Product Description The Oxford History of the United States is the most respected multi-volume history of our nation in print. The series includes three Pulitzer Prize-winners, a New York Times bestseller, and winners of prestigious Bancroft and Parkman Prizes. From Colony to Superpower is the only thematic volume commissioned for the series. Here George C. Herring uses foreign relations as the lens through which to tell the story of America's dramatic rise from thirteen disparate colonies huddled along the Atlantic coast to the world's greatest superpower. A sweeping account of United States' foreign relations and diplomacy, this magisterial volume documents America's interaction with other peoples and nations of the world. Herring tells a story of stunning successes and sometimes tragic failures, captured in a fast-paced narrative that illuminates the central importance of foreign relations to the existence and survival of the nation, and highlights its ongoing impact on the lives of ordinary citizens. He shows how policymakers defined American interests broadly to include territorial expansion, access to growing markets, and the spread of an "American way" of life. And Herring does all this in a story rich in human drama and filled with epic events. Statesmen such as Benjamin Franklin and Woodrow Wilson and Harry Truman and Dean Acheson played key roles in America's rise to world power. But America's expansion as a nation also owes much to the adventurers and explorers, the sea captains, merchants and captains of industry, the missionaries and diplomats, who discovered or charted new lands, developed new avenues of commerce, and established and defended the nation's interests in foreign lands. From the American Revolution to the fifty-year struggle with communism and conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, From Colony to Superpower tells the dramatic story of America's emergence as superpower--its birth in revolution, its troubled present, and its uncertain future.
Amazon.com Review The Oxford History of the United States is the most respected multi-volume history of our nation in print. The series includes three Pulitzer Prize-winners, a New York Times bestseller, and winners of the prestigious Bancroft and Parkman Prizes. From Colony to Superpower is the only thematic volume commissioned for the series. Here, George C. Herring uses foreign relations as the lens through which to tell the story of America's dramatic rise from thirteen disparate colonies huddled along the Atlantic coast to the world's greatest superpower. A sweeping account of United States foreign relations and diplomacy, this magisterial volume documents America's interaction with other peoples and nations of the world. Herring tells a story of stunning successes and sometimes tragic failures, captured in a fast-paced narrative that illuminates the central importance of foreign relations to the existence and survival of the nation, and highlights its ongoing impact on the lives of ordinary citizens. He shows how policymakers defined American interests broadly to include territorial expansion, access to growing markets, and the spread of an "American way" of life. Herring does all this in a story rich in human drama and filled with epic events. Statesmen such as Benjamin Franklin, Woodrow Wilson, Harry Truman, and Dean Acheson played key roles in America's rise to world power. But America's expansion as a nation also owes much to the adventurers and explorers, the sea captains, merchants and captains of industry, the missionaries and diplomats, who discovered or charted new lands, developed new avenues of commerce, and established and defended the nation's interests abroad. From the American Revolution to the fifty-year struggle with communism and conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, From Colony to Superpower tells the dramatic story of America's emergence as superpower--its birth in revolution, its troubled present, and its uncertain future.
Read an Amazon Exclusive interview with author George C. Herring and David M. Kennedy, editor of the Oxford History of the United States series.
Questions for George C. Herring
Kennedy: Your book covers the entire span of the history of the United States. What was the biggest challenge of writing a book of this scope for the Oxford History of the United States series?
Herring: Managing such a large subject and such a vast quantity of source material was daunting, indeed, at times, downright intimidating. Somewhat to my surprise, I also found it more difficult to write those chapters dealing with subjects I knew the most about, the Vietnam War era, for example. The great joys of doing the book, on the other hand, were to have the opportunity to pull together in some meaningful fashion what I had been teaching and writing about for forty years and especially to find myself learning new things each day.
Kennedy: Do you accept the conventional notion that the United States was isolationist for much of its history?
Herring: The idea of an isolationist America, still included in some textbooks, is one of the great myths of United States history. For good reasons, the nation for its first century and a half did pursue a unilateralist foreign policy, avoiding alliances that would restrict its freedom of action or entangle it in wars. But it was never strictly isolationist. Especially in the realm of economics, Americans sought full engagement with the world. The one time when the United States can accurately be said to have been isolationist is the era of the Great Depression, the 1930s.
Kennedy: What period did you find yourself most surprised by as you wrote this book?
Herring: I?m not sure that surprise is the right word, but I especially enjoyed doing the chapter covering the period 1837-1861. I got to know wonderful characters such as naval officers Charles Wilkes and Matthew Perry, merchant/diplomats Caleb Cushing and Edmund Roberts, filibusterer William Walker, and statesmen Henry Clay, James K. Polk, and Daniel Webster. More than I had appreciated, Americans were engaged in a great variety of activities and running up against different people all over the world. Through the Oregon treaty and the war with Mexico, the United States added a vast expanse of territory. There was so much energy, so much happening.
