Joint Efforts with Mexican Consulates

Adriana Bacelis Sotomayor (2nd from left), cultural attaché of the consulate in San Diego, and consulate assistant Carolina Segura (2nd from right) welcomed LAMP co-founder Mikel Miller and his wife Maria Eléna Martinez

One important part of the Lincoln and Mexico Project (LAMP) is working with Mexican consulates in the USA. Together, we hope to improve relations between the USA and Mexico with outreach efforts to elected officials, educators, community leaders, and the news media.

To further this cooperation, we’re meeting with consulate officials in San Diego, Washington DC, and New York City during January 2017. The efforts are aimed at arranging presentations by historian educator Michael Hogan about Lincoln’s legacy in supporting Mexico, based on his book Abraham Lincoln and Mexico. Thanks to former Mexican ambassador Carlos Gonzalez-Magallon for arranging the meetings.

Changing USA public perceptions about Mexico is a major focus of Marcela Celorio, the new Consul General in San Diego, who assumed her duties in mid-2016 and immediately began building better relationships with elected and community leaders across the San Diego region. She’s a career diplomat who has represented Mexico in Brussels, Tel Aviv, New York City and Washington, D.C., and calls herself a “cross-border consul.” You can see more about her energetic outreach efforts by reading a feature article in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

In a far-ranging meeting January 5 at the consulate, cultural attaché Adriana Bacelis Sotomayor agreed to consider cross border presentations in San Diego and Tijuana in the coming months that feature Dr. Hogan and the book. We’ll keep you posted on events and schedules, and hope to include followers of the Lincoln and Mexico Project in some of the activities.

By the way, Amazon ranks Dr. Hogan’s book very high for relevancy among almost 3,300 titles about Abraham Lincoln Biography and History. If you don’t already have a copy, order one now to learn more about Lincoln’s support for Mexico as Congressman and President. Or give it as a gift to someone for Lincoln’s birthday February 12 so others can learn more about his legacy as an international statesman.

Thank you for following our blog.

Lincoln Book Nominated for Prestigious Prize

Congratulations to historian and educator Michael Hogan, whose book about Abraham Lincoln’s support for Mexico has been nominated for a prestigious prize in the United States. Here’s the relevant part of the letter received by Dr. Hogan’s publisher just before Christmas:

“The School of Public Affairs and the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University are pleased to inform you that the book Abraham Lincoln and Mexico: A History of Courage, Intrigue and Unlikely Friendships by Michael Hogan (2016) has been nominated for the 2016 William M. LeoGrande Prize for the best book on U.S.-Latin American relations.”

This prize is awarded annually to the author or editor of a book published in Spanish, English or Portuguese during the preceding two years. You can click here to learn more about the prize and the distinguished scholar for which it is named.

The Lincoln and Mexico Project (LAMP) is based on Dr. Hogan’s book, which Amazon ranks as one of the most relevant books about Abraham Lincoln biography and history. The project has the following goals:

1. To promote better relations between the United States and Mexico.
2. To help integrate the story of Abraham Lincoln and Mexico into high school and university curricula around the world.
3. To bring the history of Abraham Lincoln and Mexico to a general audience.
4. To show how national histories have international implications that are often ignored.
5. To disseminate the international contributions of Abraham Lincoln to a global audience.

We try to post updates about project activities and events on our blog about once a week, and hope you’ll sign up to follow us. You can also follow the book on Facebook.

What Would Lincoln Do?

 

On December 19, 2016, the Electoral College formalized the election of a new U.S. President, giving the Republican Party control of the Presidency and the Congress. With many questions swirling about partisan party positions on several issues, it’s a good time for Republican officeholders to seek guidance from the first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln.

 

One primary issue that begs for consulting the actions of Lincoln is relationships with Mexico. The intertwined issue of immigration policies toward Mexicans living in the USA is another.

 

Fortunately, a timely new history titled Abraham Lincoln and Mexico offers guidance to Republicans now entrusted with control of two branches of the U.S. government. It uses archival documents to examine Lincoln’s support for Mexico both as a Congressman and as President, and also offers guidance about the risks and consequences of invading foreign countries. It’s researched and written by historian/ educator Michael Hogan, an active member of three international historical associations and author of twenty-four published books.

 

Hogan’s book forms the basis for the Lincoln and Mexico Project (LAMP), which is designed to inform educators, students, and the general public about the history of relationships between Lincoln and Mexico. The primary goal of LAMP is to promote better relations between the USA and Mexico.

