Reviews for War and Genocide in Cuba 1895-1898

The average rating for War and Genocide in Cuba 1895-1898 based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-01-18 00:00:00 Michael Furniss George Dangerfield's The Era of Good Feelings covers the illusory period between the War of 1812 and Andrew Jackson's election that's remembered as a rare time of political tranquility. There is, unfortunately, little or no truth in that characterization, as Dangerfield devastatingly demonstrates: even during the time when a president (James Monroe) could win election almost unanimously, all-too-familiar partisan struggles and personal rivalries rage around him. The collapse of the Federalist Party leaves only a Democratic Republican Party engorged with outsized personalities (Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, John Calhoun, Henry Clay, William Crawford) who despise each other and each have their eye on the White House. The economy crashes in the Panic of 1819; America nearly provokes a needless war with England and Spain when Jackson launches an impulsive invasion of Florida. And here, national divisions over slavery rear their head for the first time, resulting in a Missouri Compromise that briefly, but unsatisfyingly papers over the conflict everyone knows is coming. The era sees a few triumphs, like Adams' delicate diplomatic achievements as Secretary of State, but his presidency (Dangerfield argues) was largely inert and did little to heal the country's divisions. Dangerfield navigates this largely-overlooked period of American history with grace and wit, showing it more divided (and certainly more dramatic) than most casual readers would imagine.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-04-21 00:00:00 Shane Bunn An excellent scholarly work by Dangerfield, covering the period 1812-1829 (or, basically from the War of 1812 up to Andrew Jackson's election to the Presidency). Dangerfield goes in-depth into the negotiations with Great Britain to end the War of 1812. He then talks about the political climate of the U.S. at that time. Much is made of the agrarian interests vs. the Eastern bankers who wanted high tariffs. Dangerfield also gives mini-biographies of the many political titans that dominated the scene back then: Clay, Adams, Jackson, Madison, Monroe, Gallatin, Calhoun, Rush, and Van Buren. James Monroe's administration is thoroughly reviewed - Dangerfield highlighting how "The Era of Good Feelings" was more of a misnomer than a truth as there was a lot of underlying, sectional tension in the country. Dangerfield does a good job dissecting the disputed election of 1824, the vicious background of Andrew Jackson, the piety of John Quincy Adams, and the political gamesmanship of Martin Van Buren. I am not giving this more stars only because I found this to be a dense read at times - Dangerfield really explores U.S.-British relations and it is easy to get lost with all of the personalities and issues involved, for example. Plus, he used some uncommon words such as "verdant" and "casuistry," which is a good thing because it forced me to learn what those words meant, but it slowed me down in reading.