The war between the United States and Mexico was decades in the making. Although Texas was an independent republic from 1836 to 1845, Texans retained an affiliation with the United States that virtually assured annexation at some point. Mexico's reluctance to give up Texas put it on a collision course with the United States. The Mexican War receives scant treatment in books. Most historians approach the conflict as if it were a mere prelude to the Civil War. The Mexican cession of 1848, however, rivaled the Louisiana Purchase in importance for the sheer amount of territory acquired by the US.

Chapter one. Setting the stage for crisis: colonization and revolution -- Chapter two. Prelude: Texas and Mexico at odds -- Chapter three. Act one: annexation and the coming of war -- Chapter four. Act two: to the halls of the Montezumas -- Chapter five. Act three: conquering a peace -- Chapter six. Encore: setting the stage for crisis.