Total War and the United States, 1860-1950

The concept of total war has and continues to fascinate both scholarly thought and popular culture in the United States. After World War I, the term total war was coined to describe the destruction and decimation associated with that war. Many people have an idea of what total war is, or should encompass. Scholars have argued for decades as to what exactly constitutes the definition of total war, which conflicts fall under that definition, and why other conflicts are excluded from bearing such a label. In this course, we will examine multiple conflicts the United States took part in, as well as one European conflict during the time frame of the course. Our purpose is to determine what total war means, which conflicts are defined by this terminology, and why others are not.

The United States and Empire in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries

In the United States, we tend to think of empire and empire building as events and topics more closely associated with other countries and their history. “Empire” has been a dirty word in United States politics for more than two centuries. After the American Revolution, many citizens and politicians sought to separate the United States’ legacy from that of Great Britain, particularly when it came to the subject of empire. That desire of separation from association with empire has continued into the present. What if that separation was only in the minds of citizens and politicians, but not in their actions? How, then, do we reconcile those actions with the narrative of United States history and historiography? This course seeks to explore these questions through the historiography of United States empire.

Remaking Citizenship Through Warfare in Twentieth Century United States, Europe, and Their Colonies

As the concept of citizenship continues to expand or contract depending upon perceptions, politics, or new developments, historians continually grapple with understanding this constant transformation. As ideas about citizenship change throughout the twentieth century, there is one common thread: military service. In many ways, military service as a path to a particular type of citizenship is not new, nor has it disappeared from American society. Over the past few decades, immigrants have devoted themselves to military service, which eventually results in United States citizenship. Why has military service become so intertwined with definitions of citizenship? Is there a particular type of citizenship military personnel access that others do not? This course seeks to explore these questions and the historiography of warfare and citizenship in the United States.