The Early Failures Of James K. Polk
Failures Like all Presidents, both prior to and after 1849, James K Polk made some decisions that had a great impact on the country and shaped it in defining ways. One of his earliest mistakes was the engaging of Mexico in war. Despite running on the platform of possible Mexican-American tensions, nearly half of the American population was against annexing Texas for fear of Mexican retaliation. The Mexican American war was substantially detrimental to the populations, despite its clear victory. It resulted in over 13 000 American deaths. The war also promoted slavery. Texas had become a slave nation after gaining independence from Mexico. Since Polk was presiding prior to the Civil War, the great Southern-Northern divide was commencing. Scholars