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    A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent
    A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent
    A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent
    Ebook797 pages14 hours

    A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent

    By Robert W. Merry

    4/5

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    President James K. Polk, often overlooked yet ever-consequential, comes to life in this “compelling, perceptive portrait” (The Wall Street Journal) biography of the 11th President of the United States, Andrew Jackson protégé, and champion of “manifest destiny.”

    In a one-term presidency, James K. Polk completed the story of America’s Manifest Destiny—extending its territory across the continent by threatening England with war and manufacturing a controversial and unpopular two-year war with Mexico. "A crucial architect of modern America, James K. Polk deserves to be elevated out of the mists of history" (Jon Meacham, author of American Lion).
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster
    Release dateNov 3, 2009
    ISBN9781439160459
    Author

    Robert W. Merry

    Robert W. Merry is the author of five previous books, including President McKinley: Architect of the American Century and A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent. He spent a decade covering Washington for The Wall Street Journal and served as an executive at Congressional Quarterly Inc. for twenty-two years, including twelve years as CEO. He also is the former editor of The National Interest and The American Conservative. He lives with his wife, Susan, in Langley, Washington, and Washington, DC.

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    • 3/5
      James K. Polk, the eleventh president of the United States, is one of the most successful yet least known “consequential” occupant of that office. Polk’s presidency lasted only one term (he voluntarily chose not to seek an additional term); yet he added huge territories to the United States. In addition, he put government finances on a dependable basis by establishing an independent treasury and helping to pass an important tariff bill.Robert Merry brings the enigmatic Polk to life with his detailed biography, A Country of Vast Designs. In it, we meet other colorful politicians like the great spokesman for the institution of slavery, South Carolina’s John C. Calhoun; the great compromiser, Kentucky’s Henry Clay; former president Martin Van Buren; and Daniel Webster of Massachusetts. In addition, we learn that Polk’s scheming, ambitious, inconsistent, and somewhat disloyal secretary of state, James Buchanan, often worked to thwart Polk’s policies in order to foster his own presidential aspirations. And in the background, exercising a significant influence on political discourse and Democratic Party politics even a decade after his own presidency, was Polk’s mentor Andrew Jackson. Polk’s first major accomplishment after his presidential victory over Henry Clay was the settlement of the dispute over the Oregon Territory with Great Britain, with whom the United States had jointly administered the area since 1818. Through tough negotiation and the threat to go to war over the issue, Polk was able to settle on a boundary of 49 degrees north, ceding to Britain what is now British Columbia, but getting for the U.S. all of what is now Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and parts of Montana and Wyoming.Polk also spearheaded the annexation of Texas, which greatly angered Mexico and triggered the Mexican War in 1846. The war continued until 1848, and became very unpopular. Nevertheless, it resulted in the conquest and incorporation into the U.S. of California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and New Mexico. One of the military heroes of the war, Zachary Taylor, went on to become president. A key issue complicating the annexation of western land was the expansion of Negro slavery into the new territories. Polk’s position appears to have been much like Lincoln’s early opinion: he wanted first to preserve the Union at all cost. Evaluation: Merry paints a sympathetic portrait of a remarkable president. Although well written, the book contains a great amount of detail on the maneuverings of politicians and cabinet members, which makes for thorough history but somewhat sluggish reading or listening. It is a comprehensive work for serious students of history, but may be a bit much for the casual reader.(JAB)
    • 5/5
      Nonfiction, a very commendable look at James K. Polk, 11th President of the United States (1845-1849). Polk was a protege of Andrew Jackson, member of the Democratic Party, and fully embraced Manifest Destiny. His four years as president were extremely active: Annexation of Texas, the Oregon Territory Treaty, and the Mexican-American War, occurred under his administration. Busy, busy.

      The author’s style was informative and although it took me longer than expected to finish - my nonfiction reading usually does - I was glad to have read it, I learned a lot.

