What did James Polk has great territorial expansion ambitions upon entering presidency which eventually led to?

Answer 1

James Polk had significant territorial expansion ambitions upon entering the presidency in 1845, driven by the belief in Manifest Destiny, the idea that the United States was destined to expand across the North American continent. His administration successfully acquired vast territories through the annexation of Texas, the Oregon Treaty with Britain, and the Mexican-American War, which resulted in the U.S. gaining present-day California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah. This expansion intensified debates over slavery in the new territories, ultimately contributing to sectional tensions that led to the Civil War.