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James K. Polk Dbq Essay

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James K. Polk, along with his Democrat counterparts, initiated an expansionist campaign that promised he would acquire Texas, Oregon, California, and New Mexico if he won the presidential Election of 1844. Similar to other Americans, Polk had been inspired and influenced by the Manifest Destiny of 1839 that described the United States to have a divine fate in westward expansion in order to spread ideas of democracy. Following the conclusion of the election and Polk’s inauguration, Texas entered the Union and the Oregon territory was claimed. However, Polk’s rapacity continued and led him to fight for every parallel of territory in order to continue the practice of ‘manifest destiny.’ The annexation of Texas and its unofficially declared boundaries …show more content…

Therefore, the consequence of the war for Mexico was the cession of territories like California, Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in February of 1848. Additionally, the United States acquired the Texan border at Rio Grande and paid Mexico fifteen million dollars for all of the newly acquired land. However, a negative repercussion for the United States was the new congressional debate over which territories would be slave states and which would be ‘free’ states. The Wilmot Proviso severed as a direction for some politicians to oppose slavery but for others to contest its publicized beliefs. New political factions like the Free Soil Party, the Liberty Party and the Conscience Whigs were formed to promote their beliefs that slavery needed to cease for the benefit of the country. In contrast, other politicians were trying to create temporary solutions to the slavery issue. One of these provisional plans was the Compromise of 1850 which was a series of bills planned by Henry Clay and later overseen by Stephen Douglas that would try to resolve the concerns of slavery in new territories. Therefore, California was admitted to the Union as a free state and the territories in the west determined the issue of slavery based on popular sovereignty. Following this, slave trade was abolished in Washington, D.C. and the new Fugitive Slave Act was passed. The Fugitive Slave Act was a portion of the Compromise of 1850 and it gave a new protection to slavery. Since the Constitution provided for the return of fugitive slaves in Article IV but did not specify how that would be accomplished, the Fugitive Slave Act was the solution to this political and social concern. The Act gave the authority to judges to issue warrants that

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The Compromise of 1850 was a series of five bills that were intended to delay territorial and slavery conflicts. It passed when fillmore was in presidency and the goal was to deal with slavery and to keep the north’s and south’s interests balanced. The five bills were, California entered as a free state, New Mexico and Utah were each allowed to use popular sovereignty to decide on the issue of slavery, the Republic of Texas gave up lands that it claimed in present day New Mexico and received $10 million to pay its debt to Mexico, the slave trade was abolished in D.C. but not slavery, and the fugitive slave act made any federal official who did not arrest a runaway slave liable to pay a fine. The Fugitive Slave Act was the most Conflicting part of The Compromise of 1850 and caused many abolitionist to increase the beliefs against slavery. According to Watson “This law, which authorized Southerners to recover run-away

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Starting off his short term as president, James K. Polk had expanded the nation by two-thirds through the addition of Texas, the Oregon boundary, and the conquest of all Mexican provinces north of 31 degrees. However, having been elected on a platform pressing for Oregon to a northern boundary of of 54 degrees 40’ and Texas to a southern boundary of the Rio Grande river, Polk came to an agreement with Britain on 49 degrees but went to war with Mexico in want of Texas, New Mexico, and California. The acquisition of Mexico was concerning because it surfaced the debate over the balance of power and slavery between the North and the South. Along with Polk’s decision, Democrats agreed in expanding territory because of their strong following of the Democratic doctrine, the Manifest Destiny, by expanding the nation’s territory through any means.

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Book Review Being the President of the United States is a leadership position like no other. For those rare few chosen, being the president offers a rare opportunity to mold the country’s future. Over the course of the 241 year history of the United States 44 presidents have come and gone, and some were indisputably more successful at the job than others. In Tom Chaffin’s Met His Every Goal?

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With these two events this caused the United States to double in land. The slavery issue was resolved with the compromise of 1850. This brought the California territory as a free state because the people had voted on it before they

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Politically, the corruption of President James K. Polk fused with the new social belief of manifest destiny, influenced the war between the United States and Texas. Democrat James K. Polk was elected president in 1844. Polk was the first American “dark horse” candidate, or unannounced candidate at the democratic convention (Zinn, A People’s History). President, James K. Polk had a

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James Knox Polk was born November 2, 1795, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Polk was most known for successfully defeating the Mexicans in the Mexican War. Polk was also the 11th president of the United States. When Polk was young, he lived in North Carolina with his father, Samuel Polk, and his mother, Jane Polk. James was the oldest of his nine siblings.

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In the words of the former President, “Well may the boldest fear and the wisest tremble when incurring responsibilities on which may depend on our country’s peace and prosperity..,” (James K. Polk). Why was his presidency so influential? Polk accomplished without hardly any hardships—the objectives many presidents couldn’t succeed. A man who accomplished it all in one term. His accomplishments still do not go unrecognized, and reporters state that “his triumphant record once led historians to call Polk’s presidency an impressive success,”(Wilent).

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James K Polk was the 11th president, he was elected in 1844. He fit into modern political climate very well. He ran one term then retired, he was the youngest president to be in office at the time. He had the shortest retirement. James Knox Polk was born on November 2, 1795 in Mecklenburg county, North Carolina.

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That is way Haynes refers to Polk as being “an agent of Manifest Destiny, not its creator”. However, the author demonstrates how well Polk was following the path acknowledged in Manifest: the annexation of Texas, Oregon, California, war with Mexico are perfectly aligned with the idea of the United States being a continental

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James K Polk, a very successful president, served as our 11th U.S. president from 1845 to 1849. Although he only served for one term, Polk became recognized for his great accomplishments such as extending the U.S. across the continent for the first time. James Polk, a Democrat who was almost unknown in the realm of politics, also ran for president of the United States in the hopes of becoming vice president but became a presidential nominee by accident. Immediately after winning the 1844 presidential election, Polk made a clear stance of his goals as leader to cut tariffs, reestablish an independent U.S. Treasury, secure Oregon territory, and to acquire California and New Mexico from Mexico. With these four major goals as president, James entered

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James K. Polk had four goals when he campaigned for the Presidential Election of 1844. His plan was to reduce tariffs, take California and New Mexico from Mexico, acquire the Oregon County, and to reestablish the Independent Treasury System. Also, he wanted to do it in only one term. Once he won his one term, he proceeded to fulfill of four of his goals, and promptly died as soon as he left office, most likely from sheer exhaustion.

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This is the one goal that through his election process, campaigned to the people of America, that he wanted to expand the United States from coast to coast. In this goal James Polk did succeed throughout his entire presidential carrier. Though only three states were admitted Texas, Iowa, and Wisconsin president Polk gained almost all of the Central and West coast that we know today. James Polk gained most of the land because of two events that went on in his presidential career. The first event started on April, 26 1846, but didn’t end until February 2, 1848, this is the Mexican War.

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Polk called for the expansion of not only the entire Oregon Territory but also Texas and California.

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