A new; definitive life of an American icon; the visionary general who led American forces through three wars and foresaw his nation’s great geopolitical shift toward the Pacific Rim—from the Pulitzer Prize finalist and bestselling author of Gandhi Churchill Douglas MacArthur was arguably the last American public figure to be worshipped unreservedly as a national hero; the last military figure to conjure up the romantic stirrings once evoked by George Armstrong Custer and Robert E. Lee. But he was also one of America’s most divisive figures; a man whose entire career was steeped in controversy. Was he an avatar or an anachronism; a brilliant strategist or a vainglorious mountebank? Drawing on a wealth of new sources; Arthur Herman delivers a powerhouse biography that peels back the layers of myth—both good and bad—and exposes the marrow of the man beneath. MacArthur’s life spans the emergence of the United States Army as a global fighting force. Its history is to a great degree his story. The son of a Civil War hero; he led American troops in three monumental conflicts—World War I; World War II; and the Korean War. Born four years after Little Bighorn; he died just as American forces began deploying in Vietnam. Herman’s magisterial book spans the full arc of MacArthur’s journey; from his elevation to major general at thirty-eight through his tenure as superintendent of West Point; field marshal of the Philippines; supreme ruler of postwar Japan; and beyond. More than any previous biographer; Herman shows how MacArthur’s strategic vision helped shape several decades of U.S. foreign policy. Alone among his peers; he foresaw the shift away from Europe; becoming the prophet of America’s destiny in the Pacific Rim. Here; too; is a vivid portrait of a man whose grandiose vision of his own destiny won him enemies as well as acolytes. MacArthur was one of the first military heroes to cultivate his own public persona—the swashbuckling commander outfitted with Ray-Ban sunglasses; riding crop; and corncob pipe. Repeatedly spared from being killed in battle—his soldiers nicknamed him “Bullet Proofâ€â€”he had a strong sense of divine mission. “Mac†was a man possessed; in the words of one of his contemporaries; of a “supreme and almost mystical faith that he could not fail.†Yet when he did; it was on an epic scale. His willingness to defy both civilian and military authority was; Herman shows; a lifelong trait—and it would become his undoing. Tellingly; MacArthur once observed; “Sometimes it is the order one disobeys that makes one famous.†To capture the life of such an outsize figure in one volume is no small achievement. With Douglas MacArthur; Arthur Herman has set a new standard for untangling the legacy of this American legend.Praise for Douglas MacArthur“This is revisionist history at its best and; hopefully; will reopen a debate about the judgment of history and MacArthur’s place in history.â€â€”New York Journal of Books“Unfailingly evocative . . . close to an epic . . . More than a biography; it is a tale of a time in the past almost impossible to contemplate today as having taken place; with MacArthur himself as a figure perhaps too remote to understand; but all the more important to encounter.â€â€”The New Criterion“With Douglas MacArthur: American Warrior; the prolific and talented historian Arthur Herman has delivered an expertly rendered; compulsively readable account that does full justice to MacArthur’s monumental achievements without slighting his equally monumental flaws.â€â€”Commentary
#107419 in Books Modern Library 2005-11-08 2005-11-08Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x .50 x 5.23l; .42 #File Name: 0812975170256 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Our 4th President did a wonderful job with minutes.By Paul E. WingerYou like to be informed and learn what or the way it was; the intent; read this book.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. The Constitutional Convention: A Narrative History from the Notes of James MadisonBy B. VossI always prided myself on knowing the Constitution of the United States. Little did I know how brilliant the minds of our leaders chosen to write the original document. The characters not only came to life; they spoke to me. Never a day goes by that I gain renewed appreciation for their efforts. At 77years of age and having served on a local level in government I never imagined I too was following the rules they formulated to carry out such a fete.13 of 15 people found the following review helpful. EXCELLENT INTRODUCTIONBy L.S. SmithThe average citizen does not know much about the United States Constitution; and knows even less about constitutional law. This is a lamentable fact. Yet if one desires insight into how the document on which our nation is founded came into being; I would suggest reading and studying James Madison's Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787. If this volume proves unmanageable; then my suggestion is to find a copy of a narrative history based primarily upon Madison's notes. The Constitutional Convention; by Edward J. Larson and Michael P. Winship; is such a book. It is both informative and easy to read.I came away from the book with several notable impressions. The strongest was that the men who attended the Constitutional Convention were hardly all geniuses; or even extraordinary statesmen for that matter. Gunning Bedford; Jr. and Jacob Broom of Delaware are examples. Bedford made the point that either the individual states or the national government could be sovereign; but not both. He was apparently unable to wrap his mind around the idea of federalism; where there are sovereigns within a sovereign. This is; of course; precisely the kind of system the Constitution established. Mr. Broom's participation was even less spectacular. He