 

To further this goal, the project wants to make this award-winning book available to all members of the incoming Congress, regardless of political party. If you would like to help, please consider sending a copy of the book to your U.S. Senator or U.S. Representative. You can locate their office contact information at https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members. And if you send a copy, submit a comment to our blog so we can recognize you for your help.

 

“This is a book that is long overdue and one that treats Lincoln as an international figure, not merely an American one,” notes Hogan. “It begins with his impassioned speech as a young Congressman objecting to the U.S. invasion of Mexico in 1846 and the false information provided by President Polk at the time to convince Congress to declare a war (‘American blood has been shed on American soil!’).  The book documents how Lincoln was lambasted in the press, had his political fortunes reversed, and yet, in letters to his law partner, assures him that he would do it again despite the consequences.

“Lincoln’s affinity for Mexico and its people continues after he becomes president, in his cabinet choices and in day-to-day executive decisions,” continues Hogan. “Although engaged in a bloody Civil War, he still makes time to meet with twenty-four-year-old Matías Romero, the Mexican consul, to assure him of his support for the Liberal government. Then, when Maximilian and the French invade and take over the country, Lincoln continues to meet with the now-uncredentialled ‘ambassador’ to provide moral support, and ultimately, with the help of Generals Grant and Sheridan, a path to financial and military aid.

 

“How American volunteers discharged at the end of the Civil War—including black soldiers—went to Mexico and helped defeat the French is a story little known,” concludes Hogan. “Lincoln’s legacy in this final chapter to the end of European occupation of the Americas is a revelation this book documents from Mexican records and Romero’s diaries.”

 

Thank you for helping LAMP, and for following our blog.

Idaho Loves Lincoln

Idaho former Lt. Gov. David H. Leroy with original Lincoln court brief, Lincoln statue in Boise park, signage for Lincoln exhibit at Idaho State Archives.

Abraham Lincoln is revered coast to coast in the USA, especially by historians and politicians who look to his life for guidance. Because of this, historian/ educator Michael Hogan has been invited to Boise, Idaho, in 2017 to present his book Abraham Lincoln and Mexico, which forms the basis of the Lincoln and Mexico Project (LAMP).

The invitation comes from former Lt. Gov. David H. Leroy, who has launched the Idaho Lincoln Initiative (ILI) to further Lincoln’s fundamental principles. You can learn more about it at http://looktolincoln.org/. Both ILI and LAMP share a common goal of informing and educating people about Lincoln’s legacy and accomplishments, although the LAMP focuses on international relations with Mexico.

Leroy, who also served as Idaho Attorney General, is the author of Mr. Lincoln’s Book, an authoritative examination of Lincoln’s writings about the Lincoln-Douglas debates. At the Idaho State Archives, he has donated more than 200 personal Lincoln artifacts to create the Abraham Lincoln Exhibit.

Lincoln’s statue near the Capitol building in Boise honors his signing the act creating the Idaho Territory in 1863. Another Lincoln statue looms large in a nearby park honoring one of Boise’s founding families.

We’ll keep you updated as the Idaho event takes shape. Meanwhile, please post a comment to let us know if you or someone else in your city might be interested in hosting an event to help spread the word about Lincoln’s legacy.

Lincoln Helped Mexico Defeat the French

Archduke Maximilian of Austria (l) was installed by Napoleon III as Emperor of Mexico, before the Lincoln administration helped Benito Juárez (r) defeat French forces.

Some major news media publications in the USA are beginning to focus on Abraham Lincoln’s support during the 1860s to help Mexico end French occupation. For the most part, it’s a story missing from US History textbooks and many biography/ history books about Lincoln.

 

Lincoln’s legacy in helping Mexico defeat the French forces is told in detail in the new book Abraham Lincoln and Mexico by historian/ educator Michael Hogan, who uses archival documents to reveal little-known facts. The details are part of what makes Hogan’s book so valuable as supplemental classroom material for educators and students. And Lincoln’s support for Mexico also shows his abilities as an international statesman even while he was occupied with the Civil War.

 

The latest news media attention is from The New York Times, in an November 22 opinion piece by history professor Patrick J. Kelly.

 

“The Civil War wasn’t the only conflict on Lincoln’s mind. Engaged in a desperate struggle for union, the administration had been unable to halt Emperor Napoleon III’s deployment of French troops to Mexico in early 1862,” Kelly writes. “The French leader invaded Mexico as part of his ‘Grand Scheme’ to replace the democratically elected government of Benito Juárez with a European monarch, the Archduke Maximilian of Austria.

