S05E02: The Mexican American War

President James K. Polk took over the White House with a

vision, and in in 1846 he set his dreams into reality. Like many Americans at

the time, Polk believed in America’s “Manifest Destiny” to take over all of

North America. Standing in his way was the newly formed Republic of Mexico, and

Polk took extreme measures to manufacture a war that forever change the

continent. This conflict would add the entire Southwest to the American nation,

and spur the first true anti-war movement in US history. Although few

understand its importance today, the long legacy of the war has soured

US-Mexican relations ever since and remains critical to understanding the

growth of the United States. On this episode we discuss the Mexican-American War.