Alexander James Dallas An Exposition of the Causes and Character of the War

Overview

Alexander James Dallas' An Exposition of the Causes and Character of the War was written as part of an effort by the then US government to explain and justify its declaration of war in 1812. However publication coincided with the ratification of the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War. The Exposition is especially interesting for the insight it provides into the self-constraint of American foreign policy and of the conduct of a war. The focus is on the foreign policy of the early republic and the related philosophy of law and war. A central idea is that international law should chiefly benefit those remaining at peace.

Dallas was a Philadelphian who settled there in 1783, the year of the Peace of Paris which ended the War of Independence, arriving from Jamaica after a British education. He wrote much on law, becoming the first recorder of cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He later served as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and federal district attorney for Eastern Pennsylvania, appointed by President Jefferson. He was appointed Secretary of Treasury by President Madison.

In this edition the original text is presented with annotations to help identify persons and events of interest. The editor has also added an Introduction, a Bibliography, a short Chronology of Dallas' life and the events of the War, and an analytical Index. As such this annotated edition presents a key primary source in a manner helpful to research for students of the early Republic.

Reviews

This edition of Dallas's Exposition is based on the original 1825 version, published in Washington, D.C. Given that students can now readily access digitalized forms of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century publications, one might legitimately ask what purpose is served by a new printed edition. The answer, surely, is the help given to the modern reader by the editorial apparatus. In this case, the editor provides an introduction to the work in particular and to Dallas and his career in general. Without such an aid, an untutored reader may well miss the significance of parts of Dallas's treatise. A chronology, relating to Dallas and the background to and course of the War of 1812, also usefully guides non-specialists through the twists and turns of Anglo-American relations. Dallas's text itself is supported by explanatory footnotes, identifying characters and events that non-specialists might find obscure. Diplomacy & Statecraft.

Callaway's annotation of Dallas's work is not meant to evenhandedly weigh the causes, actions, and consequences of this strange war. Rather, he has uncovered a primary source and historical treasure and made it more accessible to scholars of the early Republic. In this, he succeeded. Armed Forces & Society

Author Biography

Dr. H.G. Callaway, has published widely in philosophy of language and in the area of American philosophy, including American Ethics: A Source Book from Edwards to Dewey (2000), recent editions of R.W. Emerson, The Conduct of Life (2006) and Society and Solitude (2008), and William James, A Pluralistic Universe (2008).