So yesterday found me in Barnes and Noble with a gift card from either last Father’s Day or my birthday that sill had twelve dollars on it. So while I spent time looking at the new books, I knew that my purchases would probably come from the Bargain Books. I ended up with two history books that continue my explorations of the late 1800s and early 1900s. The two books are The War Lovers: Roosevelt, Lodge, Hearst, and the Rush to Empire, 1898 by Evan Thomas and The Imperial Cruise by James Bradley. Of the two, The Imperial Cruise is to me the most interesting
In the summer of 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt dispatched the largest diplomatic mission in American history. Led by Secretary of War (and future president) William Howard Taft, the group traveled thousands of miles across the Pacific, docking in Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, China and Korea. During the trip Taft negotiated a series of secret – and wholly – unconstitutional agreements that laid the groundwork for America’s Pacific engagement.
One hundred years later in 2005 James Bradley followed the trail of the Imperial Cruise and rediscover what happened in Honolulu, Tokyo, Manilla, Beijing and Seoul. Evidently what he found will change the way I think about American history and the origins of war and empire in Asia.
The War Lovers chronicles America’s rush to the Spanish-American War. Here’s what Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life says about the book:
“What causes the eternal pull of war on men? It’s one of history’s most important questions. Evan Thomas provides fascinating insights in this gripping narrative of America’s rush to war in 1898. With a colorful cast of characters led by Theodore Roosevelt and William Randolph Hearst, it’s a tale filled with lessons for today”
Here’s a review of discussing both books from the April 21,2010, New York Times Sunday Book Review: Theodore Roosevelt, Empire Builder
So I look forward to continuing my explorations of this era of our American history with these two books. But now it’s back to the story of the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson as told by David O. Stewart – personally I hope he’s removed from office, but I don’t think it will happen! LOL!
