Customer Reviews

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

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4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"A Country of Vast Designs" is an excellent reminder of how a well researched and well written book can illuminate what was an otherwise dark and often forgotten piece of the American landscape. Merry's detailed and colorful story telling add depth, perspective and entertainment. For example, his account of the Democratic nomination of 1844 reminds us how crafty our nineteenth century politician were - orchestrating power plays in whispers and back rooms - and how luck played a major role in one's nomination. Particularly gripping is the brief description of the removal of Polk's bladder stone under the anesthetic of the day - bourbon, an episode which more than likely left him impotent.

What most impresses me about this book is how faithful Merry is to Polk's character - for better or for worse. He manages to take a less-than-appealing historical figure and neither lionize nor villainize him. Instead we come to know a man who had a bigger impact on our nation's history than he is popularly given credit for. And whether or not the gains to our boarders were ill gotten does not change the fact that we are fundamentally a different place for all his work.

The book is a fascinating read for those looking to understand the generation of presidents that was born after the founding fathers - that second group of leaders who had the difficult job of stewarding the US through its early adolescence, and making manifest the aspirations of the founding generation. We all should understand more about Polk. Merry's book is an appealing and sophisticated way in.

Quick! How many books have you read on James Knox Polk (1795-1849) our eleventh President of the United States? Most honest readers would admit to perusing none and knowing little about this important president! Robert Merry's excellent biography of Polk and his tumultous times hopes to rectify the paucity of knowledge most citizens have of Polk and his age.
James Knox Polk was born in North Carolina in 1795. He moved to Nashville, Tennessee where he became a lawyer coming under the influence of the formidable 7th President Andrew Jackson. Wheras Jackson, the hero of New Orleans and Democratic president for two terms was called "Old Hickory" Polk became known as "Little Hickory." He was a strong advocate of Jackson serving in the wild and wooly politics of frontier America.
Polk emerged as the first dark horse to emerge from a Democratic Convention with their nomination for President of the United States. Polk defeated Henry Clay the Whig standarbearer in the 1844 election. He was supported by his wonderful wife Sarah Childress Polk whom he had married following the advice of Andrew Jackson. Sarah was vivacious and social whereas Polk was self-righteous, stern and a workaholic. The couple were childless.
Polk told reporters that he would only serve one term as chief executive and kept that promise. He had four major goals as president all of which were achieved. Those goals were:
1. To lower the tariffs
2. To institute an independent and working banking system
3. To obtain California.
4. To win the Oregon Territory for the United States which was in dispute with Great Britain when Polk obtained office.
Polk was a wartime president. The war dragged on from 1846-48 and was very unpopular with the Whigs and Americans who viewed it as a blatant power play to win lands from Mexico. Two Whig Generals Winfield Scott and the 12th US President Zachary Taylor won victory over Santa Anna. Mexico City was conquered. Over 13,000 American soldiers were killed in the fierce fighting.
During Polk's administration the United States added overe 500,000 miles to its territory as the nation for the first time spread from Maine to California. The vast Oregon land was won and New Mexico, Arizona become undisputed US territory. The Manifest Destiny of the nation was a success. Ralph Waldo Emerson was the man who said the United States was a "country of vast designs". Polk made this poetic dream a political reality. He is ranked as high as 11th in many presidential polls.
Polk was never physically strong and died soon after leaving office. His adversary Whig Zachary Taylor became president with Millard Fillmore serving as Vice-President.
Polk wanted the major problem of slavery to go away but it refused to do so. During his term the Wilmont Proviso which would have prohibited slavery in the newly acquired lands was hotly debated in Congress. Senate giants such as Daniel Webster, Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun debated the issue in great senatorial speeches. Polk, meanwhile, was having trouble dealing with the difficult Secretary of State and future president James Buchanan and keeping the money flowing in necessary to fight the Mexican War.
Robert Merry has crafted an excellent book on the Polk administration. The pages are filled with detailed accounts of congressional debates over such hot button issues as slavery, the Mexican War, tariff and money issues. Some readers will find this boring but many will also find it fascinating. Many of the issues ring a familiar bell for today: a first term president, an unpopular war and economic woes.
This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in the Manifest Destiny era. Ecellent and recommended!

Must read for history nerds.

Extremely well written, moves like a novel and hard to put down.

Outlines the key premises of Jacksonian democracy and the impact they had on our country. Explains the events and execution of the Mexican-American war, the annexation of Texas and Oregon and the expansionism that led to the California and New Mexico territories.

Presents the key philosophical differences on trade (free vs. protectionist), banking, expansionism, America's role in the world and the sectional tensions surrounding slavery that would lead to the civil war.