Kennedy: In what ways has religion shaped American foreign policy?
Herring: From the founding to the present, religion has played a subtle but often very important role in shaping U.S. foreign policy. Americans have seen themselves as a chosen people, ?God?s American Israel,? the Puritans called it, uniquely virtuous and benevolent. In the nineteenth century, they believed it their Manifest Destiny to spread across the North American continent and later to uplift lesser peoples in overseas territories. The influence of religion has especially been felt through individuals such as Woodrow Wilson, a minister?s son, whose sense of America?s destiny and his own had powerful religious undertones, and the born-again Christians Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush.
Kennedy: How did the current interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan shape your writing of these events as history? Was it a challenge to write about them in a non-partisan way?
Herring: It was of course difficult to treat these events as history since at the time I was writing the outcome in each case was very much in doubt. I had strongly opposed the war against Iraq, and I would be less than honest if I said that my opposition to that war did not influence my writing about it. I do believe that I was able to put the two wars in the larger framework of post Cold War and 9/11 U.S. foreign policies. These wars also caused me to look more closely at earlier interventions?of which, going back to 1775, there have been many?and to conclude that while Americans generally have viewed themselves as liberators the principal result in most cases has been to spur nationalism on the part of the people invaded.
Kennedy: With all of the foreign policy issues facing the U.S. right now, what will readers take away from reading about the deep history of America?s relationship with the world?
Herring: I hope, first, that readers will enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing about the exciting events and colorful personalities described in these pages. I also hope that they will take away from the book a fuller and more balanced appreciation of America?s dealings with other nations. The United States has been a ?force for good in the world,? as the mantra of this year?s election campaign goes, but that is only part of the story, and I hope by gaining a fuller and more complex view they will better understand who we are as a nation and how others see us. I would also hope that readers might gain a better comprehension of the complexity of diplomacy and the reasons why it works or fails to work. Finally, by seeing where we as a nation have been, I hope that readers might have a better sense of where we are and where we need to go.
American Foreign Policy in Images
Take a look at paintings, an engraving and an photograph that depict pivotal moments in war and diplomacy. Click any detail below for the full image and explanatory text by George C. Herring.
NOT JUST FOR HISTORY BUFFS BUT FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO UNDERSTAND THE U.S. AND ITS PLACE IN THE WORLD November 22, 2008 The best history books bring the past to life with immediacy and relevancy, and George C. Herring's "From Colony to Superpower" practically jumps off the page with topical ideas and arguments. Starting from a central premise that "the enduring idea of an isolationist America is a myth," writer and historian George C. Herring shows how foreign policy goals have shaped U.S. history from the colonial period to modern times. With fascinating and at times controversial examples and insights, Herring advances his thesis with each chapter and provides telling examples to illustrate his main ideas. According to the author, right from the start the colonies broke with accepted economic theory, pushed for broader interaction with the world market and essentially "became champions of free trade well before the Revolution." The Declaration of Independence can be seen as a statement of U.S. foreign policy because "its immediate and urgent purpose was to make clear to Europeans, especially the French, the colonies' commitment to independence." Similarly, the Articles of Confederation that came later "were designed to secure foreign support." In essence, U.S. history is one of interacting with other countries and cultures. Herring even goes so far as to say that the treatment of American Indians by the U.S. government is best viewed as a clash between foreign countries. To each of his arguments, the writer brings an analytical precision and a clarity of vision. His writing is crisp and concise and yet he never loses perspective or neglects the complexity of the issues. As with the other books in the "Oxford History of the United States" series, this seventh entry presents the past as a breathless narrative full of colorful characters and compelling events. As a result, the 900-page book is, believe it or not, an easy read. "From Colony to Superpower" isn't just for history buffs and politicos. It's for anyone who wants to understand the United States and its place in the world.
To Begin The World Over Again November 22, 2008 From Colony to Superpower is a brilliant summary of America's interactions with the outside world, beginning with Benjamin Franklin's mid-Revolutionary alliance with France. I had not appreciated the contributions our mission to Paris, first during the Revolution, and then during the peace negotiations there, had made to American independence; but for Franklin, John Jay, and John Adams, the U.S. could have emerged with a peace treaty that would have left it far more sickly.
Indeed, the chapter "To Begin The World Over Again" shows the new republic in a weak position, navigating its way through British, French, Spanish and native American interests west of the Alleghenies. It was not at all certain that a new, weak nation could advance, and force of arms alone wouldn't do it, not with a nation with no navy and little more than militia. The book tells just how the U.S. was able to talk its way through this ticklish period.
George C. Herring has brought some new insights to later history as well. Viewing our dealings with native American peoples as a form of foreign policy, he shows us just how remorseless, even faithless, our dealings could be at times. He also shows how the War of 1812 proved a crucial turning point: after this, foreign powers never again interceded on behalf of the native peoples and this is where the U.S. began to treat it as a domestic, rather than foreign, matter. Without foreign allies, "the Indians would never again threaten U.S. expansion," Herring notes.
