Green offers a colorful acccount of the first decade of Mexican independence from Spain. He views the failed attempt to establish a strong republic and the subsequent civil war that plagued the young nation. From this first decade, two polarized factions emerged, one federalist and populist, the other attempted to keep much of the old order of authroitarianism  and church power established under colonialism. The were to be called the Liberals and the Conservatives, who would vie for power over the next century.

After the first issue of PRE/TEXT appeared in 1981, a colleague told Victor Vitanza, the creator, editor and publisher of the journal, how disgusted she was by it, how unreadable it was, how devoted to self-aggrandizement-and how much she enjoyed two articles in it. Devoted to exploring and expanding the field of rhetoric and composition by publishing articles considered “inappropriate” by other journals in the field, PRE/TEXT has, from its inception, made people angry. Yet it has survived, and thrived. This collection of essays pays tribute to the first ten years of the journal, and each reprinted article is paired with a short comment by the author. Also included is Victor Vitanza's retrospective history of the journal and prospectives for the future.