Professor Cooper gives a brief historiography and points to the 50 most important studies on America’s militia and National Guard. A carefully annotated bibliography provides basic information about 406 books, dissertations, and journal articles. Chapters cover different historical periods and topics, including African Americans.

Series Foreword by Roger J. Spiller -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Chapter 1: The Historiography of the Militia and National Guard. Chapter 2: General Works. Chapter 3: The Militia in Colonial America, 1607-1774. Chapter 4: The Militia in the Revolution and the Early Republic, 1775-1815. Chapter 5: The Militia, 1816-1865. Chapter 6: The Rise of the National Guard, 1866-1899. Chapter 7: The Era of Reform and World War, 1900-1919. Chapter 8: The National Guard Under Federal Control, 1920-1980. Chapter 9: African Americans in the Militia and National Guard. Chapter 10: Researching the Militia and National Guard -- Author Index -- Subject Index.