 

“Napoleon III refused to recognize the Confederacy, but he was grateful for its acquiescence to his Mexican scheme,” Kelly’s piece continues. “In 1863 he personally approved of the transshipment of 20,000 Enfield rifles and other munitions across the border from Mexico into Texas.”

 

With the French aiding Confederate Forces, and Confederate leaders seeking to ally with the French occupation, Lincoln and his administration – especially his Civil War generals Grant and Sheridan – began helping Mexico. The rest is history, some of it coming to light only recently in Hogan’s book.

 

One aspect of the support for Mexico included in Hogan’s book, but missing from the NY Times piece, deals with the valor of US troops who went to Mexico and fought alongside Mexican troops. As many as 3,000 members of the American Legion of Honor, commissioned by President Juárez, and many black veterans of the Civil War fought alongside Mexican troops. There is a gravesite in Mexico City for many who died, and statues of Lincoln are in parks across Mexico.

 

After victory over the French, the Mexican President honored the US troops for their valor. “…for Mexicans to fight for Mexico was natural; but for foreigners who had no other ties except the love of liberty and a desire to assist a brave people who were struggling against fearful odds, to make every sacrifice and to suffer every privation for the republic, was a spirt so noble it could not be put into language,” Juárez said in honoring the US troops, as noted in Hogan’s book.

 

It’s all in Hogan’s book, which is available on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and independent bookstores across the USA.

Teaching History Based on Facts, Not Politics

Educators in the United States continue to debate the content of History textbooks and classroom discussions. Two recent examples illustrate the struggle in Texas, where the state board of education has an out-sized role in influencing textbooks across the USA.

Even today, mainstream textbooks about US History either ignore facts or distort the truth, and many use “USA exceptionalism” as justification for past atrocities. Some new textbooks are even bankrolled by fringe groups determined to pursue a political agenda in education.

Fortunately, there is hope. On Nov. 16, 2016, the Texas State Board of Education voted 14-0 to reject a textbook promoted by a politically conservative former member of the board. You can click here http://bit.ly/2g1bMa1 to read the full story, and here’s an excerpt:

“Scholars who looked at the text were left aghast. The cover photo, taken from Flickr, featured a bare-chested indigenous man in full-colored headdress ― a bizarre choice to represent people who generally wear shirts. The writers…had no expertise in the subject and were unknown to academics in the field. Scholars of Mexican-American history and cultural studies identified 141 errors in the shoddily produced book. Perhaps most glaringly, the authors claimed that the Chicano movement ‘opposed Western civilization and wanted to destroy this society.’”

Another perspective on what Texas has been teaching for decades comes from a recent 5-star review by a former Texan of a new book titled Abraham Lincoln and Mexico. The biography/ history of Lincoln’s support for Mexico uses archival documents to set the record straight about events before, during, and after the Mexican-American War. You can click here http://amzn.to/2gJFJzL to read the full review, and here’s an excerpt.

“This book really opened my eyes. The Texas history I was taught when I went to college in Texas was in retrospect terribly biased and abridged from actual events. The author has a remarkably unbiased, even-handed view of history. His narrative is carefully researched with an eye to ferret out the truth, not what we want to hear. He does not advocate a ‘great man’ theory nor a ‘peoples’ history’ theory. He succeeds in proving his thesis that ordinary men and women are sometimes called to greatness. If you have any interest in Lincoln, Texas or Mexican history, I urge you to read this book.”

Misinformation can be dangerous, especially in the high school curricula, and could result in the next generation being misinformed or even dangerously prejudiced. Both examples show why it’s important for high schools and colleges to teach factually accurate information about U.S. History.

That’s why the Lincoln and Mexico Project is trying to get the book Abraham Lincoln and Mexico into schools across the USA as supplemental classroom material. We hope you will help by donating a copy to your local school or library. Thank you.

Statues and rave reviews

Mexico has several statues honoring Abraham Lincoln in parks across the country. This one is in Tijuana, Baja California, on the third traffic circle of Paseo De Las Heroes

Readers and educators continue to give rave reviews to Abraham Lincoln and Mexico by historian/ educator Michael Hogan. Here are excerpts from two of the latest 5-star reviews on Amazon:

“I was suckled on the teat of misinformation about manifest destiny. I remember the nun telling us that it was ‘God’s will’ that the US took Mexico’s territory. In spite of a ‘privileged’ education, I didn’t begin to get the truth about the US invasion of Mexico until I found that Henry David Thoreau went to jail as a war protester and I went off on a hunt for the truth. I was amazed at the remote details that Dr. Hogan wove into the story, and flabbergasted that neither victor nor vanquished gave proper credit to the ‘Buffalo Soldiers’ for their heroic service to Mexico.

