of American imperialism is a very welcome event. His acute analysis, penetrating insights, and immense knowledge have lost none of their luster and are of great contemporary significance."
Review
“A graphic account of imperial imaginings.”
Synopsis
A compelling look at the movements and developments that propelled America to world dominance
In this landmark work, acclaimed historian Joshua Freeman has created an epic portrait of a nation both galvanized by change and driven by conflict. Beginning in 1945, the economic juggernaut awakened by World War II transformed a country once defined by its regional character into a uniform and cohesive power and set the stage for the United States’ rise to global dominance. Meanwhile, Freeman locates the profound tragedy that has shaped the path of American civic life, unfolding how the civil rights and labor movements worked for decades to enlarge the rights of millions of Americans, only to watch power ultimately slip from individual citizens to private corporations. Moving through McCarthyism and Vietnam, from the Great Society to Morning in America, Joshua Freeman’s sweeping story of a nation’s rise reveals forces at play that will continue to affect the future role of American influence and might in the greater world.
Synopsis
A landmark history of postwar America and the second volume in the Penguin History of the United States series In this momentous work, acclaimed labor historian Joshua B. Freeman presents an epic portrait of the United States in the latter half of the twentieth century, revealing a nation galvanized by change even as conflict seethed within its borders. Beginning in 1945, he charts the astounding rise of the labor movement and its pitched struggle with the bastions of American capitalism in the 1940s and '50s, untangling the complicated threads between the workers’ agenda and that of the civil rights and women’s movements. Through the lens of civil rights, the Cold War struggle, and the labor movement,
American Empire teaches us something profound about our past while illuminating the issues that continue to animate American political discourse today.
About the Author
Eric Foner is DeWitt Clinton Professor of History at Columbia University. A winner of the Great Teacher Award from the Society of Columbia Graduates, Foner is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the British Academy. He has served terms as President of both the American Historical Association and the Organization of American Historians. He is also author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Fiery Trial.
Table of Contents
Introduction by John Trumpbour
Preface by Eric Hobsbawm
Foreword
Part One: The Winning of the National Territory
1. The Birth of a Nation
2. The Pursuit of Happiness
3. White Man and Red Man
Part Two: Middle Decades
4. The literary Mirror
5. From West Indies to Far East
6. Civil War and After
7. The Last Indian Wars
Part Three: Overseas Expansion and the War with Spain
8. The Red Man in Custody
9. New Visions of Empire
10. Latin America and Further Asia
11. Anglo-Saxons and their Wars
Part Four: Imperial Choices for a New Century
12. The Progressivist Era
13. The Philippines Experiment, and Direct or Indirect Rule
14. Dollar Diplomacy in Central America
15. Old World Frustrations, and Ideas of a New World Order
Part Five: Two Strides to World Power
16. Great War and not so great Peace
17. Victory and After: The Mirror of Science Fiction
18. America, the World's Banker
19. Slump Years, and a New Look at the Red Indian
20. From Isolationism to Conquest
Part Six: The American Hegemony
21. Capitalism, Militarism and the Cold War
22. The Old Empires and Neo-Colonialism
23. War in Vietnam and its Repercussions
24. The Middle East and Africa
25. Latin America
26. Retrospect and Prospect
Epilogue by John Trumpbour
Bibliography
Index