Leading them to the promised land
Subtitle: Woodrow Wilson, covenant theology, and the Mexican Revolution, 1913-1915
By: Mark Benbow.
Series: New studies in U.S. foreign relations
Publisher: Kent State University Press
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Kent, Ohio
Language: eng
Number of pages: 204
ISBN-13: 9781606350256
Subjects: Wilson, Woodrow, -- 1856-1924 -- Religion; Wilson, Woodrow, -- 1856-1924 -- Political and social views; Christianity and politics -- Presbyterian Church -- United States -- History -- 20th century; United States -- Foreign relations -- Mexico; Mexico -- Foreign relations -- United States; Mexico -- History -- 1910-1946
Description: "Woodrow Wilson continues to fascinate, yet he remains an enigma. Through clear writing and meticulous research, Leading Them to the Promised Land sheds new light on important subjects, including Wilson's diplomacy, his religion, and his political thought."--Andrew Preston, Cambridge University.

"Benbow offers a fresh interpretation of President Woodrow Wilson's response to the Mexican Revolution by emphasizing the religious factor in his foreign policy.... This book will benefit both specialists in the history of U.S. foreign relations and general readers who want to learn more about the influence of religion on international politics."--Lioyd E. Ambrosius, author of Woodrow Wilson and the American Diplomatic Tradition.

"This insightful work presents a compelling case that Wilson's `operational code'--his values, beliefs, and assumptions--drew heavily on traditional Presbyterian Covenant Theology and had direct effects on his efforts to sort out the good guys from the bad in Mexico. I am impressed by the explanatory power of the argument and the persuasiveness of the evidence."--Mark T. Gilderhus, Lyndon B. Johnson Endowed Chair Holder, Texas Christian University, Ft. Worth, Texas.

"In this well-researched, well-written book, Mark Benbow traces the religious thinking that influenced Woodrow Wilson's foreign policy. What is often called `Wilsonian idealism' springs in part from the President's belief in a divine pattern that ordered world affairs. Scholars of American foreign relations and the history of the Wilson administration will be in debt to this gem."--Malcohn D. Magee, author of What the World Should Be: Woodrow Wilson and the Crafting of a Faith-Based Foreign Policy.

"In Wilson's view, America had a part to play as a divine instrument. To deny the United States an active role in the world was an attempt to deny God's will."--From the Introduction.

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution mandates that government and religious institutions remain separate and independent of each other. Yet, the influence of religion on American leaders and their political decisions cannot be refuted. Leading Them to the Promised Land is the first book to look at how Presbyterian Covenant Theology affected U.S. president Woodrow Wilson's foreign policy during the Mexican Revolution.

The son of a prominent southern minister, Wilson was a devout Presbyterian. Throughout his life he displayed a strong conviction that covenants, or formal promises made binding by an oath to God, should be the basis for human relationships, including those between government and public organizations. This belief is demonstrated in Wilson's attempt to bring peaceful order to the world with the 1919 Covenant of the League of Nations.

Through careful investigation of Wilson's writings and correspondence, along with other contemporary sources, author Mark Benbow shows how Wilson's religious heritage shaped his worldview, including his assumption that nations should come together in a covenant to form a unitary whole like the United States. As a result, Wilson attempted to nurture a democratic state in revolutionary Mexico when rivals Venustiano Carranza and Pancho Villa threatened U.S. interests. His efforts demonstrate the difficulty a leader has in reconciling his personal religious beliefs with his nation's needs.

Leading Them to the Promised Land adds to the growing body of scholarship in international history that examines the connections between religion and diplomacy. It will appeal to readers interested in the history of U.S. foreign relations and the influence of religion on international politics.

This series focuses on works that expand the parameters of U.S. foreign relations. Chronologically broad and topically diverse, it is designed to further the internationalization--indeed, globalization--of the field by publishing a wide variety of innovative books, including interdisciplinary studies, that place the United States within a larger, transnational context. Possible areas of focus include, but are not limited to, identity formation and projection, borderlands studies, comparative history, and cultural transfer. --Book Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Woodrow Wilson and covenant theology; title: The Mexican Revolution and the United States : setting the stage for Wilson, 1910-1913; title: Debating what to do, March-October 1913; title: Watchful waiting, October 1913-April 1914; title: Veracruz and the end of Huerta, April-July 1914; title: Carranza or Villa? : the question of recognition, July-December 1914; title: The difficult choice is made, January-October 1915.