      Recommended.
    • 4/5
      A very good biography of President James K. Polk. Well-researched, easy to read book by an author who enjoys his subject. Recommended.
    • 5/5
      This is a splendid book on a relatively unknown President, one whose reputation is much higher with professional historians than with the public. The key argument that Merry makes is that the borders of Texas had always been the Rio Grande, not the Nueces, and so that Polk's sending of Taylor to the eastern border of that river was not an act of war. He faults Mexico for daring to fight a much stronger and more aggressive country. Still, one does not know where the truth lies, except that this was a good president who sought to preserve the union against all its foes, north and south, even though he favored slavery.
    • 5/5
      Nonfiction, a very commendable look at James K. Polk, 11th President of the United States (1845-1849). Polk was a protege of Andrew Jackson, member of the Democratic Party, and fully embraced Manifest Destiny. His four years as president were extremely active: Annexation of Texas, the Oregon Territory Treaty, and the Mexican-American War, occurred under his administration. Busy, busy.

      The author’s style was informative and although it took me longer than expected to finish - my nonfiction reading usually does - I was glad to have read it, I learned a lot.

      Recommended.
    • 4/5
      Robert Merry's biography of President Polk provides a good introduction to the era of "Manifest Destiny" and the controversies he faced including those surrounding the Mexican-American War. While the book provides a narrative of Polk's political life from Congress through the Presidency I was impressed with several specific aspects it presented and historical moments that were revelatory. Merry is excellent in providing portraits of the important political figures in Polk's life, his mentor Andrew Jackson and other famous men like Van Buren, Henry Clay, John Calhoun, Thomas Hart Benton, and others. The author's ability to maintain a consistent level of detail about the events of Polk's life sometimes led to passages that I could have done without, perhaps those interested in the minutae of politics would find these more interesting. However, a few historical moments stand out for me: including the depiction of the 1844 Democratic Presidential Convention in Baltimore where James K. Polk became the first political "dark horse" candidate; the congressional battle over funding the Mexican war where the Wilmot Proviso first appeared and provided one of the signals of the beginning of the end of the era of slavery (although war was averted for a decade and a half); and the amazing successes of Stephen Kearney, John C. Fremont, and Robert Stockton in the expansion of United States territories. These and a few other high points made the book a lively and entertaining work of historical biography, expanding my knowledge of the man and the era.
    • 5/5
      This book is a great narrative of Polk's Presidency. The author's writing style makes the story flow like a good novel. It is very informative and detailed. Whether you like Presidential biographies or not, if you want to learn more about American history, this book is a must-read for you!
    • 4/5
      In the roughly 60 years between the death of George Washington and the start of the Civil War, there are two primary narrative threads in American history: territorial expansion and the issue of slavery; the latter is generally told with focus on Congress, while territorial expansion seems to fall under the purview of the presidency. To be sure, these broad strokes vastly oversimplify the richness of the era explored by many historians, including Sean Wilentz in his meticulous volume, "The Rise of American Democracy."Still, such a narrative implies the importance of three presidents: Thomas Jefferson, due to the Louisiana Purchase; Andrew Jackson, with his policy of Indian removal in large territories; and James K. Polk, during whose presidency the Oregon territory and the bulk of the American Southwest were added to the United States. While Jefferson and Jackson have received sufficient attention through the years to be remembered by most Americans, Polk is largely forgotten.Robert Merry, longtime journalist and author, and once editor-in-chief of Congressional Quarterly, attempts to remedy this with his recent book, "A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War, and the Conquest of the American Continent." Focusing largely on the Polk Administration, and the political context leading up to it, Merry suggests that the first dark horse president was the true heir of Jackson's political philosophy — something recognized even in Polk's nickname, "Young Hickory" (Jackson was known as Old Hickory).The comparison certainly has limitations. Although Jackson and Polk both hailed from the state of Tennessee, and although Polk owed much of his career to his association with Jackson, Polk was clearly a different political animal than Jackson. While both men had tempers, particularly when crossed or opposed, Jackson was the consummate party builder. Polk, on the other hand, more introverted and perhaps more intellectual than Jackson, had less patience or interest in dealing with other politicians. In the end, where the presidency seemed to magnify Jackson's lion-sized personality, it practically consumed Polk, leaving him a physically broken man who died within months of leaving office.Polk's