|
Politics and Generals
In the presidential campaign of 1844, James K. Polk appealed to the popular belief that it was the nation's manifest destiny to control the North American continent. Polk, a Democrat, hoped to expand peacefully by purchasing the lands from Mexico. Within two years he was embroiled in war and dependent upon two unfriendly generals, members of the Whig party with presidential aspirations of their own. Thus every decision had political as well as military implications. |