Question

What did President Polk want from Mexico at the start of the Mexican-American War?

Question 1 options:

Polk wanted to take over all of Mexico.


Polk wanted the Texas border at the Rio Grande and Mexico's Northern Territories.


Polk wanted Florida and a Mexican apology for the the Chapultepec incident.


Polk wanted the Texas border at the Nueces River and the Oregon Territory.

Answer 1

President Polk aimed to establish the Texas border at the Rio Grande and to acquire Mexico's Northern Territories, including New Mexico and California. This was part of his expansionist goals, which intensified the border dispute leading to the Mexican-American War.

Step-by-step explanation:

At the onset of the Mexican-American War, President James K. Polk wanted the Texas border to be set at the Rio Grande and also sought to acquire Mexico's Northern Territories, including New Mexico and California. The United States claimed the Rio Grande as the border, while Mexico maintained that the border was at the Nueces River, the historical boundary.

Polk's expansionist desires were clear as he aimed to extend the United States territory to include substantial portions of Mexico. Emissary John Slidell was sent to Mexico to negotiate the border dispute and to secretly acquire the northern Mexican territories, but when Mexican sentiments turned fiercely against the prospect of selling their territory, Polk was willing to provoke war to achieve his objectives.