This book investigates how American writers and artists have utilized the history of Ancient Rome as a conceptual framework to both justify and challenge the expansion and nature of American imperial power. Mark Storey, a scholar of American literature and culture, examines the persistent use of Roman antiquity as a mirror for the United States. By analyzing a wide array of cultural artifacts, he argues that the Roman analogy is not a static comparison but a dynamic tool that shifts according to the political needs of different historical eras.

Scholars in the field of American studies recognize this work as a rigorous examination of the intellectual history surrounding American exceptionalism and imperial identity. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is well-suited for researchers and students of cultural history.