One might think that every aspect of Lincoln's political life would be a well-plowed field at this point, but May manages to find some new ground. The result is a view of an antebellum election that we don't often see: one that centers the role that foreign policy played in campaigning and electoral arguments. Of course, at this time even foreign policy was linked to the domestic issue of slavery, and May brings his considerable experience in the history of foreign policy to bear on this significant issue.