d annexation approval from the U.S. Congress. Also urging American expansion were fears on behalf of the U.S. government that France or Great Britain would try to secure Texas, Oregon and California.
The annexation of Texas by the United States did not sit well with Mexican officials to say the least. The borders between Texas and Mexico were vague and undefined, with both countries claiming ownership of the border at the Rio Grande River. Mexico, on the other hand, argued that it laid legitimate claim to lands as far north as the Nueces River. Because of the continued disagreements over ownership of land, both nations sent troops into the area to defend the lands they claimed as their own. According to historians, Polk’s policies were unsuccessful with Texas, unlike his policies with Oregon, because his administration failed to understand the Mexican character, “A similar policy of public brinksmanship won Polk a monumental victory in the Oregon dispute. The tactics did not work during
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