American Conquest - by Andrew A Szarejko

About the Book

"The first war of America's existence as an independent state was fought against the Shawnee, the Miami, and other Ohio River Valley tribes in the Northwest Indian War of 1790-95. The war provides a window into how US conquest of the continent would proceed through the next century and comprise a central element of US foreign policy into the future. Szarejko examines why the United States first engaged in this war to secure its claim to the Old Northwest and how the reverberations of the war extend far beyond the process of settlement. In focusing on US strategy during the war--its reliance on military bases to project power and a nascent counterinsurgency doctrine--Szarejko expertly traces the patterns established by this conflict throughout American political history and demonstrates how that military victory continues to be legitimized today through local commemorations of the war. This innovative book argues forcefully against the conventional claim that early US foreign policy was isolationist, brings Indigenous politics more fully into the realm of international relations, and allows researchers in several scholarly fields to better understand the nature of American conquest"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

The first war of America's existence as an independent state was fought against the Shawnee, the Miami, and other Ohio River Valley tribes in the Northwest Indian War of 1790-95. The war provides a window into how US conquest of the continent would proceed through the next century and comprise a central element of US foreign policy into the future. Szarejko examines why the United States first engaged in this war to secure its claim to the Old Northwest and how the reverberations of the war extend far beyond the process of settlement. In focusing on US strategy during the war--its reliance on military bases to project power and a nascent counterinsurgency doctrine--Szarejko expertly traces the patterns established by this conflict throughout American political history and demonstrates how that military victory continues to be legitimized today through local commemorations of the war. This innovative book argues forcefully against the conventional claim that early US foreign policy was isolationist, brings Indigenous politics more fully into the realm of international relations, and allows researchers in several scholarly fields to better understand the nature of American conquest.

Review Quotes

"For too long, scholars of international relations largely accepted Eurocentric visions of US foreign policy that relegated US-tribal relations to the realm of the 'domestic' and took claims of American 'isolationism' at face value--no longer. Szarejko expertly uses the history of the Northwest Indian War to explore how relations between the United States and Native American tribes shaped US foreign policy." --Richard Maass, Old Dominion University

"Theoretically innovative and deeply researched, this book upends everything scholars think they know about early American foreign policy. As Szarejko shows, early US foreign policy was not averse to foreign conflict. While isolationism might have defined US relations with European powers, the US saw Native American tribes as a set of foreign nations, ones that had to be 'domesticated' through war and expansive settler networks." --Stacie Goddard, Wellesly College

"This exciting, vital book places the frontier at the center of US foreign policy and forces us to rethink nineteenth-century American foreign relations. Szarejko shows how frontier politics influenced the emergence of the US as a great power in a way that continues to matter in the twenty-first century." --Eric Grynaviski, The George Washington University

About the Author

Andrew A. Szarejko is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Wartburg College.