Uncle Sam Abroad

Conner, Jacob Elon, 1862-1949Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 281K words
Chapters: 29

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Uncle Sam Abroad by Jacob Elon ConnerAuthor: Conner, Jacob Elon, 1862-1949,Language: English, Class: JX: Political science: International law, Release Date: Dec 9, 2016

Editor's review

This book is an early popular discussion of American international relations and international law. The author, Jacob Connor, uses the figure of Uncle Sam as an entry point to discuss America's role and predicament in overseas affairs. As a public-domain e-book, it preserves the early twentieth-century American way of observing international law, overseas expansion, and foreign relations, and is valuable for understanding the historical development of American diplomatic thought. Readers may note how the author translates concepts of international law into public topics in an accessible style, and how American society at the time imagined its overseas responsibilities. The text bears clear marks of its era, and its views are not neutral; it is best read as historical or intellectual-history material rather than as a practical guide to today's international relations. It suits readers interested in American history and the history of international law for careful reading in a quiet setting, and can also serve as material for discussion seminars alongside other primary sources.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in American diplomatic history and the history of international law who are willing to read old public-domain works
Scholars or students studying early twentieth-century American views of the world and public discourse
General readers who enjoy observing the construction of national image in historical texts
Those who need English public-domain historical sources for course reading or writing reference

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking practical guidance on contemporary international relations
Those who prefer light narrative or literary reading and are unwilling to engage with old-style argument
Beginners who struggle with English and need Chinese translation and annotation

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and preface first to grasp the author's basic framework for discussing Uncle Sam's overseas role.
Understand the book's views in the historical context of the early twentieth century rather than applying them directly to the present.
Read alongside contemporaneous works on American diplomatic history and note the author's stance and historical limitations.
If the English original is long, summarize chapter by chapter and highlight passages on international law and overseas responsibility.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable for readers without a foundation in international law?

It can be read, but expectations should be adjusted. It is not a modern international law textbook but a popular discussion marked by its era. Readers without a foundation may first learn about the early twentieth-century American diplomatic background, then read it as intellectual-history material without dwelling on specific legal provisions.

Are the book's views still applicable today?

They should not be applied directly. The book reflects a particular historical period's American imagination of its overseas role, and many of its assumptions differ from contemporary international relations. Its value lies in helping understand the historical sources of American diplomatic thought, not in offering a guide to action today.

What if I have difficulty reading the English original?

First use a dictionary to handle terminology in international law and politics, read chapter by chapter, and write brief summaries. If difficulties remain, find Chinese introductions to American diplomatic history as background supplements, then return to the original to grasp the core arguments.

Comments

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About the author

Conner, Jacob Elon, 1862-1949 Author · 1862–1949

Jacob Elon Conner (1862–1949) was an American author whose biography and educational background are poorly documented in publicly available sources. The library currently holds only one work by him, Uncle Sam Abroad. Judging from its title and subject matter, the book deals with American affairs and America's role overseas, and belongs to the literature on U.S. foreign relations or overseas expansion. Conner tends to use the popular figure of "Uncle Sam" to stand for the United States, examining American influence abroad and the controversies it aroused, in a style that combines commentary with observation. Owing to limited sources, details of his life, his professional identity, and his other writings cannot be confirmed; readers should assess his views in light of the historical context in which the book appeared.