Building the Continental Empire: American Expansion from Revolution to the Civil War

This concise history argues that American expansionist policies from the Revolution until the 1850s unified the new nation in a consensus that broke down only with Northern opposition to the South's dream of creating slave states that would expand into Latin America. The erosion of this consensus led to the Civil War, according to Weeks, who teaches American history at San Diego State University. The author advances his case in six chapters--administration by administration, from Jefferson to Lincoln--describing how the policies inspired by the assumption of Manifest Destiny strengthened nationalistic fervor through a series of wars he calls imperialistic, which built the nation with ""unprecedented speed and ease."" A master of no-frills history, Weeks makes his arguments in as few words as possible, rushing on to very tidy conclusions. While clearly and interestingly written, the book is history as overview, lacking local color or opposing opinions. (Nov.)