How should America wield its power beyond its borders? Should it follow grand principles or act on narrow self-interest? Should it work in concert with other nations or avoid entangling alliances? America in the World captures the voices and viewpoints of some of the most provocative, eloquent, and influential people who participated in these and other momentous debates. Now fully revised and updated, this anthology brings together primary texts spanning a century and a half of U.S. foreign relations, illuminating how Americans have been arguing about the nation’s role in the world since its emergence as a world power in the late nineteenth century.
- Features more than 250 primary-source documents, reflecting an extraordinary range of views
- Includes two new chapters on the Trump years and the return of great power rivalries under Biden
- Sweeps broadly from the Gilded Age to emerging global challenges such as COVID-19
- Shares the perspectives of presidents, secretaries of state, and generals as well as those of poets, songwriters, clergy, newspaper columnists, and novelists
- Also includes non-American perspectives on U.S. power
"Extremely rich and well organised. . . . This documentary collection is in many regards outstanding and the editors are to be commended for deftly crafting an anthology we shall all use for many years to come."—Mario Del Pero, European Review of International Studies
"America in the World would be an excellent addition to a modern American history curriculum, since it requires readers to encounter history from the history makers' perspectives."—Choice
"This is a very good book, it is an extremely brave attempt at an almost impossible subject given the time scale. It will be extremely useful to those starting out on their quest for knowledge of a super power's, United States of America, foreign policy. If it doesn't list every turn in the road, along the way, it most certainly points one in the right direction."—Don Vincent, Open History
“The documents in this volume capture the myriad questions and concerns that drove cultural producers, policymakers, and everyday people as they defined U.S. interests, security, and purpose in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Edited by three leading scholars in the field, the book is lucid in framing and capacious in scope—an invaluable resource for teaching U.S. and international history.”—Adriane Lentz-Smith, Duke University
“This well-balanced, multivocal, and significantly expanded collection of documents offers historical depth and vital context for the United States’ role in the world from the late 1800s to our current global crises.”—Petra Goedde, Temple University
“This rich and diverse collection of primary sources has been a hit in my classes, sparking lively debate, thoughtful questions, and deep reflection on the place of the United States in the modern world. Newly updated to reflect recent trends, debates, and turning points, this anthology is an invaluable resource for showing students the complex and contested history of U.S. international relations.”—Julia F. Irwin, author of Catastrophic Diplomacy: U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance in the American Century
"This outstanding documentary collection is an ideal text for any course on American foreign relations. The inclusion of numerous voices from outside the United States and from nonstate actors within the United States proves an especially noteworthy, and distinctive, feature."—Robert J. McMahon, Ohio State University
"Three historians known for the rigor and originality of their scholarship have combined to produce a most welcome teaching tool. Tracing the emergence of the United States as a global power, Engel, Lawrence, and Preston have deftly selected documents that capture non-American as well as American voices and reveal the complexity of the U.S. role in the world by highlighting themes that compete with as often as they complement each other. This collection raises questions resistant to easy answers. That's the mark of a valuable reader."—Richard H. Immerman, author of Empire for Liberty: A History of American Imperialism from Benjamin Franklin to Paul Wolfowitz
"An extraordinary work. It is perfect for U.S. foreign policy classes and also for general readers who want to know how—and why—America quickly became a global power. All the classic statements are here, but the book also includes telling non-U.S. material, while readers will be amused (or terrified) by the cartoons, poets, counterculturists, and even the songwriters."—Walter LaFeber, author of The American Age: U.S. Foreign Policy at Home and Abroad 1750 to the Present
"At last, under one roof, we have a collection that offers teachers and students a lively and insightful analysis of U.S. foreign relations through primary sources and keen narrative. Engel, Lawrence, and Preston are to be applauded for bringing voices from many walks of life to debates, crises, perceptions, and consequences of America's projection of power in the world."—Thomas W. Zeiler, author of Annihilation: A Global Military History of World War II
"The perfect text for teaching the history of America in the world from the 1870s to the twenty-first century. Chapter introductions, head notes, and an imaginative selection of documents from a variety of sources combine to offer students an intelligently guided tour through the decades. This is a book from which it will be as enjoyable to learn as to teach."—Marilyn B. Young, New York University
"Comprehensive. Edited by three of the finest historians in the field, America in the World offers what may be the best collection of primary documents on the topic. It will be welcomed in many classrooms."—Thomas Borstelmann, author of The 1970s: A New Global History from Civil Rights to Economic Inequality
"America in the World fills a significant gap. No other collection comes close to providing the number and range of sources and diversity of voices offered here."—Bradley R. Simpson, author of Economists with Guns: Authoritarian Development and U.S.-Indonesian Relations, 1960-1968
