Lament for the Molly Maguires
by Arthur H. Lewis
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From one of our leading experts on foreign policy, a full-scale reinterpretation of America's dealings--from its earliest days--with the rest of the world. It is Walter Russell Mead's thesis that the United States, by any standard, has had a more successful foreign policy than any of the other great powers that we have faced--and faced down. Beginning as an isolated string of settlements at the edge of the known world, this country--in two centuries--drove the French and the Spanish out of show more North America; forced Britain, then the world's greatest empire, to respect American interests; dominated coalitions that defeated German and Japanese bids for world power; replaced the tottering British Empire with a more flexible and dynamic global system built on American power; triumphed in the Cold War; and exported its language, culture, currency, and political values throughout the world. Yet despite, and often because of, this success, both Americans and foreigners over the decades have routinely considered American foreign policy to be amateurish and blundering, a political backwater and an intellectual wasteland. Now, in this provocative study, Mead revisits our history to counter these appraisals. He attributes this unprecedented success (as well as recurring problems) to the interplay of four schools of thought, each with deep roots in domestic politics and each characterized by a central focus or concern, that have shaped our foreign policy debates since the American Revolution--the Hamiltonian: the protection of commerce; the Jef-fersonian: the maintenance of our democratic system; the Jacksonian: populist values and military might; and the Wilsonian: moral principle. And he delineates the ways in which they have continually, and for the most part beneficially, informed the intellectual and political bases of our success as a world power. These four schools, says Mead, are as vital today as they were two hundred years ago, and they can and should guide the nation through the challenges ahead. Special Providence is a brilliant analysis, certain to influence the way America thinks about its national past, its future, and the rest of the world. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
A somewhat historical account of the rise and fall of the Irish group called The Molly Maguires. The Molly Maguires took law into their own hands, trying to find justice for miners and their family who were poorly treated. This book tells of the Molly Maguires group and The Pinkerton Spy that brought them down.
I knew the basics about the Molly Maguires. I also knew of rumors that my family helped The Pinkerton Spy hide. My great grandparents and grandparents on my father’s side grew up in the Pottstown area called St. Clair. I think while reading it I was a little hopeful that I would see a familiar last name connected to me but… I did not. The book did mention many names, so many that I got confused at who was who.
Most of book show more was... pretty boring. I kept comparing it to the beginning of the bible. Just listing this person did this and this other person did that. I feel like the most emotional moment was at the end of the book where some Molly Maguires were hung.
I had hoped for more from this book but I think most of it went over my head or my eyes gazed over no matter how many times I read the same spot. I think that the reason I did not like a lot of the book is because of the author’s “voice”. For a book with so much death and violence, it seemed very slow and boring. show less
I knew the basics about the Molly Maguires. I also knew of rumors that my family helped The Pinkerton Spy hide. My great grandparents and grandparents on my father’s side grew up in the Pottstown area called St. Clair. I think while reading it I was a little hopeful that I would see a familiar last name connected to me but… I did not. The book did mention many names, so many that I got confused at who was who.
Most of book show more was... pretty boring. I kept comparing it to the beginning of the bible. Just listing this person did this and this other person did that. I feel like the most emotional moment was at the end of the book where some Molly Maguires were hung.
I had hoped for more from this book but I think most of it went over my head or my eyes gazed over no matter how many times I read the same spot. I think that the reason I did not like a lot of the book is because of the author’s “voice”. For a book with so much death and violence, it seemed very slow and boring. show less
This is a so-so book about the great social/labor disturbance that rocked Pennsylvania in the 1860s-70s. The story is fascinating but this book does not do it justice. There are far better ones that have been published since this one. See Kenny's for a better work.
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Author Information
17+ Works 277 Members
Awards and Honors
Awards
Common Knowledge
- Important places
- Pennsylvania, USA
- Original language
- English
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, History
- DDC/MDS
- 364.14 — Society, government, & culture Social problems and social services Crime Criminal offenses Offenses against public health, safety, order, environment
- LCC
- HV6452 .P4 .M6 — Social sciences Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology Crimes and offenses
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 34
- Popularity
- 835,444
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.19)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 2
- ASINs
- 6
