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

Robert W. Merry is president and publisher of Congressional Quarterly, Inc. Formerly a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, where he covered national politics, Congress, and the White House, he is the author of the award-winning Taking On the World: Joseph and Stewart Alsop — Guardians of the American Century. He lives in McLean, Virginia.

Robert W. Merry, the president and publisher of Congressional Quarterly, Inc., examines how, in a one-term presidency, James K. Polk completed the story of America's Manifest Destiny by expanding its territory across the continent.

The New York Times - Sean Wilentz

…a refreshing challenge to the new conventional wisdom…Merry's historical rebuttals are not, however, his book's chief distinguishing feature. A Country of Vast Designs is mainly a thorough, well-wrought political history of Polk's presidency. The origins, conduct and results of the war with Mexico necessarily dominate the narrative, but Merry covers all of the other major issues and events, and many of the minor ones as well…Merry is well aware of how intrigues and manipulations have always held sway in Washington, and he reports the machinations of the Polk years with clarity and an insider's verve. Filled with intricate stories of personal conflict, psychological gamesmanship and unintended consequences, his book, although bound to stir controversy, is one of the most astute and informative historical accounts yet written about national politics, and especially Washington politics, during the decisive 1840s.

Introduction Ritual of Democracy: The Emergence of an Expansionist President 1

1 Young Hickory: The Making of a Jackson Protege 13

2 Tennessee and Washington: The Rise and Fall of a Presidential Loyalist 31

3 The 1844 Election: Searching for a Means of Political Recovery 49

4 Texas: Dawn of a New Era 65

5 Baltimore: America's First Political Dark Horse 81

6 Polk vs. Clay: Answering the Question, "Who Is James K. Polk?" 96

7 The Victor: Preparing for the Mantle of Leadership 112

8 Taking Charge: America's Zest for Grand Ambitions 131

9 Annexation Complete: Diplomacy, Intrigue, and the Force of Politics 145

10 The United States and Oregon: "The People Here Are Worn Out by Delay" 161

11 The United States and Mexico: Divergent New World Cultures on a Path to War 176

12 Britain and Mexico: Playing with Prospects of a Dual War 190

13 The Twenty-ninth Congress: Polk Takes Command of the National Agenda 205

14 End of a Treaty: Diplomacy and Politics at War with Each Other 222

15 War: "Every Consideration of Duty and Patriotism" 238

16 Vagaries of War: "And May There Be No Recreant Soul to Fail or Falter Now" 253

17 Presidential Temperament: "I Prefer to Supervise the Whole Operations of the Government" 268

18 Wilmot's Proviso: Transformation of the War Debate 278

19 The War in the West: Patriotism, Duty, Adventure, and Glory 293

20 The New Face of War: "We Are Yet to Have a Long and Wearisome Struggle" 307

21 The Politics of Rancor: Constitutional Usurpation vs. Moral Treason 322

22 Dilatory Congress: The Challenge of Presidential Leadership 335

23 Veracruz andBeyond: Grappling with Mexico's Military Defiance 351

24 Scott and Trist: A Clash of Policy and Temperament 366

25 Mexico City: The Pivot of Personality 383

26 The Specter of Conquest: "Have We Conquered Peace? Have We Obtained a Treaty?" 402

27 Treaty: From Trist to Polk to the Senate 418

28 Peace: California, New Mexico, and the Union 436

29 Final Months: "Solemnly Impressed with the ... Emptiness of Worldly Honors" 452

Epilogue: Legacy: The Price of Presidential Accomplishment 471

Notes 479

Bibliography 543

Acknowledgments 551

Index 553