The Early Imperial Republic - (Early American Studies) by Michael A Blaakman & Emily Conroy-Krutz & Noelani Arista (Hardcover)

About the Book

"In its first seven decades, the United States transformed from a fledgling seaboard confederation into an imperial juggernaut with aspirations to rule a continent and beyond. The essays in this volume explore the origins of U.S. imperialism, using the lens of empire to bring Atlantic, global, and Native American perspectives on the early republic into focus within a single frame"--

Book Synopsis

Created in a world of empires, the United States was to be something new: an expansive republic proclaiming commitments to liberty and equality but eager to extend its territory and influence. Yet from the beginning, Native powers, free and enslaved Black people, and foreign subjects perceived, interacted with, and resisted the young republic as if it was merely another empire under the sun. Such perspectives have driven scholars to reevaluate the early United States, as the parameters of early American history have expanded in Atlantic, continental, and global directions. If the nation's acquisition of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippine Islands in 1898 traditionally marked its turn toward imperialism, new scholarship suggests the United States was an empire from the moment of its creation.

The essays gathered in The Early Imperial Republic move beyond the question of whether the new republic was an empire, investigating instead where, how, and why it was one. They use the category of empire to situate the early United States in the global context its contemporaries understood, drawing important connections between territorial conquests on the continent and American incursions around the globe. They reveal an early U.S. empire with many different faces, from merchants who sought to profit from the republic's imperial expansion to Native Americans who opposed or leveraged it, from free Black colonizationists and globe-trotting missionaries to illegal slave traders and anti-imperial social reformers. In tracing these stories, the volume's contributors bring the study of early U.S. imperialism down to earth, encouraging us to see the exertion of U.S. power on the ground as a process that both drew upon the example of its imperial predecessors and was forced to grapple with their legacies. Taken together, they argue that American empire was never confined to one era but is instead a thread throughout U.S. history.

Contributors: Brooke Bauer, Michael A. Blaakman, Eric Burin, Emily Conroy-Krutz, Kathleen DuVal, Susan Gaunt Stearns, Nicholas Guyatt, Amy S. Greenberg, M. Scott Heerman, Robert Lee, Julia Lewandoski, Margot Minardi, Ousmane Power-Greene, Nakia D. Parker, Tom Smith

Review Quotes

"The Early Imperial Republic adds to a growing literature on settler colonialism. Moreover, with its broad selection of contributors, regions, and involved peoples, The Early Imperial Republic in general does what it claims to do: reveal a long, sustained, and connected period of American imperialism that can be traced back to the country's earliest years. The early republic certainly was the early imperial republic."-- "Journal of Southern History"

"The Early Imperial Republic is a timely and compelling interrogation of the formative phase of U.S. empire, its continuities from the British empire, and its dynamics of enactment, resistance, and dissent."-- "Konstantin Dierks, Indiana University"

"The Early Imperial Republic offers thought-provoking interpretations and insights on the issue of empire, a topic currently commanding great interest among U.S. historians. A timely volume that will attract a substantial readership."-- "Nancy Shoemaker, University of Connecticut"

About the Author

Michael A. Blaakman is Assistant Professor and David L. Rike University Preceptor in the Department of History at Princeton University.

Emily Conroy-Krutz is Associate Professor in the Department of History at Michigan State University.

Noelani Arista is Associate Professor in History and Classical Studies and Director of the Indigenous Studies Program at McGill University.