| Description |
vii, 360 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm |
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text txt rdacontent |
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unmediated n rdamedia |
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volume nc rdacarrier |
| Note |
"This work evolved from my 2013 History PhD dissertation at the University of Georgia"-- Author's acknowledgements. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 323-338) and index. |
| Contents |
What is terrorism? -- State terrorism, a sad historical fact -- America, the morally exceptional state -- The territorial cleansing of Native Americans -- Revolution, but no respite for Native Americans -- Terror during the American Revolution -- The terrorism of American slavery -- State terrorism during the American Civil War -- Terrorism on the Great Plains -- Terrorism during the Philippine-American War -- A second slavery under Jim Crow -- Lynching as terror theater -- Firebombing to surrender during World War II -- Incendiary bombing becomes the norm -- Yes, we are targeting civilians -- World War II scientists learn to fear their terror weapon -- Nuking the cities -- Terror in the post-World War II world -- The future of American terror. |
| Summary |
""Terrorism" is generally defined as the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, as a means to achieve political aims. American Exceptionalism--the belief that we are morally better than other nations, a "shining city on a hill" whose beams radiate into the world--precludes that we would engage in that kind of behavior. Doesn't it? Stephen Huggins doesn't think so. In America's Use of Terror he argues that, although Americans view themselves as the victims of terrorism and their political leaders disparage terrorist acts as cowardly and despicable, the United States has historically used acts of violence against noncombatants to induce terror and further its political objectives. He investigates historical examples from the Colonial period through World War II that illustrate the conflict between the United States' claims of exceptional moral standards and its frequent use of terror to influence civilian behavior. Huggins claims that the tension between the United States' supposed disdain for terror and its frequent use of it is "a coarse thread of hypocrisy" running through our nation's history"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Subject |
State-sponsored terrorism -- United States -- History.
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Terrorism -- United States -- History.
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Atrocities -- United States -- History.
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Atrocities. (OCoLC)fst00820727
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State-sponsored terrorism. (OCoLC)fst01131965
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Terrorism. (OCoLC)fst01148101
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United States. (OCoLC)fst01204155
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| Genre/Form |
History. (OCoLC)fst01411628
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| ISBN |
9780700628551 (cloth ; acid-free paper) |
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070062855X (cloth ; acid-free paper) |
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9780700628568 (ebook) |
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