determined and aggressive response to the era's Manifest Destiny makes him a seminal figure in American history, though. His strong, even bellicose, rhetoric led to the annexation of Texas on the eve of his inauguration and guided his approach to securing the Oregon Territory from Britain and large parts of the Southwest from Mexico. Despite the election warcry of "54' 40° or Fight!", Polk oversaw negotiations which divided Oregon with England. Instead, Polk's expansionism would foment war with Mexico, whose anti-American feelings had significantly increased with the annexation of Texas.War highlighted Polk's key strengths and weaknesses. In creating the climate for war and in envisioning the American terms for peace, Polk demonstrated tenacity, a penchant for hard work, and inflexible purpose. However, Polk clashed with many people in prosecuting the war, including key generals, key cabinet officials, and the Whig opposition in Congress. Unlike Jackson, Polk had difficulty enforcing allegiance, especially with James Buchanan, his Secretary of State who consistently undermined his directives for his own political gain.In a clear and exciting narrative, Merry presents the key compelling personalities and the drama of the brief period in the 1840s when the United States laid claim to territory and stretched, for the first time, from sea to shining sea. If perhaps he focuses less on slavery, economic issues, and the splintering of the American politic, he admirably achieves a well-written and compelling account of the period's territorial expansion, whose forgone conclusion emerges as a far dicier enterprise than historical certitude implies.
    • 4/5
      This is a straightforward biography of a president, James Polk, without a huge personality who succeeded in his goals. It raeses questions about the role of congress, the role that personality plays in history. I found the behavior of James Buchanan, the secretary of state of Polk 'interesting'.
    • 4/5
      An excellent portrayal of the president who was responsible for the Mexican War and the addition of Texas, etc. and other states to the USA.
    • 4/5
      Readable and informative. Pretty terrific, even with twice stating, on two separate occasions, that an event (two different events)happened in 1846 when it happened in 1847.
    • 4/5
      Well written book, portrays Polk's presidency neutrally, with out a lot of bias, other than the author would overall give him a high passing grade. And I would agree after reading this book.One thing that struck me was the similarities between "Polk's war" (Mexican war) and the present "Global War on Terror" (GWB's war). Not the combatants, but the opposition to both wars, along mostly party lines. History doth seem to repeat itself.Enjoyable read about a period of American history usually glossed over.
    • 4/5
      Even though I read a Polk biography (by Walter R. Borneman) as recently as 29 May 2008 my interest in the period of American history in which he lived is such that I decided to read this book as soon as I saw it on the Library shelf. It is felicitously written and tells the story of Polk and the momentous time in which he lived very well One is amazed how well things worked out for Pope and that he accomplished the big things he determined to do: get Oregan and CAlifornia, and secure the Rio Grande as the border of Texas. While the author admits the Mexican War was probably not justified he shows that some of the blame for it does rest on the Mexican state. I found this a good book to read.
    • 4/5
      Well written biography of Polk's term as president. Merry presents Polk's faults as well as his successes in obtaining a treaty with Great Britian over the Oregon Territory, the annexation of Texas, the lowering of the tarriff, as well as the Mexican War of 1846-48. In the latter, Merry details the conflict with Congress over the war. Polk's "success" with the territory gained by the Mexican War sows the seeds of the conflict over slavery that will culminate with the Civil War.
    • 4/5
      A very solid look at the Presidency of James K. Polk, focusing as you would expect on the issues that defined his Presidency – the Annexation of Texas, the acquisition of New Mexico, and California, the Mexican-American War, and the settlement of the Oregon dispute with Great Britain.

      The author does a great job explaining the minutiae of these issues in a clear and concise way, and he did a great job of bringing the personalities of the major players to life including Polk, Thomas Hart Benton, James Buchanan, Winfield Scott, Zachary Taylor and others. My only issue was a slight hagiographic tinge that planted doubts in my mind about its objectivity.

      James K. Polk is one of those forgotten Presidents, often lumped together as President PolkFIllmorePierceHayesGarfieldArthur. He should not be. His administration should be remembered as one of the most successful in American history, at least when measured against the goals it set out for itself.

      America in the 1840s was land-mad. It was a time when manifest destiny was more than a slogan but an ethos that percolated through all segments of American society. The notion that the United States had a God-given right to expand its territory west to the Pacific Ocean, south to the Rio Grande River and North to the 49th parallel dominated political discourse through the 1840s, though there was significant disagreement on the best way to achieve it as Polk found out.

