Calls to Arms: Presidential Speeches, Messages and Declarations of War

Professor Buhite has performed an extremely valuable service in bringing these presidential ‘calls to arms’ together in such a convenient and useful way. Specialists in the military history of the United States will certainly appreciate this book, but any serious student of American ideas, American rhetoric, or American foreign policy will also profit from considering the documents assembled here. It is hard to say what is more fascinating and instructive: the ways these presidential expressions have undergone subtle, but important, changes over time; or the ways in which, right down to the present moment, they have remained so remarkably consistent in their appeals to the American people. — David W. Levy, University of Oklahoma

With Calls to Arms, Russell D. Buhite, widely known for his writings in American diplomatic history, has made available what will prove to be exceptionally useful. From John Adams to George W. Bush, Buhite brings together the many different public justifications American presidents have given for leading the country into all-out war or for undertaking specific military actions. Calls to Arms should work particularly well in courses on the American presidency and U.S. foreign relations. — Charles C. Alexander, Ohio University

Recommended. ― CHOICE