Abraham Lincoln is a hero in Mexico for sure. My Mexican wife thinks he is a hero because he freed the slaves in the US. Little does she know of the debt Mexico has to Lincoln in the defeat of the French. Thank you, Dr. Hogan, for your masterful work.” –Miles Beacom, Tijuana, Mexico (Click here to see the full review.)

“Abraham Lincoln and Mexico is an informative tome for scholar and layperson with an interest in American history; for inquiring minds, and those wishing a more analytical view of this historical period, and on par with Howard Zinn’s People’s History of the United States.

It should be included in all US history and presidential history college courses if, for no other reason, than to learn ‘the rest of the story.’ –Ren Drake Hill, author and former professor, College of the Canyons (Click here to see the full review.)

What are high schools teaching about U.S. History?

Image from The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History AP US History Study Guide Period 5_ 1844-1877.html

Two years ago, changes in the Advanced Placement U.S. History (APUSH) curriculum triggered nationwide criticism from conservatives in education and politics. Now the American Historical Association (AHA) is convening a roundtable in early January to address the controversy.

The two-year running battle for curriculum control affects nearly a half million students in APUSH courses, and spills over into college curricula. But it could also impact the four million 11^th grade students required to take U.S. History every year. You can click here to see the entire AHA article announcing the roundtable discussion and discussing the two-year controversy. Meanwhile, here is a key excerpt from the AHA article announcing the roundtable discussion.

The historical profession has done very little since 2014 to grapple with the central issues of the controversy from the standpoint of teaching history, and that is what this panel intends to do. The new framework symbolizes a changing landscape in history education. Critics of the framework have focused on allegedly “left wing” content. Yet the framework might be most notable for its new approach to the intersection of pedagogy and content, which is of tremendous importance to the community of historians.

After all, the impact of the controversy over the new framework extends beyond history as taught in high schools. Due to the ubiquity of the APUSH class, debate over the AP framework also has repercussions for historians and history teachers at the university level. Most universities provide some form of credit for a “passing” score on the APUSH exam, which means that university students throughout the nation receive part of their university education in the APUSH course. And, of course, the intent of the APUSH class is to mirror the traditional US history course taught in universities and community colleges.

Historian/ educator Michael Hogan has taught APUSH courses for years, and now runs the AP Capstone program at the prestigious American School Foundation of Guadalajara. His latest book titled Abraham Lincoln and Mexico originated in his 2012-2013 APUSH classroom after students wanted to learn more about Lincoln’s views about Mexico than the standard textbooks offered. The new book is designed to supplement classroom material, and uses archival documents to examine the subject.

Dr. Hogan’s new  book forms the basis for the Lincoln and Mexico Project (LAMP), and he has a keen interest in the forthcoming roundtable discussion. We hope you will share this post about the roundtable discussion with others interested in the future of the U.S. history curriculum. And we hope you will also click to sign up and follow our blog, and perhaps help spread the word by sharing the link to the project. Thank you.

Must Read for Any Student Studying US History

Historian/ educator Michael Hogan (l) meets with Advanced Placement educator Liam O’Hara regarding Hogan’s award-winning book being used as supplemental classroom material

Around the world, more than 400,000 students take the Advanced Placement US History exam each year, making it one of the most popular AP exams. The new book examining Abraham Lincoln’s support for Mexico originated in an AP US History classroom, and the book has received very positive feedback from educators and students in both the USA and Mexico.

If you’re an educator interested in learning more about how to use Abraham Lincoln and Mexico as supplemental classroom material, just send an email to historian / educator Michael Hogan who wrote the book. His email is michael.hogan@asfg.edu.mx, and his website is www.drmichaelhogan.com. And ask him about a special discount price from his USA publisher for educators and students.

Here’s some feedback from one AP teacher:“Abraham Lincoln and Mexico is a great read. As an AP teacher, I believe that books like these are worth their weight in gold. Michael Hogan has not only broken ground on undiscovered sources covering Lincoln’s relationship with Mexico, but has also generously annexed the sources in their entirety. It is a godsend for history teachers who are constantly looking for new material and ways to challenge their students’ analytical skills.” Liam O’Hara, Chair, Department of History and Social Studies, American School Foundation of Guadalajara, A.C.

