Empire for liberty : a history of American imperialism from Benjamin Franklin to Paul Wolfowitz / Richard H. Immerman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Immerman, Richard H., Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Liberty--Political aspects--United States--History.

Liberty.

Imperialism--History.

Imperialism.

United States--Territorial expansion--History.

United States.

United States--Foreign relations.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 271 p.) : illustrations

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2010]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

How could the United States, a nation founded on the principles of liberty and equality, have produced Abu Ghraib, torture memos, Plamegate, and warrantless wiretaps? Did America set out to become an empire? And if so, how has it reconciled its imperialism--and in some cases, its crimes--with the idea of liberty so forcefully expressed in the Declaration of Independence? Empire for Liberty tells the story of men who used the rhetoric of liberty to further their imperial ambitions, and reveals that the quest for empire has guided the nation's architects from the very beginning--and continues to do so today. Historian Richard Immerman paints nuanced portraits of six exceptional public figures who manifestly influenced the course of American empire: Benjamin Franklin, John Quincy Adams, William Henry Seward, Henry Cabot Lodge, John Foster Dulles, and Paul Wolfowitz. Each played a pivotal role as empire builder and, with the exception of Adams, did so without occupying the presidency. Taking readers from the founding of the republic to the Global War on Terror, Immerman shows how each individual's influence arose from a keen sensitivity to the concerns of his times; how the trajectory of American empire was relentless if not straight; and how these shrewd and powerful individuals shaped their rhetoric about liberty to suit their needs. But as Immerman demonstrates in this timely and provocative book, liberty and empire were on a collision course. And in the Global War on Terror and the occupation of Iraq, they violently collided.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction:Contending with the American Empire

Chapter 1. Benjamin Franklin and America's Imperial Vision

Chapter 2. John Quincy Adams and America's Tortured Empire

Chapter 3. William Henry Seward Reimagines the American Empire

Chapter 4. Henry Cabot Lodge and the New American Empire

Chapter 5. John Foster Dulles and the Conflicted Empire

Chapter 6. Paul Wolfowitz and the Lonely Empire

Postscript: The Dark Side

Notes

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (EBSCO, viewed July 12, 2021)

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9786612569180

9781282569188

128256918X

9781400834280

1400834287

OCLC:

638860586