What+caused+the+Mexican+War?+Did+Polk+provoke+the+Texas+boundary+conflict+in+order+to+gain+California,+or+expand+slavery?

The Mexican War was fought in order for America to gain more land. It involved dispute over the border between Texas and Mexico. At the time of the war America was into Manifest Destiny which means that Americans were destined to take all the land that they needed. Though this may have been one of the reason's for going to war, it isn't the main reason. James K. Polk's main goal during the war was that Texas be a slave state. James Polk was the President of America in 1844-1848. He was born in Tennessee and was a major slave supporter seeing as he was a democrat, the major slave supporting party of the time. It is very likely that he used the Mexican War as a cover-up for making sure Texas was admitted as a slave state. There were rules to back him up too. Texas was beneath the 36-30 line and all of Texas wanted to be a slave state. In the end, America won the war and got California and the 2 states east of it. Texas became a slave state which made Polk happy, but California was able to be free because the southern states traded that for the fugitive slave act.