Correspondence of James K. Polk, Volumen6Univ. of Tennessee Press, 1969 - 762 páginas V. 1. In the second half of 1845 the focus of Polk's correspondence shifted from those issues relating to the formation of his administration and distribution of part patronage to those that would give shape and consequence to his presidency: the admission of Texas, preparation for its defense, restoration of diplomatic relations with Mexico, and termination of joint occupancy of the Oregon Country. For the most part the incoming letters tended to urge rather more militancy on the Texas and Oregon questions than Polk would adopt, and notions of national destiny registered a singular theme of buoyant confidence in taking on both Mexico and Great Britain if military action should be required. President Polk and Secretary of State James Buchanan succeeded in both using and controlling the surge of nationalism that heightened expectations for expansion westward. Polk and Buchanan agreed on the importance of reestablishing diplomatic relations with Mexico, but the President chose to take a personal hand in managing the selection and instruction of John Slidell, whose departure for Vera Cruz would not be made public until he had arrived in Mexico. Polk wanted to give the fledgling Mexican administration of Jose Joaquin Herrera a chance to compose Mexico's differences with Washington free of contrary pressures from Great Britain and France; and he fully understood the price that Herrara might pay for a peaceful settlement of the Texas question. If Mexico required more than $6 million for the purchase of their two most northern provinces, as provided in his instructions, Slidell might agree to any reasonable additional sum. Slidell's mission probably never had much chance of success, for without control of his military the Herrara administration could neither give up its claim to Texas nor overcome British opposition to the sale of New Mexico and Upper California. Within but a few days of Slidell's arrival in the Mexican capital, Mariano Paredes y Argilla organized a military coup, put the Herrera government to flight, and on January 2, 1846, declared himself interim of president of Mexico. Polk left on the table his predecessor's initiative to divide the Oregon Country at the 49th parallel with all of Vancouver Island going to the British. The summary rejection of that offer by the British minister to Washington, Richard Packenham, so angered Polk that on August 30th he formally withdrew all prior offers to settle the dispute. The British foreign secretary, Lord Aberdeen, disavowed and assured the U.S. minister to Britain, Louis McLane, that no ultimatum had been sanctioned by his government. Buchanan tried in vain to soften Polk's decision to initiate further negotiations, but he had determined to give the required one year advance notice prior to abrogating the treaty of joint occupancy. Accordingly, in his First Annual Message to Congress Polk asked for a joint resolution terminating Oregon agreements with Great Britain. Polk received high praise for his Message and its hard line on Texas and Oregon. In addition to the texts, briefs, and annotations, the editors have calendared all of the documents for the last six months of 1845. V. 2 & 3. In the second half of 1845 the focus of Polk's correspondence shifted from those issues relating, to the formation of his administration and distribution of party patronage to those that would give shape and consequence to his presidency: the admission of Texas, preparation for its defense, restoration of diplomatic relations with Mexico, and termination of joint occupancy of the Oregon Country. In addition to the texts, briefs, and annotations, the editors have calendared all of the documents for the last six months of 1845. Entries for unpublished letters include the documents' dates, addressees, classifications, repositories, and precis -- Amazon.com. |
Contenido
From E G Eastman March 18 1842 | 32 |
From Hopkins L Turney April 26 1842 | 47 |
From Harvey M Watterson May 2 1842 | 69 |
From Cave Johnson July 20 1842 | 82 |
From J George Harris August 24 1842 | 97 |
From William M Gwin August 27 1842 | 100 |
From Hopkins L Turney September 20 1842 | 115 |
From Alexander O Anderson October 27 1842 | 128 |
From William G Childress March 13 1843 | 244 |
From Sarah C Polk March 29 1843 | 258 |
From Sarah C Polk April 11 1843 | 271 |
From Sarah C Polk May 3 1843 | 276 |
To George W Smith et al May 15 1843 | 298 |
From Henry Clay May 20 1843 | 311 |
From A W Goodrich July 20 1843 | 325 |
From J G M Ramsey October 12 1843 | 342 |
From Hopkins L Turney December 8 1842 | 141 |
From Samuel H Laughlin October 12 1843 341 | 143 |
From William C Dunlap December 20 1842 | 154 |
From J George Harris December 20 1842 | 156 |
From Sackfield Maclin December 23 1842 | 162 |
From John Catron January 2 1842 3778 3 | 163 |
From William Fitzgerald December 29 1842 | 168 |
From Hopkins L Turney January 4 1843 | 175 |
From Williamson Smith January 10 1843 | 181 |
From John A Thomas January 20 1843 | 187 |
From Granville C Torbett January 26 1843 | 195 |
From Hopkins L Turney January 31 1843 | 201 |
From John A Gardner February 8 1843 | 207 |
From Cave Johnson February 17 1843 | 213 |
From Isaac Taylor February 18 1843 | 217 |
From Cave Johnson February 28 1843 | 230 |
From Hopkins L Turney January 2 1842 | 347 |
From Archibald Yell October 31 1843 | 355 |
From Samuel H Laughlin December 7 1843 | 368 |
From Samuel H Laughlin December 29 1843 396 | 370 |
To Edmund Burke October 8 1843 339 | 376 |
From Samuel H Laughlin December 19 1843 | 381 |
From Martin Van Buren December 27 1843 | 395 |
From Levin H Coe December 30 1843 | 398 |
From John H Dew January 10 1842 10 | 474 |
From Henry Ewing October 12 1843 340 | 523 |
To Sackfield Maclin January 17 1842 13 | 537 |
From Jonathan P Hardwicke January 26 1842 18 | 629 |
From Thomas Fletcher January 28 1842 20 | 639 |
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