Empire for Liberty

A History of American Imperialism from Benjamin Franklin to Paul Wolfowitz

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, International, International Relations, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book Empire for Liberty by Richard H. Immerman, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Richard H. Immerman ISBN: 9781400834280
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: April 5, 2010
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Richard H. Immerman
ISBN: 9781400834280
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: April 5, 2010
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book The Locust and the Bee by Richard H. Immerman
Cover of the book The Great Rebalancing by Richard H. Immerman
Cover of the book Why Not Kill Them All? by Richard H. Immerman
Cover of the book The Open Sea by Richard H. Immerman
Cover of the book What Is Meaning? by Richard H. Immerman
Cover of the book Judges and Their Audiences by Richard H. Immerman
Cover of the book Debt's Dominion by Richard H. Immerman
Cover of the book America in the World by Richard H. Immerman
Cover of the book Ever the Leader by Richard H. Immerman
Cover of the book The Reemergence of Self-Employment by Richard H. Immerman
Cover of the book Between Debt and the Devil by Richard H. Immerman
Cover of the book The Theory of Ecological Communities (MPB-57) by Richard H. Immerman
Cover of the book An Age of Risk by Richard H. Immerman
Cover of the book Ladies' Greek by Richard H. Immerman
Cover of the book The Emergence of Globalism by Richard H. Immerman
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy