America as a Military Power: From the American Revolution to the Civil War / Edition 1

by Jeremy M. Black

Overview

How have military actions shaped the history of the United States and the country's role in world history? Noted military historian Jeremy Black examines American military exceptionalism with the critical eye of a foreign scholar. The British fought two wars with the Americans and followed American developments with keen interest. Black marshals contemporary British commentary to contextualize American military actions within a global perspective.

Several major conflicts are covered:
• The War for Independence
• The War of 1812
• The Mexican War
• War with Native Americans
• The Civil War^LThroughout this phase of America military action, one sees a shift from a state in conflict with neighboring states to a nation divided, fighting for its very survival. This study clarifies the unique combination of political, social, intellectual, and physical factors-including potential threats-that shaped, and were shaped, by the general American culture during this period.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275977061
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	06/30/2002
Series:	Studies in Military History and International Affairs
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.56(d)
Lexile:	1420L (what's this?)

About the Author

JEREMY BLACK is Professor of History at the University of Exeter. His books include War and the World, 1450-2000 (1998), Maps and History (1997), and The Politics of James Bond (2001). He was 1997 Distinguished Visiting Speaker at West Point.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
War of Independence
War of 1812
American-Native Warfare
Mexican-American Wars
Civil War
Political and Social Contexts
Conclusions
Selected Further Reading
Index

Editorial Reviews

Black (history, U. of Exeter, UK) explores the history of American warfare from the nation's founding to the Civil War, comparing it to contemporaneous developments In Western Europe and Latin America. Focusing primarily on strategic, tactical, resource, organizational, and related issues, he compares the American War of Independence with the French Revolutionary Wars, the War of 1812 with the Napoleonic Wars, the Mexican-American War with the Revolutions of 1848, and the Civil War with the German Wars of Unification. He suggests that the argument for "American exceptionalism" in warfare is perhaps overstated. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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