James K. Polk

by Polk to push his agenda. He had always been a strong advocate in expansion and had built his platform on wanting to expand into parts of northern Mexico and to gain territories further to the west that Mexico controlled. Overall, the war was costly, probably unnecessary, and completely unjust. In 1845, President James K. Polk asked Congress for an official declaration of war against Mexico. For twenty years, many Americans had been settling in the Mexican territory…

Lynette Ramirez HIS 105 October 20, 2015 The story of the Alamo begins with the Mission San Antonio de Valero that was built in 1724 to help Christianize Indians and convert them to the Spanish way of life when Mexico was still a colony of Spain. In 1803, the mission became known as The Alamo, in honor of the Spanish military troops' hometown in Mexico, Alamo de Parras. Texan soil and weather promised lush agriculture for Americans that lead them to migrate to Texas and cross the border…

own state, there was a dispute over what territory belonged to them, and what territory belonged to Mexico. Texans claimed their western and southern border was Rio Grande, while Mexicans claimed their border was to the north of Rio Grande in Nueces. Polk sent troops under the command of General Zachary Taylor, in case Mexico planned to make an invasion in Texas. New Mexico happened to be part of the territory that was disputed over. The region was dominated by Spanish and Indians, and was later…

Russo 1 James Russo Mrs. Fallman 27 March, 2017 Social studies P.6. Was the United states Justified in going to war with Mexico The United States had thought they were justified in going to war with Mexico after everything the U.S. has done to Mexico. The newly elected president James K. Polk was the one who led an army into the lands of Texas and California, stealing it from Mexico. President Polk believed in the Manifest Destiny of the U.S. and thought it was God’s plan for the U.S. to take…

American soil.” One characteristic of a justified war is having clear, good intentions. Was the Mexican-American war a just war? The Mexican-American war started when President James, K, Polk offered Mexico 30 million dollars to purchase New Mexico and California. Mexico refused this offer. After Mexico’s refusal, President Polk sent 4,000 soldiers to the Rio Grande river line near…

and got caught in a lie about what he was doing there, so when he was caught he set up a fort with an American flag. His actions were both unneeded and counterproductive, only aggravating the situation. The situation escalated when President James K. Polk told his forces to travel south to the Rio Grande, which is the territory in dispute. The main reason this land was being fought over is because Mexico had laid claim to all the land north, all the way to the Nueces River, which is…

and the U.S. mostly were Protestant/Pro-Slavery. Once James K. Polk was elected, everything changed. Polk not only wanted Texas, he wanted California as well. The thing is, California was still Mexico’s territory. Texas, however, was not, after winning their independence from Mexico in 1836. Polk tried to settle the dispute over the land by sending General Taylor and the American troops into the disputed area in the southern part of Texas. Polk also sent John Slidell to Mexico City to try and…

ended on February 2, 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and a payment of $15 million. The author of the Treaty was actually considered a traitor to President Polk and was treated as so when he returned. In 1847, State Department clerk, Nicholas P. Trist, possibly spared the lives of hundreds because he disobeyed the orders of Polk to return…

had a claim to the entirety of the Oregon Territory. Indeed, Polk would recommend to Congress to give the British a one-year notice declaring the U.S. intention to end the joint occupation of the region. Despite his statements, Polk was not interested in going to war over the territory. While he did sincerely believe that America had a stronger claim to the region than the British, he understood…

It’s as simple as this: America wanted to expand westward to gain more territory, resources, and power. This concept is also known as Manifest Destiny. Fast forward to 1846 and say hello to the beginning of the Mexican-American War. President James K. Polk was a firm believer of Manifest Destiny. He was willing to do whatever it took to expand American power across the continent all the way to the Pacific Ocean. It all started in 1836 when Texas gained its independence from Mexico. At first,…