Samuel Flagg Bemis was an American historian and biographer. He earned a bachelor's and master's degree at Clark University, and a second master's and a doctorate at Harvard University. He taught at several post-secondary institutions, including Colorado College, Whitman College, George Washington University, and Yale University, where he was Sterling Professor of Diplomatic History and Inter-American Relations. He was also President of the American Historical Association and a specialist in American diplomatic history.
Goddamn this was boring. There are snippets of life and character and Bemis making the case for diplomat Short is funny, but damn. It takes the entire book to resolve the 'Mississippi Question' and then it just wraps up. I now know more about 18th century Spanish diplomacy than I ever thought possible.
I enjoyed this book about the (to me) little known treaty that ultimately had a major effect on the ability of the new country of The United States of America to expand westward. Excellent writing and well-researched.