Exceptionalism in Crisis

“[A] highly original and timely exploration of an aspect of the American Civil War in which the country’s vision of itself came crashing from the heavens down to the blood-soaked earth.”—Latin American Review of Books

“Beverton carves her niche with her well-researched engagement with the public understanding of Mexico. For this perspective, readers will find this to be the quintessential study.”—Emerging Civil War

"A welcome contribution to the historiography of not only American nationalism, but also how public discourse has been shaped by the presence of Mexico in the American political mind.”—Pacific Historical Review

“[A]n important read for the serious scholar of the era of the Civil War.”—NYMAS Review

“Alys Beverton’s new book provides an important bridge . . . [and] a richer understanding of the connections between the politics of the Civil War-era United States and developments beyond its national boundaries.”—H-CivWar

“Exceptionalism in Crisis masterfully demonstrates that citizens of the United States developed their understanding of republican nationalism through engagement with the outside world. Alys Beverton’s deep research into nineteenth-century print culture reveals that Americans in the United States constructed a unique national identity by comparing the progress of their republican experiment with that of Mexico. The American Civil War shattered assumptions of superiority in the USA. By suggesting that the United States and Mexico might share as many similarities as differences, Beverton’s work reminds us that . . . the potential fragility of democratic governments has troubled American political thinkers since at least the 1860s.”—Andre M. Fleche, author of The Revolution of 1861: The American Civil War in the Age of Nationalist Conflict

“Exceptionalism in Crisis masterfully demonstrates that citizens of the United States developed their understanding of republican nationalism through engagement with the outside world. Alys Beverton’s deep research into nineteenth-century print culture reveals that Americans in the U.S. constructed a unique national identity by comparing the progress of their republican experiment with that of Mexico. The American Civil War shattered assumptions of superiority in the U.S.A. by suggesting that the United States and Mexico might share as many similarities as differences. Beverton’s work reminds us that alarm about the potential fragility of democratic governments has troubled American political thinkers since at least the 1860s.” — Andre Fleche, author of The Revolution of 1861: The American Civil War in the Age of Nationalist Conflict