Armchair Warriors

Joel Davidson talked about his book Armchair Warriors: Private Citizens, Public Press, and the Rise of American Power (Naval Institute Press; October 15, 2008). He used hundreds of letters from average Americans found in the National Archives and presidential libraries to research his book about the way in which the media covered wars from the Spanish-American War through the Civil War, and how ordinary Americans regarded those military issues at the time. He examined popular participation in America’s rise to global dominance as these “armchair warriors” sent their ideas for furthering national military goals directly to military and political leaders. He talked about his research on the topic and the types of suggestions sent by a broad spectrum of society. He responded to questions from members of the audience, including correspondence about the war on terrorism.

This program of the 75th Anniversary Noontime Literary Lecture Series was held on August 12, 2009, in the Jefferson close