"By calling into question the assumption that expansion was inevitable, this book demands that we take responsibility-and perhaps even make amends-for the unjust wars of conquest waged by the United States."-Alice L. Baumgartner, Reviews in American History
"Burge's persuasive critique of the standard account of American empire should alter how manifest destiny is studied and taught."-Matt Millsap, South Dakota History
"A Failed Vision of Empire is a useful reminder of the fact that manifest destiny was contested."-Maria Angela Diaz, Western Historical Quarterly
"For anyone interested in joining in the work of deconstructing such a powerful myth, Burge provides the tools."-Richard Mize, Chronicles of Oklahoma
"Burge has refined and updated our understanding of territorial expansion in an important way. He has offered a clear, concise, and persuasive argument that should substantially alter how we look at Manifest Destiny and the mythology surrounding it. A Failed Vision of Empire should not be missed by any fan of nineteenth-century American history."-Matthew D. McDonough, Annals of Iowa
"A Failed Vision of Empire is a valuable part of a growing literature seeking to place manifest destiny in its proper historical and historiographical position."-Michael Hill, American Nineteenth Century History
"This well-written, deeply researched, and provocative book deserves a wide readership because it advances important ideas that will spark plenty of discussions about manifest destiny and expansion in the nineteenth century U.S."-Evan C. Rothera, Civil War Monitor
"Burge's A Failed Vision of Empire significantly contributes to the scholarship of U.S. empire. . . . The book confirms manifest destiny was a powerful rhetorical device that inspired an equally powerful resistance, and as Burge contends, by the 1870s, the resistance won."-Jimmy L. Bryan Jr., Journal of Arizona History
"A Failed Vision of Empire has performed a remarkable feat by blazing a fresh trail through what had looked like fairly well-worn historiographic terrain."-Brian Rouleau, Pacific Northwest Quarterly
"An excellent book, A Failed Vision of Empire will benefit historians of the U.S. South, Civil War-era politics, and foreign affairs."-David Prior, Journal of the Civil War Era