Reviews From Colony to Superpower: US Foreign Relations Since 1776 by Geo rge C. H erring (O xfo rd University Press, New Yo rk, 2008 , 1035 pages, illus, biblio, index, ISBN 978-0-19-5 07822-0, $35hc) From Colony to Superpower is a lengthy and sometimes challenging read, yet a rewarding literary sojo urn thro ugh che evolution of American fo reign policy from ics earliest rimes co the 2 l sc cemury. Foreign policy was che metaphorical midwife acrending che birch of the nascem American experiment in dem ocracy, a novel ideology and a form of governan ce char wo uld come co influence much of the world. Ame rican fo reign policy had rwo disparate functio ns: co protect che new government from foreign interferen ce and co pave the way for an expansionist plan-America's "manifest destiny." Thus, the idealized Am erican democracy also came ro be perceived as bullying and hypocritical, espousing slavery and selective suffrage. Its fo reign policy cools em ployed "interference ac bes t and coercion ac worse." H erring's scholarly research , wo rked into a co mpelling historical acco unt, tells che story of Am eri ca's interac tion with che peoples and nati o ns of che wo rld. It documents many of che stunning successes and tragic fa ilures char shaped fo reign relatio ns and were central to the existen ce and survival of what became known as the ''America way of life," its markets, terricorial expan sion and defense. Its peopleadventurers and explorers, captains of ships and captai ns of industry, merch am s, missionaries, and diplomats-shaped the nation's commerce and established ics interests against fo reign powers . The h eroes and vill ains (and occasional doles) of chis story were che secretaries of scare and fo reign ministers, as well as their respecti ve pres idents and prime ministers, who shaped che events char acco unted for Ameri ca's place in che wo rld. Maritime issues were, of course, a significant consideration in the development of American foreign policy, establishing commercial partnerships, trading ports, safe trade routes and ports for provisioning, coaling, and lacer fueling. Maritime agreem ents determined che boundaries of coastal waters, the rights of seamen SEA HrSTORY 127, SUMMER 2009
and fishing rights. Finally, resolution of these issues helped establish diplomatic, political, and military alliances for the pro tection of American citizens around the wo rld. H erring's analytical book about epic C...-SU!! events and ch e human drama contained wi thin chem is a most worthy addition prefers using specific primary documents co any hisrorian's library; a work char ex- and images co "stir students to chink more amines che hiscory of American foreign deeply abo ut the impact of all things mapolicy, a hiscorical venue coo infrequendy rine on American society. By providing a visited. body of documents that they themselves Lours ARTHUR NORTO N analyze, Voyages enables students to move Wesc Simsbury, Conneccicuc beyond being passive participants." The Voyages volumes are no coffeetable books. The dense format in two reasonably priced paperback books is mean t to allow students co pack them in their backpacks and carry them to the classroom, library, or even the deck of a ship. For both students and instrucrors of maritime histo ry, these are a must. For the armchair sailor, history buff, or independent researcher, Dr. Smith has just saved you a lot of time by selecting important and compelling documents char cover a wide range of topics in maritime hisrory and purring chem all together chese two books. D EIRDRE
Voyages: Documents in American Maritime History, 2 vols. edited by Joshua M. Smich and che National M ari rime Historical Society. Vol. l , The Age of Sail: 14921865 and Vol. 2, The Age of Engines: 1865-Present (University ofFlo rida Press, Gainesville, 2009, illus, notes, biblio, ISBN (vol. 1) 978-0-8 130-3304-4 and (vol. 2) 978-0-81 30-3305- 1; each $34.95pb) Joshua M . Smith, an associate professo r of humanities ac che US M erchant Marine Academy, has ream ed up wich che National M aritime Hisrorical Society co publish chis two-volume anthology covering che American m aritime experience from che European discovery of che Americas to che 2 1st-century War o n Terror. A collection of cho ughcfully selected primary documents, chis sec is intended co assist anyone assembling course material in maritime hiscory. After years of developing curricula fo r his ow n classes, Dr. Smith lamented that the field of m aritime hiscory has no textbook o r standardized curricular resources. In his own teaching, Dr. Smith
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