Major Problems in American Military History: Documents and Essays

Major Problems in American History

by John Whiteclay Chambers II (Editor)

This volume traces the evolution of the American military, its institutions, strategic doctrines, and technology. The selections provide a social and institutional focus of the "new" military history, and follow the metamorphosis of the militia, the professionalization of the officers' corps, and the course of civilian control of the military.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Textbooks, American History

488 pages, Paperback

First published October 2, 1998

Reviews

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. I had to read it for an online history course. It has different selections from various individuals for each chapter. Each chapter covers a significant period in American military history. It gives personal accounts of military experience as well as battles. It also has selections from some military documents (historical and otherwise). I might have not opted to have read this on my own, apart from this class. I am glad that I did read it, though, as it helped to personalize some of the military events discussed in the class.

I thought the selection from General Norman Schwarzkopf's book It Doesn't Take A Hero was very interesting. He talks about how people often ask about the First Gulf War, about why did America stop and not invade Iraq? He points out that America and Great Britain did not invade Iraq because under the Geneva Convention both countries would have then been seen as invading powers and, once Iraq was conquered, would then be responsible for all debts incurred in rebuilding the shattered nation and providing the necessary minimal needs for survival for the Iraqi population. The American (and British) people would not have wanted to have shouldered such a debt. He also talked about how the United States was working with a coalition of multiple nations, including several Muslim nations, to curb Iraqi aggression and force the Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. Had the Americans gone ahead and invaded Iraq, America would have overstepped its "legal" mandate AND no doubt have turned all Muslim nations against America at that point. It was an interesting read, to say the least.

There was also an interesting selection from the Spanish-American War involving a soldier from an all-black unit that was present during the Battle for San Juan Hill (where Teddy Roosevelt won fame with his Rough Riders). This selection describes several experiences in battle by this all-black unit. The author of the selection makes a claim that he and his men saved the Rough Riders more than once, which (if true) is not something you hear about or read about in Roosevelt's experiences with the Rough Riders. It made me consider researching this man's experiences further, to learn more about what happened.

At the end of each chapter were supposed to be "essays" or "papers" that discussed different opinions about certain battles or events or actions or historical opinions. Some of them were interesting and did a decent job presenting different points-of-view. Others were not so good; overall, they were all pretty hit-and-miss.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the book more than I thought I would. I am glad that I "had" to read it for my course.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A required read for a college course. Not a bad reference book. I don't tend to enjoy collections of documents as a book, but they are useful. Recommended