James K. Polk and the Expansionist Impulse
In James K. Polk and the Expansionist Impulse, author Sam Haynes explores PolkÆs passion for the expansionist approach to increase U.S. territory. Polk wanted to incorporate California and New Mexico into United States territory and was not hesitant about boldly pursuing that goal. The timing of his presidency in terms of achieving it was optimum. Shortly before he took office, the concept of Manifest Destiny was developed by journalist John Louis OÆSullivan, and it became a catchphrase for expansionism.
OÆSullivan believed that it was AmericaÆs God-given destiny to expand and possess the entire North American continent, and that this expansionism superseded any laws that would hinder it, answering instead to a higher authorityùGod. When a border dispute subsequently occurred between the United States and Mexico, Polk parlayed it into an opportunity to position the United States against the smaller and less equipped Mexico, entering into the Mexican-American War. This war occupied much of PolkÆs presidency, and revealed a great deal about his personality and characterùespecially his activism with regard to expansion and his shrewd diplomacy.
There were a number of factors that were brewing between the United States and Mexico at the time. American expansionist policies were treading on sensitive toes in other nations, particularly Mexico, and President PolkÆs political personality was also seen as somewhat abrasive. The annexation of Texas was tantamount to a declaration of war from MexicoÆs perspective, and they removed the Mexican minister from Washington. The perceived need to bolster America against onslaughts by England fueled expansionism even further.
The way Polk handled the border dispute with Mexico was the key to the eventual achievement of his goal. He dispatched diplomat John Slidell to Mexico in December 1845 to propose that MexicoÆs debt to United ...