The True Flag

"One could not ask for a timelier argument . . . Kinzer is right: the first debate over American empire at the end of the nineteenth century speaks to our own time."—The New York Review of Books

"A well-researched account, which also gestures toward subsequent U.S. interventions"—The New Yorker

“Stephen Kinzer’s The True Flag is a marvelous and timely look at the rise of American imperialism at the turn of the twentieth century. All the big power players of the era—Theodore Roosevelt and Mark Twain among them—are analyzed cogently as intellectuals of great merit. An outstanding book!”—Douglas Brinkley, author of Rightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America and professor of history, Rice University

“In The True Flag, Stephen Kinzer gives us much more than the story of the birth of American dominion. He shows why we Americans were attracted to empire, how we have nurtured it to maturity, and what our choices are now. I thank him for helping me better understand how America acts in the world today.”—James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers, The Imperial Cruise, and The China Mirage

“Stephen Kinzer’s lively and incisive history takes us back more than a century to a fateful turning point: the moment when the United States first assumed the right to overthrow or build up regimes in distant parts of the globe. I hope American leaders will read this book and think long and hard about the warning it sounds."—Adam Hochschild, author of Spain in Our Hearts and King Leopold’s Ghost

“In this engaging, well-focused history…Kinzer astutely brings the debate [over American imperialism] from the turn of the century to the present. A tremendously elucidating book that should be required reading for civics courses."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“This straight-forward treatment of America’s struggle to define its international posture is essential for readers at all levels as we continue this debate and wonder, ‘Why don’t they like us?’”—Library Journal (starred review)

"[A] gripping narrative . . . Kinzer ably conveys the passion and ferment of this brief period, situating this grand debate in the context of U.S. foreign policy history and convincingly arguing that the imperial/anti-imperial dichotomy remains a dominant feature of the American psyche." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)