War, the State, and the Origins of American Industry, 1776-1848
The narrative explores the intricate relationship between government intervention and private initiative in a nation striving to establish a political economy that effectively integrates military capabilities with commercial interests. It delves into the challenges faced in achieving this balance, highlighting the interplay between state policies and private sector dynamics.
"Joel Roberts Poinsett is one of those figures who show up all across the expanding United States in the early nineteenth century. His career culminated as Secretary of War but also encompassed time as a secret agent in South America, ambassador to Mexico, South Carolina state legislator, and US Congressman-as well as as a naturalist and namesake of the poinsettia, which he stole from Mexico. While Poinsett was not an ideologue with a master plan, his consistently self-interested actions reveal an America defined by selfishness, cruelty, greed-and the use of federal power in support of them"--