Expansion and Conflict

William Edward Dodd

sept 2022 · DigiCat

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The purpose of this volume is to show the action and reaction of the most important social, economic, political, and personal forces that have entered into the make-up of the United States as a nation. The primary assumption of the author is that the people of this country did not compose a nation until after the close of the Civil War in 1865. Of scarcely less importance is the fact that the decisive motive behind the different groups in Congress at every great crisis of the period under discussion was sectional advantage or even sectional aggrandizement. If Webster ceased to be a particularist after 1824 and became a nationalist before 1830, it was because the interests of New England had undergone a similar change; or, if Calhoun deserted about the same time the cause of nationalism and became the most ardent of sectionalists, it was also because the interests of his constituents, the cotton and tobacco planters of the South, had become identified with particularism, that is, States rights.

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William Edward Dodd (1869–1940) was an American historian, educator, and diplomat. A native of Clayton, North Carolina, Dodd earned his Ph.D. at the University of Leipzig. He served as a professor of history at Randolph-Macon College, Washington and Lee University, and the University of Chicago. Known for his progressive views and emphasis on the agricultural South, Dodd penned several works in American history, including 'Expansion and Conflict' which intricately details the American expansionist era in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His scholarly approach weaves the narrative of socio-political development with a particular focus on the underlying economic forces and the sectional tensions that shaped the period. In 'Expansion and Conflict,' Dodd utilized both primary and secondary sources to analyze how America's evolution influenced its domestic policies and its stance on the global stage. Not limited to his academic pursuits, Dodd was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as the United States Ambassador to Germany, serving from 1933 to 1937 during the tumultuous rise of the Nazi regime. His tenure in this diplomatic role, which coincided with critical historical events, further influenced his later writings and reflections. His scholarly contributions continue to be recognized for their meticulous research and narrative clarity, offering valuable insights into the complexities of American historical contexts.