To the Halls of the Montezumas: The Mexican War in the American Imagination / Edition 1

by Robert W. Johannsen

Overview

For mid-19th-century Americans, the Mexican War was not only a grand exercise in self-identity, legitimizing the young republic's convictions of mission and destiny to a doubting world; it was also the first American conflict to be widely reported in the press and to be waged against an alien foe in a distant and exotic land. It provided a window onto the outside world and promoted an awareness of a people and a land unlike any Americans had known before. This rich cultural history examines the place of the Mexican War in the popular imagination of the era. Drawing on military and travel accounts, newspaper dispatches, and a host of other sources, Johannsen vividly recreates the mood and feeling of the period—its unbounded optimism and patriotic pride—and adds a new dimension to our understanding of both the Mexican War and America itself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195049817
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	01/21/1988
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	5.58(w) x 8.58(h) x 0.91(d)

Editorial Reviews

"An elegant analysis."—History: Reviews of New Books

"A sustained and interesting narrative."—Journal of the Early Republic

"This is an enlightening study which sets the Mexican War in its immediate context, rather than viewing it as a mere incident in the sectional conflict."—History

"Johannsen's careful construction and elegant style make the book a pleasure to read, a rarity in today's world."—Southwest Review

"Mr. Johannsen lightens his study with many lively quotations and provocative insights."—The New York Times Book Review

"There has never been a book on this subject that so brilliantly illuminates us as a people of almost hilarious contradictions."—American Heritage

"This reviewer cannot recall any volume which better describes American patriotic opinion during the 'fabulous forties.'"—International History Review

"A major contribution to our understanding of the impact of...the 1846-48 conflict with Mexico."—New Mexico Historical Review

"An extremely insightful book...[Johannsen] has added immeasurably to our understanding of mid-19th century America."—Robert V. Remini, University of Illinois, Chicago

"A profound—often disturbing—analysis...It is a book of great significance and wide-ranging implications."—Charles Royster, Louisiana State University

"[A] thorough examination of the enormous fugitive, nonpolitical literature of the 1840s."—American Historical Review

"Richly informative."—Kirkus Reviews

"A lively and learned examination of the Mexican War's meaning to mid-19th-century Americans."—CHOICE

"An excellent and original contribution...Johannsen clearly has captured the perceptions of Americans concerning the war, and he has a convincing argument on behalf of the popularity of the war."—The Western Historical Quarterly

"An extremely stimulating book...It provokes renewed interest from a fresh angle in tough old questions about the character and extent of white racism and the relation of sectionalism to patriotism."—Journal of American Studies

"The book glows with insight."—Booklist

From the Publisher