was a merchant and surveyor; who contributed only minimally to the Convention by seconding a motion. To both men's credit; they remained to the end of the Convention; which lasted almost four months; and signed the document that was ultimately crafted there.As you might guess; there was at least one delegate; William Blount of North Carolina; who was too busy trying to fill his own pockets to spend much time dedicated to fashioning a new nation. He was a liar and cheat; who was an atrocious scoundrel and the subject of the first impeachment trial ever conducted under the new Constitution. Larson and Winship do not mention him in their book; probably because he contributed nothing to the Convention's proceedings. He seems to have been cut from the same moral fabric as Aaron Burr; although fortunately not even approximating the latter's political success (Burr was almost elected President in 1800!).When reflecting upon the founders; one's mind tends to rest upon stellar figures such as Washington; Madison; Franklin; and Hamilton. Washington addressed the Convention only once; but his presence there insured its success. He was a heroic figure; whose immense honor and prestige held the at-times tense and chaotic Convention together. Madison was an erudite student of political theory; a mastermind who had prepared diligently for the Convention; sat up front so that he could hear clearly each and every speaker; took meticulous notes; and contributed enormous knowledge and wisdom to the effort. Franklin was the oldest delegate; but possessed enormous notoriety the world over. Another delegate wrote of him; "He is no speaker; nor does he seem to let politics engage his attention. He is; however; a most extraordinary man; and tells a story in a style more engaging than anything I ever heard . . . .[and] . . . possesses an activity of mind equal to a youth of twenty-five years of age." Hamilton was a vain and temperamental intellectual virtuoso; whose strong and unbalanced nationalist fervor turned off his fellow-delegates. Yet his observations and arguments were vibrant both in the Convention and; later; in the ratification effort.Also; not to be ignored were lesser known; but nonetheless brilliant men. James Wilson of Pennsylvania; George Mason and Edmund Randolph of Virginia; and Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts; as well as a host of others; gave nobly of themselves at the Convention. Not to be overlooked in this category was Luther Martin of Maryland; a gifted attorney; who provoked much thought and provided much valuable insight to the Convention; although he was a nasty-tempered; slovenly; disgusting alcoholic. It is interesting that Gerry; Mason; Randolph; and Martin refused to sign the Constitution they were instrumental in producing. Mason and Martin even worked against its ratification.There were two genuinely unsung heroes at the Convention; Roger Sherman of Connecticut and Charles Pinckney of South Carolina. Sherman was a quite practical; prudent; and levelheaded individual; who was once introduced by Thomas Jefferson as a man who "never said a foolish thing in his life." This Connecticut delegate likewise keenly understood the art of compromise. His greatest contribution was the "Great (Connecticut) Compromise;" which proposed that membership in the lower house of Congress be based upon proportional representation; while each state in the upper house have the same number of representatives. The Convention; it is safe to say; would have imploded without the benefit of Sherman's steady hand and of this compromise in particular.Pinckney; on the contrary; who was a bubbling fountain of ideas; supplied the terms "President;" "House;" and "Senate." He advanced many other winning suggestions as well; such as (1) that the legislature be bicameral; (2) that it have the power to coin money; call up the militia; and establish post offices; (4) that the presidency consist of a vigorous; single-person executive; (5) that he direct the military as its commander-in-chief; (6) that he present an annual State of the Union address; and (7) that the judiciary be appointed. This South Carolinian did not receive a full and positive review in Madison's notes on the Convention; probably because the two men did not have the best personal relationship and even later became political adversaries; running against each other for the presidency.It amazes me that all these eighteenth century framers; who were in numerous respects a diverse group; managed to overcome the many adversities of their situation and to work together for months to produce a magnificent document of liberty and limited government. Their deliberations were; for the most part; conversationally civil; intellectually candid and insightful; and unmistakably calculated to American interests. Compare these principled and dignified qualities to what we see in government at the present time - a chief executive who unilaterally modifies statutes or refuses to enforce them as he pleases; a Congress that is gridlocked; uncivil; and self-serving; and an unelected and unaccountable judiciary that peckishly legislates on important cultural issues.On the last day of the Convention; the 81-year old Benjamin Franklin arose to his feet and spoke to the Convention. He stated that the Constitution was not entirely to his liking; but that he was supporting it and would continue to do so. He predicted; in a way that now sends shivers up the spine; that the government created by the document "is likely to be well administered for a course of years; and can only end in despotism; as other forms have done before it; when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic government; being incapable of any other." Has our nation reached the point that old Ben described? Each reader may be the judge.