And here’s some great feedback by a former AP student in an Amazon review: “As a Hispanic student from Mexico I remember taking Advanced Placement U.S. History during my junior year of high-school. When we finally got to study the different causes and consequences of the Civil War, I remember always looking forward to hearing about Lincoln and how he managed to resolve so many different political dilemmas under very precarious circumstances. However, the textbook that I read never mentioned some sort of relationship between Lincoln and Mexico. The only mention of Lincoln having something to do with Mexico was his famous Spot Resolutions in the spring of 1846.

“That is why this new insight provided by Dr. Michael Hogan was so shocking and delightfully surprising for me. It revealed new facts about Lincoln’s involvement in Mexican politics which I was unaware of. I would’ve wished to have read this book as a supplement while I was taking the course back in high-school. Apart from all the great historical wisdom that this book has to offer, the book itself is clearly well organized and the research conducted by Dr. Hogan is superb. There are supporting real-life documents for every claim made and if you get the e-book version as I did, it’s very easy to navigate around the documents.

“Overall, a must read for any student that is currently studying U.S. history and is a fan of Abraham Lincoln especially if you live in Mexico and want to know more about how this courageous president played a crucial role in Mexican politics.”

You can click here to read the full 5-star review on Amazon.

Lincoln presidential library adds Abraham Lincoln and Mexico

A growing number of libraries across the country are adding Abraham Lincoln and Mexico to their collections. A dozen libraries in the USA received shipments of the book shortly after its release in September 2016, including the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. According to Wikipedia, since its opening in April 2005, the visitor attraction has ranked as America’s most visited state-controlled presidential museum.

Other libraries that received shipments of the new book in September and October include Brown University, Georgetown University, Gettysburg College, Harvard, Lincoln Memorial University, MIT, Salve Regina University, Tulane University, University of Arizona, and the US Military Academy.

The first public library to add the book was in Newport, RI, and we’re trying to expand to other libraries. Public libraries can order copies via the Ingram distribution system. You can jump start the ordering process by showing your library card and asking them to order a copy so you can read it. The ISBN is 9780985774493. Let’s do it!

If you want to be a hero at your local public library, here’s how you can help. Public libraries welcome contributions of new books from library patrons, because some libraries have tight budgets. Just get a copy of the book from your local Barnes & Noble or an independent bookstore (or from Amazon), and take it to your local library front desk.

If you contribute a book to a library, try to get a photo with you and the librarian and post it on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MexicoLincoln/?fref=ts. Thanks!

Europeans interested in USA-Mexico history

There is much interest during the 2016 USA election cycle, even in Europe, about relationships between the USA and Mexico. Check out this recent article on the History News Network, by university professor Kevin Waite in the United Kingdom:

“When the image of the border-crossing Mexican rapist emerged from Donald Trump’s fevered imagination at the start of this election cycle, it struck a surprisingly resonant chord with the electorate. Since then, xenophobic appeals have been at the heart of the Republican candidate’s campaign.

“Yet well before provocateurs like Trump and Anne Coulter began spinning stories about criminal Latino immigrants coming up from the south, it was Mexicans who very rightly fretted about American immigrants streaming down from the north.

“Historically, Mexico has lost far more land, power, and resources to American immigration than vice versa. When Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, it was the largest nation in North America. But three decades later, it had lost over half of its landmass. The events that culminated in that dramatic territorial reduction were set in motion by American border-crossers.”

Click to read the full article on the History News Network site. And click here to buy the book Abraham Lincoln and Mexico.

Mary Todd Lincoln’s role in supporting Mexico

Never underestimate the influence of a First Lady of the United States in world affairs. The new history Abraham Lincoln and Mexico reveals the role of Mary Todd Lincoln in furthering foreign relations with Mexico, based in part on archival documents in both the USA and Mexico.

Mrs. Lincoln had many meetings and shopping trips with the Mexican consul in Washington, Matias Romero, during which she shared his anxiety over France having an army in Mexico and the danger of it joining up with the Confederacy. Based on their mutual concerns, she urged President Lincoln to support Mexico in the 1860s. What particularly endeared the American President to Romero was the fact the consul escorted Mrs. Lincoln on her frequent shopping trips in the capital with good-natured grace. It was a duty which Lincoln was happy to relinquish.