He shows how U.S. diplomacy during the Civil War was decisive in keeping the British and French empires out of the conflict. Indeed, Union diplomacy was far more adept and widely able than usually told: not just Charles Francis Adams in London, but William Dayton in Paris, Henry Sanford in Brussels, and Cassius Clay in St. Petersburg were able to outwit Rebel diplomats. Herring even shows how King Cotton ultimately worked against the Confederacy in this period.
Herring does not neglect those interactions outside the State Department: he shows how American tourism and missionary work, starting in the Gilded Age, affected the outside world, and how immigration worked on the U.S. in turn. He shows the U.S. increasingly involved in European affairs, notably in the conferences after World War I, but does not neglect our often-intrusive involvements in Latin America and East Asia. He shows how alliance diplomacy was decisive during and after World War II, and how U.S. politics - notably during the Vietnam War, could interfere with it. He goes into great detail on the Nixon years as a major shift in the middle Cold War period, bringing more appreciation of Nixon's role and more criticism of Reagan's. Indeed, Herring is at his best throughout his Cold War narrative.
The narrative becomes somewhat thinner in the post-9/11 period, but of course the full story is still out. Given that, unlike the other Oxford History series, Mr. Herring must show a full-length narrative of U.S. history from beginnings to present, he does well. Given the vast number of sources cited in footnotes and bibliography, he is able to summarize wisely and with clear prose, and holds the story to 1000 pages of text. Given the difficulties that the new Administration faces, given the damage to our economic, military and diplomatic power, I believe this work would be a good bedside reader for the new President's advisers.
I've read and researched considerable history, and I highly recommend this work.
A monumental effort but ought to have been more selective November 14, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Herring's laborious and sincere efforts in this comprehensive book on US foreign policy is indeed commendable. Belonging to the Oxford History of the United States Series it is obvious that it should be an extremely detailed and voluminous book. In this connection, I am reminded of two books that would also be useful for the general readers as well as the researchers. The first one is Walter Lafeber's well known book on US foreign policy in which the author tried to be as detailed and thorough as possible. The second one is my relatively concise but an extremely useful book "Tracing the Eagle's Orbit: Illuminating Insights into Major US foreign Policies since Independence."
Herring's book has many similarities with that of mine and if the two books are read together, the reader will have a thorough grasp of the US history, foreign policy and the US ideals. Herring is very right in projecting the role of ideals in the evolution of the American polity and its influence in subsequent foreign policies and he has done well to discern the threads and development of US foreign policies regionwise.
This book is a must read for every reader.
Gautam Maitra "Tracing the Eagle's Orbit: Illuminating Insights into Major US foreign Policies since Independence."
U.S. Foreign Relations Tour de Force November 1, 2008 George Herring's work "From Colony to Superpower-U.S. Foreign Relationships Since 1776" is a magnificient work spanning the Colonization of America down to the current day reign of George W. Bush and his preemptive war doctrine. Starting with Washington and the Federalists charting the basic course of U.S. Foreign policy and Jefferson and the Republicans infusing it with American spirit and style, this work spans all the Presidents and their major diplomatic works. From isolationism, unilateralism and multilateralism, every President's doctrines and policy limitations, good and bad, are on display. At almost 1000 pages, this is not the kind of volume that can be lightly skimmed over. My recommendation is to read the whole work first then, with the whole foreign relation's picture in view, pick a time period to focus more attention on. This isn't a complete picture of all the Foreign and Domestic relationships that America has been involved in, some of the Presidents are lightly touched on, but it does cover the major ones quite well. Anyone interested in American Government and especially its' foreign involvements will want this as a ready reference. As we are about to elect a new President, reading this cause me some deep reflections on what will be America's direction when new foreign and domestic problems arise. Highly recommended and well worth adding to the history shelf.
Solid single-volume overview of a sprawling topic October 29, 2008 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Not having read other installments in Oxford's History of the United States, I can't speak to how this volume stacks up against them. Having said that, taken on its own terms, I found it to be an informative and engaging exploration of America's relations with other countries. In particular, I enjoyed the sections that addressed the interplay between America's domestic issues and foreign affairs in key moments of our history (e.g. the Civil War). There seems to be a tendency in our country to try to compartmentalize domestic and foreign affairs in our political debate, and this book provides a valuable service in the way it shows the links between those areas. Certainly, no one book, even one as large at this one, can hope to provide a definitive account of over 200 years of history, but From "Colony to Superpower" comes as close as I can imagine any single book doing.
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Kennedy: Your book covers the entire span of the history of the United States. What was the biggest challenge of writing a book of this scope for the Oxford History of the United States series?
