The Mexican War (The Chicago History of American Civilization) [Paperback]

Otis A. Singletary (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0226760618 | ISBN-13: 978-0226760612 | Publication Date: July 15, 1962 | Edition: Second edition.

The Mexican War has long been overshadowed in the public imagination by that most popular of all American wars, the Civil War. And it has been swept under the carpet of national conscience as, at worst, a calculated land grab from a neighbor too weak to defend itself.

Otis Singletary's concise, dramatic account of the war that won the Southwest and California for the United States is designed to evoke in modern readers a fresh appreciation of one of the most colorful but neglected episodes in American military affairs—and certainly one of the most significant. Victory in this "military exercise" turned our attention to the Far West, made possible the Gold Rush of '49, and brought vast new territories and new peoples into the Union—altering the face of the nation and greatly influencing its future course.

Mr. Singletary treats the military, political, economic, and diplomatic aspects of the war. He focuses on the ways in which the Mexican War exemplified the dynamic spirit of Manifest Destiny and was a microcosm of peculiarly American—and peculiarly democratic—problems of waging war.

"All in all, this is the best short account of the Mexican War yet written."—T. Harry Williams, The Journal of Modern History

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Otis Singletary is President Emeritus and Professor of History at the University of Kentucky. He has served as Vice President of the American Council on Education, Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Director of the Job Corps of the Office of Economic Opportunity, and Professor of History at the University of Texas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; Second edition. edition (July 15, 1962)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226760618
• ISBN-13: 978-0226760612
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,069,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of the Mexican War, June 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mexican War (The Chicago History of American Civilization) (Paperback)

Otis Singletary's The Mexican War is a concise and excellent overview of the war. Its greatest strength is the way it brings the personalities and personal conflicts to life. It provides great insight into the way politics intruded upon the prosecution of the war.

3.0 out of 5 stars A Fair History, December 6, 2011

By 

would man - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Mexican War (The Chicago History of American Civilization) (Paperback)

The book was fine as historical literature but not exactly exciting. Pretty straight forward. I have a better understanding of the war after reading this so I have to give it credit. I have many, many books on the Civil War that I've read over and over again. That's because the writing is terrific. This is not one I'd read again.

6 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, October 16, 2000

By 

Zaw Myint (Elkins Park, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mexican War (The Chicago History of American Civilization) (Paperback)

I had to review this book for a historical book review and it read like a breeze through the part describing the battles of the war. The political part after the war part was intresting but not as exciting as the former. This is a great read for fans of the Mexican War and even though of the Civil War.