Romero, in his voluminous notes and correspondence (now part of the archives of Banco Nacional de México), was the first to note the similarities between Lincoln and Benito Juárez. Lincoln befriended the twenty-four-year-old diplomat, and their friendship would last his lifetime. Also, Lincoln promised that his administration would treat Mexico fairly. Romero, who knew of Lincoln’s anti-expansionist views, promised in turn that Juárez would pursue liberal policies and be friendly to American investments.

As a result, the Lincoln administration furnished massive amounts of military weapons to Mexico as the US Civil War was ending, and Union officers and troops redeployed to Mexico to help defeat the Imperial Army of Napoleon after Lincoln’s death. 

Educators like Abraham Lincoln book

The new history/ biography titled Abraham Lincoln and Mexico attracted a lot of attention among more than 800 educators from Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America Oct. 5-7 during the 35^th annual conference of the Tri Association in Guadalajara, Mexico.

In the photo above, students Brenda Garden and Isaa Amaro from the American School Foundation of Guadalajara joined ASFG scholarship director Magdalena Contreras and author Michael Hogan in offering the book for sale and providing information. They also raised money for the ASFG scholarship fund by selling Hogan’s 2015 book of inspirational speeches titled We Never Know How High We Are Till We Are Called to Rise, a collection of fifteen inspirational five-minute speeches he delivered at National Honor Society events.

Dr. Hogan’s students at ASFG during the 2012-2013 academic year inspired him to research and write the book about Lincoln. It examines Lincoln’s support for Mexico both as a Congressman and President, something missing from textbooks in the USA and Mexico. A major value of the book is its use as supplemental classroom material for the four-million 11th grade high school students across the USA who are required to take US History every year, and the 400,000 students around the world who take Advanced Placement US History each year. Because it contains archival documents in the appendix, the book is like having a reference library right in the hands of teachers and students.

As a result, many conference attendees bought copies of Abraham Lincoln and Mexico for classroom use, in addition to gifts. The book is also available from Amazon http://amzn.to/1qGubOw and Barnes&Noble, and at independent bookstores. If it’s not yet on your bookstore shelf, ask them to order a copy for you via the Ingram distribution catalog, ISBN 978-0985774493.

 

Packed house for paperback launch

When people shed tears while you’re discussing your book, you know you are connecting with readers. That’s what happened at the September 20, 2016, official launch of the paperback version of Abraham Lincoln and Mexico by historian and educator Michael Hogan. More than 100 dignitaries and guests packed the library at the American School Foundation of Guadalajara, where Dr. Hogan’s students inspired the book during the 2012-2013 academic year with their hunger for more information about Lincoln’s support for Mexico as a first-term Congressman and as President.

A major value of the book is it’s use as supplemental classroom material for the four-million 11^th grade high school students across the USA who are required to take US History every year, and the 400,000 students around the world who take Advanced Placement US History each year. Because it contains archival documents in the appendix, the book is like having a reference library right in the hands of teachers and students. But it also appeals to Lincoln aficionados around the world, many of whom may be unaware of Lincoln’s steadfast support for Mexico.

The book documents the true story of why the United States declared war on Mexico in 1846, how President Polk lied to Congress to obtain the declaration of war, how US troops raped and pillaged their way across Mexico to capture the capital city, slaughtered innocent civilians, and destroyed churches and graveyards. And how first-term Congressman Abraham Lincoln challenged the war and was vilified for his opposition to it, and as President helped Mexico defeat the French.

One guest said that she had been to twenty book openings in her life, this was the most emotional one she ever witnessed, and she said several of the other 100+ guests were in tears. Other guests bought extra copies for family and friends, including one Vietnam veteran who planned to send copies to both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

The book is available from Amazon http://amzn.to/1qGubOw and Barnes&Noble, and at independent bookstores. If it’s not yet on your bookstore shelf, ask them to order a copy for you via the Ingram distribution catalog, ISBN 978-0985774493.

Here’s a link to the story in The Guadalajara Reporter about the book launch:

http://www.theguadalajarareporter.com/index.php/featured/48844-students-shine-at-lincoln-book-launch

Blurbs, blurbs, and more blurbs

CRITICAL PRAISE FOR ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND MEXICO

“The insights presented in this volume on Lincoln’s relationship with Mexico are new and refreshing. Hogan’s re-examination of the unjust invasion and its aftermath is an important contribution to our mutual histories. This book a must-read for any student of US-Mexico relations.” Jay Lacroix, Harvard Law School.

“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. It is also a spirited defense against and rebuttal of simplistic thinking about Abraham’s 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.

