This new book by a noted historian and professor is one of the best books available about relations between the United States and Mexico before, during, and after the Mexican-American War. It examines Abraham Lincoln's opposition to the war as a Congressman, and his support for Mexico as President. The book is long overdue because it treats Abraham Lincoln as an international figure, not merely an American one.
Michael Hogan's important new study of US expansionist policy in the mid-nineteenth century provides an illuminating and unvarnished account of United States imperialist ambitions vis-à-vis Mexico. His book is a powerful indictment of and a necessary corrective to the frequently heard simplistic and self-serving nationalist claims of American exceptionalism. It is also a spirited defense against and rebuttal of simplistic thinking about Abraham Lincoln's ideas about slavery, Mexico, and American hegemony. Hogan sets the record straight on these and other controversial historical matters, and in his generous and open-minded approach to historiography, offers a positive way forward in considering Mexican-American relations. -- Robert DiYanni, Professor, Center for the Advancement of Teaching. New York University.
