Even as the New Deal was coping with the Depression; a new menace was developing abroad. Exploiting Germany's own economic burdens; Hitler reached out to the disaffected; turning their aimless discontent into loyal support for his Nazi Party. In Asia; Japan harbored imperial ambitions of its own. The same generation of Americans who battled the Depression eventually had to shoulder arms in another conflict that wreaked worldwide destruction; ushered in the nuclear age; and forever changed their way of life and their country's relationship to the rest of the world.The American People in World War II--the second installment of Kennedy's Pulitzer Prize-winning Freedom from Fear--explains how the nation agonized over its role in the conflict; how it fought the war; why the United States emerged victorious; and why the consequences of victory were sometimes sweet; sometimes ironic. In a compelling narrative; Kennedy analyzes the determinants of American strategy; the painful choices faced by commanders and statesmen; and the agonies inflicted on the millions of ordinary Americans who were compelled to swallow their fears and face battle as best they could. The American People in World War II is a gripping narrative and an invaluable analysis of the trials and victories through which modern America was formed.
#2542915 in Books William Dusinberre 2003-03-27Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.20 x 1.10 x 9.30l; 1.16 #File Name: 0195157354272 pagesSlavemaster President The Double Career of James Polk
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy CustomerNot far into this one yet - but good so far6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Polk as a short-sighted failureBy John B. MaggioreJames Polk is usually the least familiar president to appear on historians' top 10 lists. But for William Dusinberre; Polk firmly holds a spot near the very bottom. For Dusinberre; Polk and his ideological brethren set the country on a course that unnecessarily led to the Civil War; the violent fall of the South; and the self-destruction of his own class.Polk annexed Texas and was the instigator of the Mexican American War; which led to acquisition of most of the southwest for the United States. Polk also took the Oregon territory; which encompassed much of what is now the northwestern United States. Dusinberre suggests that there was a certain inevitability to some of this; but the way it all played out; and the final border results were far from certain. Polk's overly aggressive expansionism was; to Dusinberre the worst possible way for the country to stretch from sea to shinning sea because it infused militarism and obstinacy into the debate about the future of slavery.Dusinberre convincingly argues that Polk's; and the Southern ruling classes' mores about slavery as a tool of social order; southern honor; and states rights were all subservient to the economic benefits reaped by slave owners such as Polk. This economic incentive was so great; that it blinded Polk to what Dusinberre believes to be the inevitable fall of slavery. A more forward-looking advocate of the Southern ruling class could have promoted a plan for a soft landing and perhaps sought alliances with moderates; rather than painting everyone who had any problems with slavery as extreme "abolitionists."Polk's military adventurism; intolerance for even discussion of issues related to slavery; and insistence that slave owners' so-called rights should be expanded (or the South would lose its dominance in the Senate) was coupled by his implicit threat of secession in the event of almost any sort of compromise. Dusinberre argues that before Polk and his war; different gradations of opinion existed in the south; but afterward existed only unithought. The Civil War followed.SLAVEMASTER PRESIDENT is not really a biography as much as it is a study of how slave ownership may have affected the ideology of pre-Civil War southern Democrats such as and including Polk; and how that ideology in turn contributed to the conditions that led to the Civil War. It is a compelling argument. Dusinberre also achieves a heart-rending description of slave life on the Polk plantation. The book achieves what it set out to do.Still; I would have liked the book to be a bit more biographical. Dusinberre expains up front that his book "does not discuss Polk's role as a congressman in President Andrew Jackson's war against the Bank of the United States. Nor does it portray President Polk's part in securing the Tariff of 1846; nor his diplomacy with Britain; which led to the establishment of the northwestern boundary dividing the United States from Canada. These stories;" explains Dusinberre; "have been told elsewhere." Maybe they have; but there is remarkably little popular literature on this influential; if wrongheaded president. I am satisfied with Dusinberre's book such that it is; but it also left me wanting to read more about Polk.14 of 14 people found the following review helpful. Not a page turner; but certainly a worthwhile read.By Paul TognettiFor American history buffs in general; and Civil War enthusiasts in particular; William Dusinberre has produced a volume worthy of your attention. Dusinberre argues with great vigor that James Polk helped to plant the seeds of civil war while he was President during the late 1840's. While pursuing the Presidency; Polk presented himself as a moderate on the issue of slavery. All the while; he was quietly engaged in the buying and selling of slaves for his Mississippi plantation. Dusinberre argues that throughout his four years in office; Polk advocated policies designed to perpetuate slavery for the forseable future. He cites in particular the annexation of Texas as a major issue. The book also chronicles the appalling working and living conditions many slaves were forced to live under and the total disregard that most slavemasters (Polk included) for the slaves family lives. In most instances; if it was a profitable transaction; slaves were sold off to the highest bidder and families were torn apart. Polk always portrayed himself as the benevolent master but the facts seem to dispute his claims. "Slavemaster President: The Double Career of James Polk" can be slow moving and at times I wondered if I would have the endurance to finish it. But I am glad I did. This book gives us an entirely new perspective on the events of that period and as such is a welcome addition.
