Manifest Manhood and the Antebellum American Empire

The U.S.-Mexico War (1846-1848) brought two centuries of dramatic territorial expansionism to a close, and apparently fulfilled America's Manifest Destiny. Or did it? Even as politicians schemed to annex new lands in Latin America and the Pacific, other Americans aggressively pursued expansionism independently. In fact, an epidemic of unsanctioned attacks by private American mercenaries (known as filibusters) occurred between 1848 and 1860 throughout the Western Hemisphere. This book documents the potency of Manifest Destiny in the antebellum era, and analyzes imperial lust in the context of the social and economic transformations that were changing the definition of gender in the U.S. Amy S. Greenberg is Associate Professor of History and Women's Studies at Pennsylvania State University. She is also the author of Cause for Alarm: The Volunteer Fire Department in the Nineteenth-Century City (Princeton, 1998). She has served on the governing boards of the Urban History Association, and the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic, and on the editorial board of Journal of Urban History. She is the recipient of the Pennsylvania State University George Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching, as well as numerous fellowships. This Book Documents The Potency Of Manifest Destiny In The Antebellum Era And Situates Imperial Lust In The Context Of Social And Economic Transformations That Were Changing The Meaning Of Manhood And Womanhood In The United States. Easy Victory Over Mexico In 1848 Led Many American Men To Embrace Both An Aggressive Vision Of Expansionism And An Equally Martial Vision Of Manhood.--jacket. 1. The New Frontier As Safety Value : The Political And Social Context Of Manifest Destiny, 1800-1860 -- 2. An American Central America : Boosters, Travelers, And The Persistence Of Manifest Destiny -- 3. American Men Abroad : Sex And Violence In The Latin American Travelogue -- 4. William Walker And The Regeneration Of Martial Manhood -- 5. The Irresistible Pirate : Narciso Lopez And The Public Meeting -- 6. American Women Abroad -- 7. Manifest Destiny And Manly Missionaries : Expansionism In The Pacific -- Conclusion : American Manhood And War, 1860 To The Present. Amy S. Greenberg. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 283-305) And Index.