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Benjamin Franklin’s Rules for Reducing a Great Empire to a Small One (1773)

In 1773, two years before the American Revolution erupted, Benjamin Franklin, who was in England representing the interests of colonial America, published a satirical essay titled, Rules for Reducing a Great Empire to a Small One. Dedicated to his detractor and opponent of colonial pleas and petitions, Alexander Wedderburn (later Baron of Loughborough), Franklin’s essay employed humor to illustrate why exactly the colonies were on the verge of revolt. “An ancient sage valued himself upon this,”…

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Started by Benjamin J. Swenson
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Andrew Jackson’s Risky 1818 Invasion of Florida and Potential War with Spain

Ever since Andrew Jackson launched his invasion of Florida in 1818 to suppress British assistance to the Seminoles historians have sought to assign responsibility to either the 1815 Hero of New Orleans, President James Monroe, or both men. Prominent in that debate was the potential existence of a letter from Tennessee congressman John Rhea – who acted as a middle-man between Monroe and Jackson by informing the latter that the president authorized the invasion. The discovery in 2008 of a letter…

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Started by Benjamin J. Swenson
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Chronicling Commodore Matthew Perry’s Japan Expeditions (1850s)

In 1856, American writer and educator Francis Lister Hawks published a two-volume work on Commodore Matthew Perry’s expeditions to Japan between the years 1852 and 1854. Sponsored by the US government, the expedition’s main goals were to open up that isolationist country to the US, as well as lay the groundwork for further expansion into the Pacific region. Hawks wrote in the prefatory note that he was prompted by his “personal friendship for Commodore Perry,” who asked that he “undertake the…

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Started by Benjamin J. Swenson
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The ‘Fainting General’ vs. General Apathy: The 1852 Presidential Election and War of Words

The ‘Fainting General’ vs. General Apathy: The 1852 Presidential Election and War of Words The US Presidential election of 1852 pitted two former veterans of the Mexican-American War (1846–8), and because the platforms of the Democrat and Whig parties were watered down in an attempt to steal each other’s supporters, the election turned into a bitter contest of personal attacks rather than policy. The Whig Party candidate was Virginian Winfield Scott, hero and architect of the successful 1847…

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Started by Benjamin J. Swenson
2 Replies · Reply by Benjamin J. Swenson Jul 14

‘Commoner-Knights’ and Napoleonic Spain: The Guerrilla Chieftain El Empecinado

‘Commoner-Knights’ and Napoleonic Spain: The Guerrilla Chieftain El Empecinado In the autumn of 1809, at an important crossroads in the Peninsular War in Spain (1808-14), Napoleon began considering a complete overhaul of his occupation strategy. The change was prompted due to a shortage of funds in Paris to fuel the unexpected conflict, but played into the provincial nature of a growing guerrilla insurgency coalescing along regional lines led by local chieftains such Juan Martín Díez (El…

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Started by Benjamin J. Swenson
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From 'Compliance' and 'Conciliation' to 'Hearts and Minds': The 19th–Century Origins of U.S. Counterinsurgency Doctrine

From 'Compliance' and 'Conciliation' to 'Hearts and Minds': The 19th–Century Origins of U.S. Counterinsurgency Doctrine In 1829, French general Gabriel Suchet published his Peninsular War (1808–14) memoirs and noted that in 1810 he believed the Spanish “appeared to yield ready compliance” to the French occupation – an assessment far from accurate. Rather, Suchet’s tenure as commander of Napoleon’s forces in northeast Spain witnessed some of the most intense fighting between Spanish guerrillas…

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Started by Benjamin J. Swenson
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Korean origins of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance (1902-1922): Tonghak Peasant Revolt and Sino-Japanese War (1894–5) from an American Perspective (Part 2)

Korean origins of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance (1902-1922): Tonghak Peasant Revolt and Sino-Japanese War (1894–5) from an American Perspective (Part 2) The 1894 Korean Tonghak Peasant Revolt sparking the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–5) was used to showcase the 500-year-old Joseon Kingdom internationally as an underdeveloped and unstable state requiring reforms – a position supported by western powers justifying Japanese actions while simultaneously undermining Korean sovereignty and…

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Started by Benjamin J. Swenson
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Korean origins of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance (1902-1922): Tonghak Peasant Revolt and Sino-Japanese War (1894–5) from an American Perspective (Part 1) by Prof. Benjamin J. Swenson

Korean origins of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance (1902-1922): Tonghak Peasant Revolt and Sino-Japanese War (1894–5) from an American Perspective (Part 1) In 1884 the Japanese-sanctioned Gapsin Coup (갑신정병) in Seoul failed resulting in the reassertion of a pro-Chinese regime in the Kingdom of Korea. For ten years between 1884 and 1894 Japan slowly and methodically restored its presence on the peninsula. This was accomplished by encouraging Japanese merchants and farmers to settle Korean lands,…

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Started by Benjamin J. Swenson
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The Inauspicious Naming of the ‘War of 1812’ and Gulf Theater

The Inauspicious Naming of the ‘War of 1812’ and Gulf Theater In mid-1848 the second Anglo-American war was finally given its name. On June 23 of that year, at the conclusion of the Mexican-American War (1846–48), the Daily Union of Washington DC ran an article titled “The Triumph of Truth.” The article outlined a recent report on U.S. Treasury expenditures in the war with Mexico and of the previous conflict, which used the term “war of 1812” for the first time. Up until the end of the Mexican…

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Started by Benjamin J. Swenson
2 Replies · Reply by Benjamin J. Swenson Oct 7, 2024

Professor Swenson lives and has been based in South Korea since 2008. Research interests include Euro-American military history, with a focus on 19th-century North America. Assistant Professor at Hoseo University in Asan. Doctorate in History from Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona. Two-time alumni of the Camino Santiago. Fluent Spanish and Korean. International Studies Department faculty member, published author, and great-great-grandnephew of Amadeus William Grabau.

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