James Polk: Message to Congress on War with Mexico

James K. Polk was elected president after a campaign in which he promised to expand the nation’s borders as well as defend and advance the institution of slavery. Born in a log cabin and raised in North Carolina and Tennessee, he became a slave owner and entered politics as an ardent defender of the institution of slavery. Polk was noted for his skills as a debater; his writings were usually intended to convert his audience to his point of view. Before becoming president in early 1845, he was an ardent advocate of states’ rights and of limiting the federal government only to the powers specifically given it by the Constitution. As president, he believed it was his duty to forsake personal biases and be the representative of all the American people. He expanded the powers of the presidency, especially to wage war. In the course of his life, he developed a vision of the United States as a place where the liberties of minorities were protected by the government, where all disputes would be worked out according to the Constitution, and where secession of states was impossible. He believed that the United States was a great power with an important role to play in international affairs.