Why does Mexico have statues of Abraham Lincoln?

En México tenemos un monumento del presidente Norteamericano Abraham Lincoln, en Tijuana, por qué?, aquí la respuesta. (In Mexico we have a monument of the North American president Abraham Lincoln, in Tijuana, why? Here is the answer.)

Actually, statues of Lincoln are found in parks throughout Mexico–particularly in major cities such as Tijuana, Juarez, Guadalajara, and Mexico City –and many schools are named after him. The reason he is honored in Mexico as perhaps the most respected US president is that he opposed the Mexican-American War as a Congressman, and supported Mexico’s fight against European occupation forces in the 1860s as President. And in the United States, statues of Mexican president Benito Juarez are in some cities, including San Diego. The two presidents shared a mutual goal of making Mexico and the USA  good neighbors.

The book Abraham Lincoln and Mexico examines his legacy and identifies many of the sites honoring Lincoln throughout the country.

 

 

“…international relevance with an engrossing story”

“Michael Hogan, in Abraham Lincoln and Mexico, brings together a passion for Mexico and an understanding of the United States during the nineteenth century so that he narrates their history with a sense of the intertwining of international relevance with an engrossing story. Here Abraham Lincoln becomes a human being of keen ideas and political know-how rather than the marble statute of his monument; here Benito Juarez, also becomes an individual beyond the dour lawyer portrayed in textbooks, movies, and television. There is a scope about this book that finds a kind of grandeur in the events as they are eloquently described.”

–William H. Beezley, Professor of History, University of Arizona. Author of The Essential Mexico (Oxford University Press).

I sincerely hope this valuable book gains wide notice.

4.0 out of 5 stars ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND MEXICO: A History of Courage, Intrigue, and Unlikely Friendships. Amazon review, August 18, 2016, by D. Grant Fitter, author, City of Promises. Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase.

“This work, a re-visioning of history’s story of US intrusion upon Mexican sovereignty in the 1840s, is an important one. There have been other published accounts of President Polk, his egoistic Manifest Destiny platform, the notion of American exceptionalism and the contrived invasion of Mexico. Those I have seen seem to glorify “Polk-ish” logic and behaviour.

When it comes to Polk’s move against a weakened neighbor, the popular historical accounts of the Mexican-American war avoid the unsavoury facts. Hogan does not. Evidently Abraham Lincoln didn’t either. 

This is ultimately a story about the author’s dismay over popular US historical sentiment suppressing an ugly black mark on United States diplomacy. Digging deep into the documented record of Abraham Lincoln times, Dr. Hogan builds a solid case to boldly state the truth of how United States acted illegally to take a massive swath of Mexican territory for no other reason than President Polk wanted it and United States could take it. I sincerely hope this valuable book gains wide notice.”

A Tale Well Told: 5.0 out of 5 stars

5.0 out of 5 stars ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND MEXICO: A History of Courage, Intrigue, and Unlikely Friendships

Amazon review, August 18, 2016, by Philip Stover, former Deputy Superintendent, San Diego Unified School District, and author of Religion and Revolution in Mexico’s North. Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase.

“Writing accurate history is a science; writing it well is an art. Michael Hogan has once again demonstrated that he writes with the methodology of the former and the palette of the latter. Abraham Lincoln and Mexico brings to light that which for too long has hidden in the shadows, the fact of the interest, integrity, and involvement of our sixteenth President in the struggles and victories of our southern neighbor, be they internal or external with the United States and France. Through the extensive use of primary documents Hogan reveals the insight and intelligence with which Lincoln and his closest associates approached Mexico. He brings to light little known roles played by actors such as Matias Romero, Charge d’Affaires of Juárez to Washington DC, Philip Sheridan, Lew Wallace, and Ulysses Grant of Civil War fame. He also highlights the engagement of the unknown buffalo soldier who fought with and for the republican army of Mexico against the imperial armies of France, Austria and Belgium as they sought to impose their will on Mexico.

Hogan reveals to the reader the truth and lies bound up within the justification of the leaders of the United States as they made consistent and systemic decisions leading to war with the purpose of economic, political, and patriotic gains from “sea to shining sea.” Then with a deft pen he equally tells the story of the support of the same leaders for the survival of republican Mexico less than twenty years later. It is a story full of complicated motivations and characters. It is a tale well told.”

Guadalajara students inspired the book

Remember the 2012 movie “Lincoln” that won two Oscars? Omissions in the movie prompted classroom discussions in a Guadalajara, Mexico, high school and inspired the professor to research and write the new book Abraham Lincoln and Mexico. Here’s the very interesting backstory.

It began with a simple question by historian and educator Dr. Michael Hogan in the Advanced Placement US History course (APUSH) he was teaching at the American School Foundation of Guadalajara.  The students had just seen an early screening of the movie and the professor wanted to know what they learned about Mexico from the film, especially since Hogan’s course was covering Lincoln’s life and examining his relationships with Mexico.

“Nada,” was the collective response. Not a word. Click here to read the interesting article in The Guadalajara Reporter describing what happened next, and during the three years leading up to publication of Hogan’s impressive book this year.

 

 

Official launch of print versions

September 12, 2016, is the official publication day for the USA print version of Abraham Lincoln and Mexico. The Kindle version launched May 13 on Amazon to coincide with the date the US Congress declared war on Mexico in 1846. Leading up to the print publication date, we’ll post blurbs about the book from historians, educators, authors, and critics.

Meanwhile, here’s a sneak peek at the poster designed to celebrate the September 20 official launch of the Latin American print version. The event will be at the American School Foundation of Guadalajara, Mexico, where  the author’s Advanced Placement US History course inspired his research and publication of the book. Stay tuned for details of the event.