Pinheiro, John C.

PERSONAL:

Married. Education: California State University, B.A., 1992, M.A., 1994; University of Tennessee, Ph.D., 2001.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Aquinas College, Department of History, 1607 Robinson Rd. S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49506. E-mail—pinhejoh@aquinas.edu.

CAREER:

Educator and writer. Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, MI, assistant professor, 2004—. Also has taught courses at Pellissippi State Community College, the University of Tennessee, and California State University. Has appeared on National Public Radio and CSPAN.

MEMBER:

Aquinas College Historical Commission, Southern Historical Association, Society for Historians of the Early American Republic.

WRITINGS:

Manifest Ambition: James K. Polk and Civil-Military Relations during the Mexican War, Praeger Security International (Westport, CT), 2007.

Contributor to a number of scholarly journals; writer for the History News Service. Assistant editor, "Papers of George Washington," University of Virginia.

SIDELIGHTS:

Author and educator John C. Pinheiro teaches and writes about history, with particular interest in the Mexican War, American identity, republican citizenship, and views on Catholicism. He has served as an assistant professor at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and taught at various other colleges throughout the United States. Pinheiro was assistant editor of the "Papers of George Washington" at the University of Virginia and is a contributor to a number of scholarly journals. Pinheiro has also written for the History News Service and appeared on National Public Radio and CSPAN.

Pinheiro's first book is Manifest Ambition: James K. Polk and Civil-Military Relations during the Mexican War, published in 2007. In this work he studies the roles of James K. Polk, Henry Clay, Zachary Taylor, and others during the Mexican War. Pinheiro covers the main events of the war and discusses war preparations, the effect of Jacksonian doctrines, military discontent, and Polk's leadership style, using research such as letters, official papers, and proclamations. The author argues that Jacksonian attitudes, partisan politics, and other factors jeopardized the United States' military victory in the war. Critics and readers responded positively to Pinheiro's first book, citing its extensive research as well as its in-depth look at the details of this important war. A Reference & Research Book News contributor noted that relevant documents are appended, including "letters, proclamations, and Polk's inaugural address." Stephen H. Peters wrote in a review for the Library Journal that readers "will gain a deeper understanding of the course of the war."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Library Journal, June 15, 2007, Stephen H. Peters, review of Manifest Ambition: James K. Polk and Civil-Military Relations during the Mexican War, p. 80.

Reference & Research Book News, August, 2007, review of Manifest Ambition.

ONLINE

Aquinas College Department of History,http://www.aquinas.edu/history/ (April 23, 2008), faculty profile.