Fascinating also to see how partisan the politics of this period were. If anything, more cutthroat and divisive than today, with bickering, posturing and positioning for personal advantage in both congress and the cabinet.

Demonstrates the incredible impact one person in the position of American president can have on the world.

A Country of Vast Design is at once detailed history and a fascinating biography of perhaps America's greatest "unknown" President. Polk is an examplar of the President who has a vision, a plan and the drive and intelligence to achieve results. This well-written and well-documented history explains Polk's relevance to his tumultuous times and to our nation's history. It's a terrific read.

Lance Morgan
Washignton, D.C.

Wars, treaties, and presidents make up the majority of American history, and this book has all three in spades. I base my review of five stars on the amount of work author Robert Merry put into the book. My interest level would rate four stars due to my limited background in this area of America's history. Polk listed four goals he wanted to accomplish during his self-proclaimed one term presidential administration, and all were accomplished. Texas, California, New Mexico, and the Oregon territory were all added to the United States with Polk at the helm in addition to the other goals listed in previous reviews. I thought the author painted a vivid picture of the key individuals that led our country during this period. Polk was not an in-your-face type of individual that some viewed as a weakness. His secretary of state, James Buchanan, was often at odds with Polk. General Winfield Scott, known as "Old Fuss and Feathers" for his love of admiring himself in front of mirrors while all decked out in his military uniform, performed admirably during the United States' war with Mexico. Henry Clay, denied several times in his bid for the presidential nomination, John C. Calhoun, Michigan's Lewis Cass, Mexico's Santa Anna, and several others are portrayed in a way to bring out their personalities. I also learned about the Wilmot Provisio which was to bar slavery from any land acquired from Mexico. Photographs always add to a book to enable the reader to see what the key individuals look like. This book shows likenesses of all the key individuals involved.

It would be very beneficial for a reader of this book to have a background in this period of America's history. Even though my background is limited I was still able to enjoy the book, but it is 475 pages long and you must be patient in not getting bogged down. I have often said there is more to history than wars, treaties, and presidents, but if this is your forte then you certainly will enjoy this book. If you have a limited background as I do patience will be required.

A Country of Vast Designs
James K. Polk, The Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent
By
Robert W. Merry

James K. Polk was a frail man of diminutive stature who avoided confrontation, however, he was also driven, possessed an all-consuming sense of duty, had comprehensive analytical skills, and was convinced he was a man of destiny. As our 11th president, he has, in many cases, not been remembered as a man of significance, but in reality, he truly was.

Under Mr. Polk's watch, we achieved our westward expansion (later known as "Manifest Destiny"), a dream of many Americans. This was accomplished by completing the annexation of Texas, negotiations with the British over the Oregon Territory, and winning a war with Mexico. The States of Texas, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and parts of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma became territories of the United States during Mr. Polk's administration. This represents approximately 1/3 (approximately 1.3 million square miles) of today's continental United States (approximately 3.6 million square miles). This also gave us major shorelines and ports on 2 oceans, which played major parts in the historical growth of The United States. It should also be added that before serving, Mr. Polk committed to serving just 1 term and lived up to that commitment. Less than 4 months after he left office, Mr. Polk succumbed to cholera.

Critics of Mr. Polk fault his entry into the Mexican War as contrived and not necessary. According to them, he was overreaching and aggressive in seizing lands from Mexico. It is interesting that they seem to have conveniently forgotten how we obtained our lands from the Indians in the first place.

In "A Country of Vast Designs", Robert W. Merry provides an in depth view of the weaknesses and strengths of this president, his unlikely trip to the Whitehouse and the machinations involved in acquiring this territory. Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren, John Tyler, James Buchanan, John Calhoun, Thomas Hart Benton, Winfield Scott, Zachary Taylor, and Santa Anna all play key roles in "A Country of Vast Designs".

From my own perspective, as someone who is a self professed "history nut", I did not know anything about James K. Polk. He first came to my attention when I read "Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West" by Hampton Sides which is a history of Kit Carson. Carson was Mr. Polk's main man in the West rounding up the Indians. During the reading of that book, I began to realize the impact of the Polk presidency. Coincidentally, Robert W. Merry published his book afterward and I knew I had to take a look at it. I'm glad I did.

Polk's legacy is best summed up in the words of Harry Truman "a great president. Said what he intended to do and did it." [1]

I heartily recommend this book.

Sources
[1] Truman, Harry S. and Robert H. Ferrell, Off the Record: The Private Papers of Harry S. Truman, Letter to Dean Acheson (unsent), August 26, 1960 (University of Missouri Press, 1997), p. 390.

[2] Merry, Robert W., A Country of Vast Designs, James K. Polk, The Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent (Simon & Schuster, 2009)

[3] [...]: Presidents_of_the_United_States_(1789_1860)

Merry's A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent (Hardcover) is an excellent biography of a vastly under-appreciated American president. I had always wondered why - among all of our presidents - Polk regularly rates in the top 10 by historians, especially since he had only served one term. Merry's book admirably answers that question. And in reading it, I suspect you will begin to wonder why Polk ONLY rates in the top 10 and not in the top five.

Polk promised one term and in that single term set out to accomplish four goals:
1. Increase American prosperity
2. Settle the joint occupation of Oregon with Great Britain
3. Expand the US to the Pacific ocean by acquiring at least California
4. Ensure currency stability

And in four years, Polk accomplished every single one of those tremendous goals.

A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent (Hardcover) walks the reader through how, from Polk's political apprenticeship under Andrew Jackson through his deft handling of both his own party and Congressional dawdling, Polk accomplished all of the above and led the nation to victory in a war with Mexico. Along the way, we glimpse why the Founding Fathers had struggled with the slavery issue, put it aside, and how it was roaring back into life as the US expanded. Midway through Polk's term in the 1840s, Southern senators and representatives were threatening violence and disunion to retain their "peculiar institution."

Polk had to juggle strong emotions, a back-biting cabinet, and a nation still searching for its way. It was a period when the phrase "manifest destiny" was coined and the US increasingly pushed the old European powers out of North America.

Merry's book is extremely well written and sourced, with just the right amount of digression to help a reader understand the backdrop and complexities of an issue like Texas annexation. Indeed, it is the mark of a good biography that the reader finds himself unwittingly hoping the subject will change ("Fire Buchanan this time, please - he's just going to backstab you again") even though the events took place 160 years ago! And this Merry is able to accomplish.

Indeed, I was a bit disappointed when this book ended and frustrated that Merry ended it so quickly after Polk left office - but then *chagrin* I realized that Polk died suddenly 4 months after leaving office, so how much longer could the biography of Polk gone on?

And finally, Merry includes what I personally like to see in a good biography - a section on the legacy of the person profiled.

Merry's biography of Polk, A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent (Hardcover), is incredibly well worth your time and should be high on your list of non-fiction to read this year.

Robert W. Merry, in his book, A Country of Vast Designs, describes the intriguing presidency of James K. Polk. As the United States eleventh president, Polk entered his term as a lame duck, vowing to serve only one term but with grandiose plans of coming to terms with Great Britain over claims on Oregon, acquiring California from Mexico, reducing the tariff and changing it from a protectionist one to a revenue producing one and establishing an independent treasury to protect federal monies. If he were successful in any of these he would greatly impact the nation, but success in all would produce an enormous impact on the nation's destiny.

Merry describes Polk as a slight man with a myriad of ailments, without the dynamism expected of a great leader and an inclination towards suspicion. Despite this he was much respected by his mentor Andrew Jackson, he had previously served a distinguished career as a US congressmen and had been governor of Tennessee. He was a man who believed strongly in his principles and generally had the discipline to stand by them.

The story of his presidency is riveting with the interesting and flawed personalities of the times, the devious maneuverings of the politicians of the day and the lengths and risks which Polk was willing to take to reach his goals. Merry did well to go into details about the players of the time and the political intricacies involved while still engaging and entertaining the reader. I found myself on the edge of my seat and a bit frustrated with some of the processes even though I knew the end result.

I would certainly recommend this book for those interested in the history of the United States.

Robert Merry focuses on Polk the politician in this book - if you're looking for something to explain Polk's childhood or pre-political life, this book isn't going to give you much of that. However, with that said, we must focus on the positives of the book.

Merry provides us with a solid political biography of a man often considered to be a "near great" President, even though his name is hardly remembered by today's generations. Why is he "near great" instead of falling into the same trap of nobodys like Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, and Chester A. Arthur? Merry claims that is was his astute political acumen that makes him a near great President - the man had many shortcomings, but he was a politician at heart, just like his mentor Andrew Jackson (Polk was even known as "Young Hickory" in deference to Jackson, who was known as "Old Hickory").

I found the treatment of the Mexican War to be superb, and most other aspects of Polk's political career were equally well covered. However, the one shortfall I found with the book was the treatment of the Oregon dispute with Great Britain - Merry certainly does tell the reader about how close we came to war, and how Polk avoided a conflict, but I felt like there was something lacking.

Overall, this is certainly the finest political biography I've read on Polk (granted - there isn't a whole lot of material out there on the man, which may explain the high praise others have given this work as well, but it is a solid historical analysis of Polk and his political career.

Four stars ONLY because the treatment of the Oregon dispute was not as well covered in the book when Merry expressely says that acquisition of Oregon was one of Polk's four primary political goals as President (the others included annexation of Texas, New Mexico, and California, along with a tarrif bill and a treasury bill. Highly recommended nonetheless.

During the presidency of James K. Polk (1795 - 1849), the boundaries of the United States expanded by one-third to stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans. The finances of the United States were, after many years, put on a firm footing by the establishment of the Treasury. And the United States enjoyed economic growth and prosperity by Polk's deft handling of the tariff. Yet, Polk fought a difficult two-year war with Mexico and narrowly averted a second war with Great Britain. The territorial expansion strained the uneasy relationship between North and South over slavery and led to the Civil War. In his thoughtful book, "A Country of Vast Designs" Robert Merry examines Polk's life and presidency. The book covers an important period of American history that frequently is overlooked, and it argues for the nature of Polk's accomplishment in the face of recent criticism of his presidency. Merry is the president and editor of the Congressional Quarterly.

A Tennessean and a protegy of Andrew Jackson, Polk served a single term as the eleventh president (1845-1849). He secured the nomination of the Democratic Party in 1844 as a compromise candidate when a deadlock developed among the favored contenders. He narrowly defeated the Whig candidate, Henry Clay. An introverted, dour individual with little charisma or obvious leadership skills, Polk set himself clear goals for his presidency which he achieved by virtue of perseverance, commitment, and maneuver. "I intend myself to be myself President of the U.S." Polk wrote to a political ally shortly after his election. Polk also set himself four goals for his presidency: 1. the settlement of the boundaries of the Oregon Territory with Great Britain, 2. the acquisition of California and other territory from Mexico 3.the reduction of the tariff to make it more a revenue-raising than a protectionist measure and 4. the creation of an independent treasury.

The two domestic goals were important, and Polk achieved them with relative ease. Most of Merry's study involves the former two goals which involved the annexation of Texas began by Polk's predecessor, the settlement of the boundary dispute with Oregon, and ultimately the Mexican War. Lacking skills with people, Polk had a difficult relationship with his Secretary of State, James Buchanan, with his two generals in the Mexican War, Taylor and Scott, and with Congress. He was distrustful and petty and tended to cast aspersions on the motives of his opponents. But Polk had a vision of what came to be called "manifest destiny." He saw the United States as a beacon of individual freedom and opportunity in a world still ruled, for the most part, by despots.

Polk began with a warlike attitude to Britain, but he was able to form attitudes in and out of Congress for a favorable settlement of the Oregon boundary question. The war Polk precipitated with Mexico was controversial in his own day and remains so today. Polk underestimated the difficulty of the war and the extent and character of the opposition to it. Equally important, he failed to understand how the war and the acquired territories would exacerbate tension over slavery. Early in the conflict, a Pennsylvania congressman named Wilmot introduced a famous proviso that bears his name forbidding the extension of slavery into any territories acquired from Mexico. The Wilmot Proviso was the harbinger of the break between North and South.

Merry clearly admires Polk for his persistence and accomplishment. He also attempts to rehabilitate Polk, to a large degree, from the charge brought by many of Polk's contemporaries and still heard today that Polk fought an unjust, aggressive war against Mexico. Merry argues that the war was not fought at the behest of the "Slave Power" but rather had supporters and opponents in both North and South. He suggests that the equities in favor of Mexico in the period leading up to the conflict were not as strong as is sometimes assumed and that the United States had considerable justification for waging war. Finally, Merry suggests that a good deal of political understanding is required in order to avoid an overly-moralizing approach to the conduct of the United States. He writes (p.476):

"The moralistic impulse, when applied to the Mexican War, misses a fundamental reality of history: It doesn't turn on moral pivots but on differentials of power, will, organization, and population. History moves forward with a crushing force and does not stop for niceties of moral suasion or concepts of political virtue. Mexico was a dysfunctional, unstable, weak nation whose population wasn't sufficient to control all the lands within its domain. The United States by contrast was a vibrant, expanding, exuberant experiment in democracy whose burgeoning population thrilled to the notion that it was engaging in something big and historically momentous. The resulting energy .... generated a political compulsion toward expansion into largely unpopulated lands that seemed to beckon with irresistible enticement."

Merry has written a challenging study of Polk's presidency and about the importance of purpose and determination in the achievement of worthwhile political goals. This is a valuable book for readers interested in American history.

Robin Friedman