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Mexican-American War Dbq

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In following of the War of 1812 and Madison, President James Polk thirty-four years later, found himself in a conflict involving the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). The Mexican-American war marked the first U.S. armed conflict chiefly fought on foreign soil. It pitted a politically divided and militarily unprepared Mexico against the expansionist-minded administration of U.S. President James K. Polk, who believed the United States had a “manifest destiny” to spread across the continent to the Pacific Ocean. Soon after gaining its independence in 1836 from Mexico, the United States rejected annexing the newly freed Texas, due to the political interests of the north who were against the addition of a new slave state. The Mexican government …show more content…
Polk did want he could to force war, for Congress, before Mexico’s attack, was divided on the issue, and was not particularly interested in going to war. Polk made the decision that he thought expanding the United States was going to be beneficial, and that a short conflict with Mexico was going to be worth it. Knowing what he wanted, Polk used his power, which was his own decisions. Had it been another President in office other than Polk, then they might have decided not to engage Mexico in a conflict, they may have even decided to not even annex Texas, starting the initial tension with our neighboring nation. Nevertheless, it was Polk, and he decided to do what he did, creating the outcome. What Polk did not expect however, was that Mexico would fight as hard, and as long, as they did, thus demonstrating the unpredictability of war. Without Polk’s decisions however, and without having the power to put his plans into motion, the United States may have never gained those territories in the United States southwest, so in this case, his use of power did indeed turnout to benefit the United

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