“In this shining contribution to the literature on Abraham Lincoln and that of the US-Mexican War, Michael Hogan illuminates the stance of a young politician against that terrible war, telling a story that is both urgently necessary and well more than a century overdue.” C.M. Mayo, author of The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire.

“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. 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).

“The story of Lincoln’s evolving defense of Mexico’s autonomy and rights as a sovereign nation is an excellent forum for understanding related topics including the limitations of presidential power, the interpretation of the power to wage war, and the limits of the use of a pre-emptive attack on another country. This thoughtful, well-balanced presentation of primary document resources illuminates Lincoln’s rising stature as a voice of protest against the crimes of war and the unjustifiable invasion of another republic. Like his earlier work, The Irish Soldiers of Mexico, Michael Hogan’s Lincoln narrative will soon become a primary resource for scholars and teachers interested in the politics of civil war, territorial expansion, and human slavery.” Victoria M. Breting-Garcia, Independent scholar/historian.

“While Abraham Lincoln and Mexico undoubtedly adds to the vital pedagogical mission of challenging triumphalist narratives of U.S. identity with more critical renderings of the past. Building on one of his previous books, The Irish Soldiers of Mexico (1997), and based on decades of experience teaching U.S. history in Guadalajara, Hogan reiterates what Mexicans have been voicing since 1848: the war with the United States was clearly a war of northern aggression.” Carlos R. Hernández, Department of History, Yale University.

“Abraham Lincoln and Mexico is a great read. As an AP teacher, I believe that books like these are worth their weight in gold. Michael Hogan has not only broken ground on undiscovered sources covering Lincoln’s relationship with Mexico, but has also generously annexed the sources in their entirety. It is a god-send for history teachers who are constantly looking for new material and ways to challenge their students’ analytical skills.”  Liam O’Hara, Chair, Department of History and Social Studies, American School Foundation of Guadalajara, A.C.

“Dr. Hogan has done it again, finding a grand tale lost in the shadows of history. His meticulous research brings to light a period of Lincoln’s life often ignored by other biographers.” Christopher Minster, Ph.D., Founder and Editor of About.com’s Latin American History site.

“The research that went into Abraham Lincoln and Mexico is excellent. Dr. Hogan has backed up his thesis with solid facts I also like the way in which he dealt with so many “minor” characters and factors in describing the complex relations between the US, Mexico, and foreign powers, instead of concentrating only on the principle actors and events. It gives a more complete and realistic picture of the whole era, although the wealth of detail might prove a little over-whelming for some general readers. I think this is a very important book which deserves a wide circulation. I am in complete agreement with Michael Hogan’s research methods to back up everything as far as possible with the earliest most authentic source materials and, if possible, “set the record straight.”  Michael Hogan has done this to perfection.” Ronald Barnett, Ph.D. former Professor of Classics, Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara.

“Abraham Lincoln and Mexico brings to light that which for too long has hidden in the shadows: the interest, integrity, and involvement of our sixteenth President in the struggles and victories of our southern neighbor. 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, or the unknown buffalo soldier who fought with and for the republican army of Mexico against the imperial armies of France, Austria and Belgium.It is a story full of complicated motivations and characters. It is a tale well told.” Philip Stover, former Deputy Superintendent, San Diego Unified School District, and author of Religion and Revolution in Mexico’s North.

“These neglected connections between Lincoln and Mexico provide valuable insights into U.S.-Mexico relations and international history. This is an important book which is far-reaching in its contemporary implications. It should be a resource in every high school and college classroom.” Victor Gonzalez Pérez, Facultad de Estudios Sociales, Colegio Americano, Guadalajara.

“Abraham Lincoln and Mexico serves as a reminder that historical milestones are not always the result of a neat sum of prescient decisions and linear chain of events. Michael Hogan’s Lincoln is the nodal point in a new perspective of a history obscured by time and cultural hegemony. This book is as much about the American leader’s moral objections to the war against Mexico and slavery, as it is about his hesitations, his political evolution and the people that surrounded him. Unlike other accounts of the Mexican-American War which have robbed Mexicans, former slaves and immigrant soldiers of their complexity, Hogan reminds us that they were not only passive victims of injustice, but also men and women who rose up against it and fought. Most importantly, this text displays Hogan’s gift as a professor and as a writer: his ability to analyze specific events in order to contextualize broader cultural and political trends of the past and the present. This book made me very uncomfortable at times (in a good way). I hope that it will help students confront the U.S. historical abuses and temper the negative effects of blind patriotism.” A.S. Carbonell, Tel Aviv University.

