Abstract

The history of U.S. foreign and military policy from the early seventeenth to the late nineteenth century is rich and varied. This work encapsulates the most current writing, research, and topical arguments to present a comprehensive, yet concise examination of the history and historiography of the U.S. from the Colonial Period through the Reconstruction Period. Our goal was to provide a historiographical overview from established senior professors, while including important, but often overlooked, chapters on individual topics from some of the best established and up-and-coming historians. Each section is composed of an introductory chapter that is designed to provide a brief overview of a major conflict or critical period in American military or diplomatic history. These opening chapters also serve to introduce the reader to some of the relevant literature on the topic and set the historical context for the more specific topical chapters that follow. The collection presented here is the first volume of a two-volume set. Taken alone or together these works should provide an excellent foundation for further historical inquiry.