This book investigates how the phrase 'America First' has been constructed, contested, and utilized within the visual language of United States cinema throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Mandy Merck, a scholar of film and media, examines the intersection of nationalist rhetoric and cinematic representation. By analyzing a range of films from different eras, the author explores how filmmakers have used the medium to define, challenge, or reinforce national identity in relation to isolationist and interventionist political ideologies.

Scholars in the field of film studies recognize this work as a rigorous examination of the relationship between political discourse and visual media. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the evolution of nationalist themes in American cinema.