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In a one-term presidency, Polk completed the story of America's Manifest Destiny -- extending its territory across the continent, from sea to sea, by threatening England and manufacturing a controversial and unpopular two-year war with Mexico that Abraham Lincoln, in Congress at the time, opposed as preemptive. Robert Merry tells this story through powerful debates and towering figures. - Jacket flap.
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Subjects
Politics and government, Presidents, Territorial expansion, Internet Archive Wishlist, Biography, HistoryPeople
James K. Polk (1795-1849)Places
United StatesTimes
1845-1849, 19th centuryShowing 3 featured editions. View all 3 editions?
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1
A country of vast designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War, and the conquest of the American continent
2009, Simon & Schuster
in English
- 1st Simon & Schuster hardcover ed.
0743297431 9780743297431
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2
A country of vast designs: James K. Polk and the conquest of the American continent
2009, Simon & Schuster, Simon & Schuster, Limited
in English
0743297431 9780743297431
|
aaaa
Libraries near you:
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3
A country of vast designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War, and the conquest of the American continent
2009, Simon & Schuster
in English
- 1st Simon & Schuster hardcover ed.
0743297431 9780743297431
|
zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
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Book Details
Table of Contents
Introduction : Ritual of democracy : the emergence of an expansionist president
Young Hickory : the making of a Jackson protégé
Tennessee and Washington : the rise and fall of a presidential loyalist
The 1844 election : searching for a means of political recovery
Texas : dawn of a new era
Baltimore : America's first political dark horse
Polk vs. Clay : answering the question, "Who is James K. Polk?"
The victor : preparing for the mantle of leadership
Taking charge : America's zest for grand ambitions
Annexation complete : diplomacy, intrigue, and the force of politics
The United States and Oregon : "The people here are worn out by delay"
The United States and Mexico : divergent new world cultures on a path to war
Britain and Mexico : playing with prospects of a dual war
The Twenty-ninth Congress : Polk takes command of the national agenda
End of a treaty : diplomacy and politics at war with each other
War : "Every consideration of duty and patriotism"
Vagaries of war : "And may there be no recreant soul to fail or falter now"
Presidential temperamen t: "I prefer to supervise the whole operations of the government"
Wilmot's proviso : transformation of the war debate
The war in the West : patriotism, duty, adventure, and glory
The new face of war : "We are yet to have a long and wearisome struggle"
The politics of rancor : constitutional usurpation vs. moral treason
Dilatory Congress : the challenge of presidential leadership
Veracruz and beyond : grappling with Mexico's military defiance
Scott and Trist : a clash of policy and temperament
Mexico City : the pivot of personality
The specter of conquest : "Have we conquered peace? Have we obtained a treaty?"
Treaty : from Trist to Polk to the Senate
Peace : California, New Mexico, and the Union
Final months : "Solemnly impressed with the emptiness of worldly honors"
Epilogue : Legacy : the price of presidential accomplishment
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Feedback?February 17, 2023 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
August 6, 2021 | Edited by New York Times Bestsellers Bot | Add NYT review links |
February 28, 2020 | Edited by MARC Bot | remove fake subjects |
July 14, 2017 | Edited by Mek | adding subject: Internet Archive Wishlist |
June 11, 2013 | Edited by Bryan Tyson | Edited without comment. |