THE UNITED STATES IN THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR

by Don Lawson ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 12, 1976

Keeping to the same economical pace he established early in this series, Lawson tells how the Spanish-American War and its Philippine postscript were fought--with a Navy built up in response to Mahan's theories and with an Army so disorganized that it never managed to get most of its volunteer soldiers off US soil. The social context is minimal: McKinley and Roosevelt's electoral victory in 1900 is simply seen as a popular mandate for expansionism while the role of Bryan and the Democrats is described one-dimensionally as ""vicious if not treasonable"" in its opposition. And Lawson also repeats as fact a story we had thought to be apocryphal about McKinley not knowing where the Philippines were until he got the news of Dewey's victory. Certainly there's nothing here to challenge Werstein's more incisive Turning Point for America (1964) although those who want mainly military history might find this an easier, if just passably satisfactory alternative.

Pub Date: May 12, 1976

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 160

Publisher: Abelard Schuman/dist. by T. Y. Crowell

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1976

Categories: NONFICTION