      Polk became the embodiment of those goals. Under his administration the United States gained title to more territory – through war, treaty and purchase – than at any time since the Louisiana Purchase. It completed the annexation of Texas, started a war with Mexico to solidify those gains, used it wartime victory to force Mexico to agree to part with California and New Mexico, and completed treaty negotiations with Great Britain to resolve disputes over the Oregon territory. In other words a very notable run of success, successes however, that were gained in what many believe were morally dubious ways.

      The Mexican War was highly controversial even as it was occurring. While Polk’s own Democratic Party supported it, the opposition Whigs grew more and more disaffected with it as it progressed and as treaty negotiations to end it dragged on. Many called it a war of aggression. Abraham Lincoln, a freshman Congressman during the war denounced it in uncharacteristically harsh terms, and Ulysses S. Grant, who during this war began his career as the most successful military figure in American History called it “one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger against a weaker nation. It was an instance of a republic following the bad example of European monarchies, in not considering justice in their desire to acquire additional territory.” Many believed Southerner Polk was trying to acquire as much land as possible in which to expand slavery thus strengthening the slave power in Congress. This view of the war is not unusual now among historians, nor as we see among many at the time. The author however disagrees with this somewhat.

      In what I consider to be a bit of hagiographic flightiness, Merry asserts that Polk’s legacy should be reevaluated as it has been tainted by the opinions of those who opposed him at the time. This is unusual as historians are always imploring us to try and view history in the context in which it happened and not to apply modern standards to historical conduct. At the time the Mexican War was at the very least controversial, and more likely a morally corrupt enterprise.

      In the end Polk has been largely forgotten by most as his administration took place just as sectional differences over slavery were beginning to dominate political debate resulting in the era dominating Civil War. Arguments over slavery I believe tainted his Presidency in retrospect. This is unfortunate. Although Polk was pro-slavery, his focus was not expansion of the slave power as some of his opponents asserted, but expansion of the United States.

      Despite the criticisms noted above I really did enjoy this book as it very competently explores a period of American History that does not receive a lot of the attention that it should. It was this period that largely defined us as a nation – both for good and evil.
    • 5/5
      This work covers a controversial period in which a President's foreign policy included expansion of the US through high handed diplomacy up to threat of war to actual war. The author does a commendable job in presenting the brief rise & nomination of Polk as President & his victory in 1844 over Clay the Whig candidate; the bitter rancor between the Van Buren supporters & Polk supporters which left a division that would later divide the Democrat Party in 1860; the unfolding drama within Polk's administration as the nation challenged both Britain over Oregon & Mexico over Texas. The conduct of the War with Mexico & the slavery question became inexorably tied together as it is discussed with considerable detail & showed the sad state of politics of the time. The author demonstrates the good & not so good characteristics of Polk whose headlong pursuit to obtain more territory only opened the door to questions long dormant but increasingly thrusted out into the open in public. Polk's handling of military affairs is discussed here as well as coping with ego centric Scott & Taylor (the eventual 1848 winner of the Presidency) yet managed to allow them free rein in conducting the war with Mexico. In one chapter, the author suggests that Polk may have been deceived to Santa Anna's intention allowing him to reach Mexico through American lines believing that Santa Anna would overthrow the government & give Polk better terms. Overall the book is even handed in every respect & allows the reader to see the various back & forth elements that pressured the Polk administration from every side.
    • 2/5
      Robert W. Merry’s book is a study of America’s 11th president within the context of the issue that dominated his presidency. Nominated based on his clear support for annexing Texas, by the time he left office he had added 600,000 square miles of territory to the nation’s boundaries. Merry provides a good narrative that describes the travails and triumphs involved in this. Yet periodically throughout the book Merry shifts his account to tangential matters, as though he wanted to broaden it into a more straightforward biographical account. This takes attention away from his ostensible focus, yet does not provide the complete treatment that Polk deserves. By trying to achieve both goals, Merry offers an interesting and readable study of Polk and American expansionism that nonetheless comes up a little bit short in satisfying readers desiring to know more about either topic.

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    A Country of Vast Designs - Robert W. Merry

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