In recent years, despite widespread interest in feminism, women's studies, and socio-historical perspectives in general, scholars have failed to unearth a body of historical knowledge related to women in the area of American foreign policymaking--until now. This unique volume brings to light the experiences of eight courageous women, who over a century and a half, had a concrete influence in this area. From Abolitionist critic Lydia Maria Child, to former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Jeane Kirkpatrick, a number of American women have attempted to shape and define the nation's foreign policy, admittedly with varying, often limited degrees of success. In doing so, however, they expanded women's role in the public eye, helped shape public consciousness about the nation's diplomacy, and frequently offered alternative policies that ultimately infiltrated the inner sanctum of the foreign policy establishment.

In James G. Blaine: Architect of Empire, author Edward P. Crapol assesses Blaine's role as an architect of empire and revisits the ambitious imperialistic goals of this two-time secretary of state. Crapol examines Blaine's pivotal role in shaping American foreign relations and looks at some of the underlying reasons why the U.S. acquired an overseas empire at the turn of the century. This text will acquaint readers with how Blaine sought to win global economic supremacy and intended to transform the U.S. into the world's number one power. The book also lends insight into Blaine's efforts to spark energetic governmental action in revitalizing the merchant marine, building a first-class navy, using the coercive tactic of reciprocity, achieving unilateral control of an isthmian canal, and creating U.S. political and economic hegemony in the hemisphere. In addition, James G. Blaine: Architect of Empire takes a serious look at Blaine the Anglophobe and anti-British nationalist who defined Great Britain as the U.S.'s primary global rival and the chief obstacle to American economic and political dominance in Latin America and the Pacific. Finally, Crapol looks at Blaine as the transitional figure who helped forge the economic expansionist mentality that underpinned the late nineteenth-century burst of imperialism. James G. Blaine is an excellent resource for scholars and students interested in America's imperial past and the figures who played key roles in America's global economic development.

The first vice president to become president on the death of the incumbent, John Tyler (1790-1862) was derided by critics as "His Accidency." In this biography of the tenth president, Edward P. Crapol challenges depictions of Tyler as a die-hard advocate of states' rights, limited government, and a strict interpretation of the Constitution. Instead, he argues, Tyler manipulated the Constitution to increase the executive power of the presidency. Crapol also highlights Tyler's faith in America's national destiny and his belief that boundless territorial expansion would preserve the Union as a slaveholding republic. When Tyler sided with the Confederacy in 1861, he was branded as America's "traitor" president for having betrayed the republic he once led.