
The War of 1898
The United States and Cuba in History and Historiography
Louis A. Perez Jr.(Author)
The University of North Carolina Press
Published on 30. October 1998
Book
Hardback
192 pages
978-0-8078-2437-5 (ISBN)
Description
A century after the Cuban war for independence was fought, Louis Perez examines the meaning of the war of 1898 as represented in one hundred years of American historical writing. Offering both a critique of the conventional historiography and an alternate history of the war informed by Cuban sources, Perez explores the assumptions that have shaped our understanding of the ""Spanish-American War""--a construct, he argues, that denies the Cubans' participation in their own struggle for liberation from Spanish rule.
Perez examines historical accounts of the destruction of the battleship Maine, the representation of public opinion as a precipitant of war, and the treatment of the military campaign in Cuba. Equally important, he shows how historical narratives have helped sustain notions of America's national purpose and policy, many of which were first articulated in 1898. Cuba insinuated itself into one of the most important chapters of U.S. history, and what happened on the island in the final decade of the nineteenth century--and the way in which what happened was subsequently represented--has had far-reaching implications, many of which continue to resonate today.
|Focusing on the War of 1898, Louis Perez presents both a critique of the conventional historiography and an alternate history of the war that is informed by Cuban sources.
Perez examines historical accounts of the destruction of the battleship Maine, the representation of public opinion as a precipitant of war, and the treatment of the military campaign in Cuba. Equally important, he shows how historical narratives have helped sustain notions of America's national purpose and policy, many of which were first articulated in 1898. Cuba insinuated itself into one of the most important chapters of U.S. history, and what happened on the island in the final decade of the nineteenth century--and the way in which what happened was subsequently represented--has had far-reaching implications, many of which continue to resonate today.
|Focusing on the War of 1898, Louis Perez presents both a critique of the conventional historiography and an alternate history of the war that is informed by Cuban sources.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chapel Hill
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 231 mm
Width: 146 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
585 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8078-2437-5 (9780807824375)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Louis A. Perez Jr. is J. Carlyle Sitterson Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His books include Cuba: Between Reform and Revolution.