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The American Revolution
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failure as a thinking animal.” If Steinbeck is right, then we must think.
And we must think about war. We must study war with all its attendant
horrors and miseries. We must study the heroes and the villains. We must
study the root causes of our wars, how we chose to fight them, and what
has been achieved or lost through them. The study of America at war is
an essential component of being an educated American.
Still, there is something compelling in our military history that makes
the study not only necessary, but enjoyable, as well. The desperation that
drove Washington’s soldiers across the Delaware River at the end of 1776
intensifies an exciting story of American success against all odds. The
sailors and Marines who planted the American flag on the rocky peak of
Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima still speak to us of courage and sacrifice.
The commitment that led American airmen to the relief of West Berlin
in the Cold War inspires us to the service of others. The stories of these
men and women are exciting, and they matter. We should study them.
Moreover, for all the suffering it brings, war has at times served noble
purposes for the United States. Americans can find common pride in the
chronicle of the Continental Army’s few victories and many defeats in
the struggle for independence. We can accept that despite inflicting deep
national wounds and lingering division, our Civil War yielded admirable
results in the abolition of slavery and eventual national unity. We can
celebrate American resolve and character as the nation rallied behind a
common cause to free the world from tyranny in World War II. We can
do all that without necessarily promoting war.
In this series of books, Mason Crest Publishers offers students a founda-
tion for the study of American wars. Building on the expertise of a team
of accomplished authors, the series explores the causes, conduct, and
consequences of America’s wars. It also presents educators with the means
to take their students to a deeper understanding of the material through
additional research and project ideas. I commend it to all students and
to those who educate them to become responsible, informed Americans.