| Book Review | The Journal of American History, 94.3

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| Book Review | The Journal of American History, 94.3 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Uriah Levy: Reformer of the Antebellum Navy. By Ira Dye. (Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2006. xiv, 299 pp. $59.95, ISBN 0-8130-3004-8.)
Until recently, historians have ignored the complex social world of ships. In the last few years, works on the lives of common sailors have partially remedied that neglect. With the exception of Christopher McKee's A Gentlemanly and Honorable Profession (1991), few scholarly works have sought to uncover the social environment of officers. Ira Dye, a retired navy captain, attempts to uncover this world through the troubles of one officer in Uriah Levy. Dye argues that Levy's Jewish faith, merchant marine background, and ideas on reform proved incompatible with the natural aristocracy that led the navy.	1
On its face, Levy's life promises a good story. He served in the navy from the single frigate victories of the War of 1812 to the clash of the Monitor and the Merrimack. While it was obvious that Levy encountered prejudice in his relations with fellow officers, he was a self-absorbed clod who failed to appreciate the consequences of his actions. He bickered with the members of his wardroom mess over established protocol and disregarded naval regulations. On a ship, those flaws were tantamount to a social death sentence.	. . .

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