USA paperback now available

Honk if you love bookstores! Many of them across the USA are starting to feature Abraham Lincoln and Mexico that became available September 12 after the pre-order period that began August 20.

One of our favorite indie bookstores featuring the book is Warwick’s in La Jolla, the oldest family-owned bookstore in the USA. It’s just up the I-5 from San Diego, home of the USA small press publisher EgretBooks.com. Here’s the link: http://www.warwicks.com/book/9780985774493

University bookstores are also offering the book, including the Harvard Book Store. Just in case you’re not in Cambridge, you can order it online by clicking here: http://shop.harvard.com/book/9780985774493

Other bookstores from sea to shining sea offer the book for sale, either online or on the shelves. One is Politics and Prose in Washington, DC, a favorite gathering spot for movers and shakers in the nation’s capital. Here’s the link: http://www.politics-prose.com/book/9780985774493

If you’re in Illinois, the “land of Lincoln,” stop in at Hudson’s Booksellers in Chicago’s famous Loop, or order the book online http://www.hudsonbooksellers.com/book/9780985774493.

In the Pacific Northwest, you can find the book at legendary Powell’s City of Books: http://www.powells.com/book/abraham-lincoln-and-mexico-9780985774493/61-0

And it’s also available starting September 12 from Barnes and Noble online and at their bookstores nationwide: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/abraham-lincoln-and-mexico-michael-hogan/1124217184?ean=9780985774493

Enjoy!

Praise from USA university educators and historians

Educators and historians are praising Abraham Lincoln and Mexico by author Michael Hogan for the depth of its research and its relevance to discussions of relationships between the USA and Mexico. 

“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.

“While Abraham Lincoln and Mexico undoubtedly privileges the U.S. context, it nevertheless adds to the vital pedagogical mission of challenging triumphalist narratives of U.S. identity with more critical renderings of the past. Building on one of his previous books, The Irish Soldiers of Mexico(1997), and based on decades of experience teaching U.S. history in Guadalajara, Hogan reiterates what Mexicans have been voicing since 1848: the war with the United States was clearly a war of northern aggression.” — Carlos R. Hernández, Department of History, Yale University.

 

Award for eBook Version

The eBook version of Abraham Lincoln and Mexico has received a prestigious silver Benjamin Franklin Digital Award from the Independent Book Publishers Association of America. IBPA is the largest publishing trade association in the USA, with more than 3,000 members in the USA and abroad. Congratulations to author Michael Hogan. Here’s part of the award announcement:

“The well-researched content is enhanced by eBook programming that includes active hyperlinks to external reference sources, putting a library of archival material in the hands of readers. As such, this outstanding book is a welcome addition to continuing discussion about the roles of the United States and Mexico during two of the most controversial and complex periods in American history, and how decisions made then continue to permeate the daily lives of citizens and residents of both countries.”

The judges’ comments and scorecard also cited several specific reasons for the award, including:

1. “It is refreshing to read a well-edited book that uses relevant citations.”

2. “The approach to the topic is creative and original.”

3. TITLE: How well does the title (and subtitle) define the asset? “Extremely Well”

4. CONTENT: How well does the asset’s content follow generally accepted principles of good writing for the genre? “Extremely Well”

5. MECHANICS: How mechanically correct is the asset’s content with regard to grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. “Extremely Well”

You can click here to see the full award announcement on the Winners Circle page of the IPBA website.

Mexican readers respond to Lincoln book as Trump visits Mexico

http://www.milenio.com/…/…/correos-publico_18_781901856.html

Vale la pena leer este artículo especialmente ahorita con todas las noticias de Trump en México. El artículo habla del libro “Abraham Lincoln and Mexico” y de las similitudes con lo que está pasando ahorita entre México y EUA.

“La importancia de tomar esta obra en estos tiempos radica en que volvemos a un contexto de hostilidad, xenofobia por parte de un sector de la población de EU justo en su proceso electoral”
-Germán Cardona

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.

 

International acclaim from historians and authors

Welcome to our site that we launched in the summer of 2016 based on the award-winning history book Abraham Lincoln and Mexico by Michael Hogan. In the summer of 2021, we added Dr. Hogan’s newest history book Guns, Grit, and Glory and created additional pages to improve site navigation. We hope you’ll sign up to follow our blog, and click to share with your friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter. You can learn more details about the books by clicking the title links to see the books on Amazon and “look inside” the Kindle versions. Thanks.