mikeyriojas's MyC-SPAN

Author and Oxford University history professor emeritus Daniel Walker Howe talked about the 11th President James K. Polk and the Mexican-American War. In 1845, the United States annexed Texas from Mexico. Following the annexation, President Polk also wanted to acquire California, which eventually led to war with Mexico that lasted from April 25, 1846 through February 2, 1848. The Miller Center at the University of Virginia hosted this event.

Joseph Wheelan explores the Mexican-American War of 1846 to 1848. The author chronicles President James Polk’s desire to acquire California via war and the popular dissent that followed the start of the war by the likes of John Quincy Adams, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. The United States declared war on Mexico on May 13, 1846. What became known as “Mr. Polk’s War” resulted in more than 500,000 square miles of new U.S. territory. Mr. Wheelan responded to questions from members of the audience.

Rachel St. John talked about the history of the western U.S.-Mexico border from the mid-19th century to the turn of the 20th century. She spoke about the complex issues that arose out of the proposed boundary line following the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848 and the challenges in keeping the two nations apart. She also talked about the factors that contributed to the rise of immigration control along the border. This program was hosted by the Kansas City Public Library.

Amy Greenberg, history and women’s studies professor at Penn State University, talked about her book, A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico, in which she recounts the Mexican-American War in 1846. The author talked about President Polk’s decision to go to war and the roles that then Congressman Abraham Lincoln and Henry Clay played in the national debate. Amy Greenberg speaks at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois.