Diplomatic History of the US between 1776 and 1920 (Gerleman, D. J.) (BTAN3010MA))

The Diplomatic History of the United States, 1776-1920 is a North American Department course for American Studies BA students offered for the fall semester of 2024. The course surveys the foreign relations of the United States beginning on the eve of the 1776 Revolution and concluding with the nation’s reluctant emergence as global power in 1920. We will examine the principles underpinning American foreign policy since the nation’s founding and trace the gradual shift from neutrality and isolationism towards increased international involvement. Major themes include: the search for allies during the Revolution; the role of ‘Manifest Destiny’ ideology in facilitating territorial expansion and the Mexican War; Civil War diplomacy; the economic and political allure of late nineteenth century imperialism; Theodore Roosevelt’s ‘Big Stick’ diplomacy versus Woodrow Wilson’s ‘moral’ diplomacy, and American involvement in World War I and peacemaking. Included also will be relations with native peoples, the impact of the U.S. two-party system on diplomacy, and the influence of public opinion in shaping American foreign policy.