Coal & empire : the birth of energy security in industrial America
(Book)

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Published
Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, [2015].
ISBN
9781421417066, 1421417065
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Published
Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, [2015].
Format
Book
Physical Desc
xii, 317 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm
Language
English
ISBN
9781421417066, 1421417065

Notes

Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 235-296) and index.
Description
"Since the early twentieth century, Americans have associated oil with national security. From World War I to American involvement in the Middle East, this connection has seemed a self-evident truth. But as Peter A. Shulman argues, Americans had to learn to think about the geopolitics of energy in terms of security, and they did so beginning in the nineteenth century: the age of coal. Coal and Empire insightfully weaves together pivotal moments in the history of science and technology by linking coal and steam to the realms of foreign relations, navy logistics, and American politics. Long before oil, coal allowed Americans to rethink the place of the United States in the world. Shulman explores how the development of coal-fired, ocean-going steam power in the 1840s created new questions, opportunities, and problems for U.S. foreign relations and naval strategy. The search for coal, for example, helped take Commodore Matthew Perry to Japan in the 1850s. It facilitated Abraham Lincoln's pursuit of black colonization in 1860s Panama. After the Civil War, it led Americans to debate whether a need for coaling stations required the construction of a global island empire. Until 1898, however, Americans preferred to answer the questions posed by coal with new technologies rather than new territories. Afterward, the establishment of America's island empire created an entirely different demand for coal to secure the country's new colonial borders, a process that paved the way for how Americans incorporated oil into their strategic thought. By exploring how the security dimensions of energy were not intrinsically linked to a particular source of power but rather to political choices about America's role in the world, Shulman ultimately suggests that contemporary global struggles over energy will never disappear, even if oil is someday displaced by alternative sources of power."--Publisher's description.

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Shulman, P. A. (2015). Coal & empire: the birth of energy security in industrial America . Johns Hopkins University Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Shulman, Peter A., 1979-. 2015. Coal & Empire: The Birth of Energy Security in Industrial America. Johns Hopkins University Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Shulman, Peter A., 1979-. Coal & Empire: The Birth of Energy Security in Industrial America Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Shulman, Peter A. Coal & Empire: The Birth of Energy Security in Industrial America Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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