Reminiscences of the Civil War and Reconstruction Book

Edward Crapol provides a short but insightful book into the effect James Blaine had on the development of "American Empire" in the Gilded Age. From the house to his eventual triumphs as secretary of state in several administrations James Blaine "the man from Maine" developed many of the key ideas that would allow William McKinnley to be successful in annexing Hawaii, expanding American influence and the expansion of American trade through things like the open door policy. These were all things Blaine pushed for but lacked the ability to get through due to changes in administrations during his time. His unsuccessful runs for the presidency were usually matched by his ability to wind up as secretary of state where he did far more good than he would have otherwise done. He was an able administrator with thinking beyond his time that would transcend into the future according to Crapol. The biggest complaint about this book is that it does not go into enough detail and you find yourself wondering how some of the conclusions are reached since we don't hear about the debates in the senate or more about the proposed revolutions in Hawaii. It still provides an excellent look at what happened just without the details of why it happened. Overall it is at 4 stars due to the lack of detail.