Whose “Barbarism”? Whose “Treachery”? Race and Civilization in the Unknown United States—Korea War of 1871

One purpose of this study is to recapture the historical importance of the war for the broader history of American diplomatic relations in East Asia by offering a more accurate and fuller narrative. A second, related objective is to interpret the ways American ideas about race and civilization decisively shaped American decision making. Those ideas, informal and formal, shaped what the leaders of the expedition wanted, how they interpreted their encounters with Koreans, how they responded to Korean actions, and why they decided to go to war.