This book demonstrates how the War Department and the United States Army worked to build support for the military and foster a martial spirit in the American populace from the turn of the century to the beginning of World War I. This era, dominated by progressives like Theodore Roosevelt, saw an American attitude shift toward structure, social duty, and middle class manly values, and politicians pushed for a larger army and its more frequent use. To psychologically prepare Americans for war, the federal government sponsored military education in schools, held military tournaments in major cities, publicized the attractions of military life through expanded recruiting, promoted marksmanship contests and encouraged public attendance at military maneuvers.

Roger Possner is a retired public library director and was an Air Force officer during the Vietnam War. He lives in Pasadena, California.

Roger Possner
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 260
Bibliographic Info: 24 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2009
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4418-2
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5411-2
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vi

Introduction: “Our blood is the most militant blood”      1

1. “The hunchback sister of imperialism”      5

2. “Our new military prophets”      10

3. “The centers of soldier making”      14

4. “A glimpse of mimic warfare”      38

5. “Romance of the Recruiting Office”      63

6. “An army of marksmen”      84

7. “Expansion is a new idea with us”      101

8. “A fabric of falsehood and fallacy”      107

9. “The dull mutter of distant guns”      129

10. “A great army of the people”      154

11. “In the badlands”      167

12. “Seminaries to promote respect for peace”      183

13. “The third battle of Bull Run”      194

14. Invisible Guns      215

15. “A military nation nowadays”      227

Chapter Notes      233

Bibliography      241

Index      249