Book contents
- The Cambridge History of America and the World
- The Cambridge History of America and the World
- The Cambridge History of America and the World
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Contributors to Volume III
- General Introduction: What is America and the World?
- Introduction to Volume III
- Part I American Power in the Modern Era
- 1 The Sinews of Globalization
- 2 The Territorial Empire
- 3 Waging World War I
- 4 Technological Transformations
- 5 Law and American Power
- 6 Latin America and US Global Governance
- 7 Transatlantic Relations
- 8 The Open Door, Tsarist Russia, and the Soviet Union
- 9 The Rise of the Modern Middle East
- 10 Competing Empires in Asia
- 11 Making a Modern Military
- Part II Competing Perspectives
- Part III The Perils of Interdependence
- Index
5 - Law and American Power
from Part I - American Power in the Modern Era
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 November 2021
Book contents
- The Cambridge History of America and the World
- The Cambridge History of America and the World
- The Cambridge History of America and the World
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Contributors to Volume III
- General Introduction: What is America and the World?
- Introduction to Volume III
- Part I American Power in the Modern Era
- 1 The Sinews of Globalization
- 2 The Territorial Empire
- 3 Waging World War I
- 4 Technological Transformations
- 5 Law and American Power
- 6 Latin America and US Global Governance
- 7 Transatlantic Relations
- 8 The Open Door, Tsarist Russia, and the Soviet Union
- 9 The Rise of the Modern Middle East
- 10 Competing Empires in Asia
- 11 Making a Modern Military
- Part II Competing Perspectives
- Part III The Perils of Interdependence
- Index
Summary
In 1775 Benjamin Franklin reflected on the precarious existence of thirteen colonies that sought independence in a world of empires. “[T]he circumstances of a rising State,” he observed, “make it necessary frequently to consult the law of nations.”1 Other founders agreed. This is why the first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence makes an appeal to “the powers of the earth” and offers “a decent respect to the opinions of mankind.” In order to survive, flourish, and attract foreign support, a fledgling nation needed to observe the existing rules of international law.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge History of America and the World , pp. 130 - 152Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022