The Pros And Cons Of President Polk

During Polk’s regime, the ambitious, new leader focused on adding the Oregon country, taking California along with New Mexico from Mexico, and cutting taxes. By the time Polk had been inaugurated, Texas had already fallen into American hands; therefore, Polk prioritized the securement of the Oregon Territory. Polk was playing a dangerous game; if he tried to take the territory from Britain, war would be inevitable and many lives would be unnecessarily cost. Being the daunting character he was, Polk did not back down from a fight. However, his attention was divided because Mexican relations with the U.S. were degrading.

So to solve the issue Henry Clay who before proposed the Missouri Compromise came with the new idea of the Compromise of 1850. With the help of Illinois Senator Stephen Douglas, they were able to pass it. Though the compromise came with some unsettling prices that neither of the state's sides liked. The compromise included one to allow California to enter the Union as a free state. Second to organize the remaining land from Mexico into two large territories Utah and New Mexico and let the people decide on whether to allow slavery or not.

After the war had ended, we as a nation had gained more power of Texas and all the South to North states. James K. Polk did this in which a war had broken out in Mexico over who had owned Texas. In which James K. Polk had handled this by a war in which the U.S. had won. We American look at this as a factor of power in our nation. James K. Polk soon then had died shortly after he had retired(biography.com).

With Polk’s narrow victory, the Democrats immediately called to admit Texas as a state, but was only successful by using a joint resolution,which included admitting Oregon as a state to satisfy Northern expansionist desires and balancing the number of slave-owning and free soil states. Not satisfied with these states alone, Polk turned to Mexico’s northern provinces (such as California and New Mexico) and endeavored to start a revolution in California. Polk’s audacious move to incite a revolution in California--done by sending Thomas Oliver Larkin to influence famous Californios to seek independence, seizing San Francisco Bay, and employing John Slidell to try to buy California--was met with greater tensions between the U.S. and Mexico for a war. These acts led to Polk utilizing more aggressive tactics to expand U.S. territory; Polk sent General Zachary Taylor to occupy disputed territory and “provoke a fight” (Pg. 419 Henretta), and the war concluded with American triumph. The war had started with patriotic expansionism, but soon divided the nation: the Whigs, who were against the war and did not support “this wretched cant about a ‘manifest destiny’”

Polk and corresponding political course of his administration. But the author does not assert that it was solely Polk’s desires. Rather Polk is portrayed as an initiative follower of Thomas Jefferson’s and Andrew Jackson’s ideas about American expansion. The belief in potency of a new undeveloped land became the characteristic of that time. “By 1840s, territorial expansion was viewed by many to be a measure of that [America’s] greatness”.

As a Democrat, I believe that President Polk was justified in starting the Mexican-American War. Also, as a strong supporter of Manifest Destiny, also known as Western expansion, I furthermore find reason to believe Polk was justified in initiating war with the Mexican people; being that the Mexican government refused peaceful negotiation. The Americans were the just owners of this western land, and we intended to get it. The Mexican government refused a meeting with our representative to establish the border between Texas and Mexico, along with an offer of 30 million dollars for Western territory. These western territories would provide substantial economic growth for the United States, as well as the obvious: making our nation larger as

Fourthly, James K. Polk worked under a lot of pressure of being a president. olk set four clearly defined goals for his administration: reestablish the Independent Treasury System, reduce tariffs, acquire some or all of Oregon Country, acquire California and New Mexico from Mexico. According to his policy, we can mention to his domestic aims( slavery, rivers and harbor velo, fiscal policy and the department of the interior) represented continuity with past Democratic policies, successful completion of Polk 's foreign policy goals would represent the first major American territorial gains since the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819( strongly supported expansion, and relations with Mexico and Great Britain, the country 's southern and northern neighbors respectively, dominated Polk 's

The president at that time was Polk, he promised that he would annex Texas and Oregon; and gain New York and California. He also wanted to serve one term as president and wanted to accomplish this. According to Document E written by Joshua Giddings, who was part of the U.S. congress debate on the war with Mexico. This debate was between the House of Representatives on May 13, 1846. “The order was also to abstain from all aggressive acts toward citizens.

The idea of Manifest destiny caused America to buy the Louisiana Purchase and to annex Texas. Santa Anna was in exile in 1844, but he was president before he was exiled. Herrera became the president in 1845. Paredes later became the president. The unstable government was the reason that Mexico couldn’t make a treaty with America before the Mexican war was launched.

At first, the United States declined to consolidate it into the union, to a great extent since northern political interests were against the expansion of another slave state. The Mexican government was additionally reassuring outskirt attacks and cautioning that any endeavor at extension would prompt war. Addition systems were immediately started after the 1844 decision of Polk, who crusaded that Texas ought to be "Re-added" and that the Oregon Territory ought to be "Re-involved." Polk likewise had his eyes on California, New Mexico and whatever remains of what is today the U.S. Southwest.

President Polk then sent General Zachary Taylor to go check out the area. Mexico saw this as a violent gesture and promptly attacked the American troops. This resulted in war, in which America gained victory to most of the battles. Finally in 1849, the Mexicans gave the US the New Mexico and California area of land for fifteen million dollars and America paying for the damage they caused during the small war. This was just one of Polk's victories as president of the United States.

INTRODUCTION Throughout the 1840s and 1850s a major war happened called the Mexican American War which drastically changed the U.S. and Mexico and lead to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to be signed and which established the Rio Grande and not the Nueces River as the U.S Border. This also lead to the U.S. annexation of Texas and lead to the Mexico agreeing to sell California and the rest of the territory for 15 million. So you 're probably wondering why the war was fought but you 'll find that out later.

Manifest destiny also affected the relationship with Mexico. Several factors led to the Mexican- American War in 1846. The factors were that the U.S citizens were moving into California and Mexico. Since there were many revolutions happening in Mexico throughout this time period the Mexican government was not able to protect the U.S citizens in this region. Another factor was that Mexico was upset that Texas declared independence from them and then the U. S annexed Texas in 1845.

History students and fanatics alike might know James K. Polk by his famously quoted goals during his one term presidency. These four goals, first mentioned by historian George Bancroft, have been thought of as James K Polk’s legacy and rewritten by many other historians. The mystery of the origin of this myth has been debunked, but the great measures remain the popular story of Polk’s presidency. Although thought of as a given fact, Tom Chaffin pulls into question the legitimacy of the anecdote in his book Met His Every Goal?: James K. Polk and The Legends of Manifest Destiny, by discrediting the source of the message.

This is the one goal that through his election process, campaigned to the people of America, that he wanted to expand the United States from coast to coast. In this goal James Polk did succeed throughout his entire presidential carrier. Though only three states were admitted Texas, Iowa, and Wisconsin president Polk gained almost all of the Central and West coast that we know today. James Polk gained most of the land because of two events that went on in his presidential career. The first event started on April, 26 1846, but didn’t end until February 2, 1848, this is the Mexican War.