The acclaimed author of A Wicked War now gives us the little-known story of Sarah Polk: remarkably influential First Lady and brilliant master of the art of high politics--a crucial but unrecognized f
Charismatic, charming, and one of the best orators of his era, Henry Clay seemed to have it all. He offered a comprehensive plan of change for America, and he directed national affairs as Speaker of t
The Trade and Intercourse Acts passed by Congress between 1796 and 1834 set up a system for individuals to receive monetary compensation from the federal government for property stolen or destroyed by
The bloody 1846-1848 war between the United States and Mexico filled out the shape of the continental United States, forcing Mexico to recognize its loss of Texas and give up the rest of what became t
The opening campaign of the US-Mexican War transformed the map of each nation and shaped the course of conflict. Douglas Murphy provides the first balanced view of early battles such as Palo Alto and
Documents the rise of America during the heart of the 19th century, starting with the end of the Mexican-American War and moving through the complexities of Reconstruction and women's equality, the di
Often forgotten and overlooked, the U.S.-Mexican War featured false starts, atrocities, and daring back-channel negotiations as it divided the nation, paved the way for the Civil War a generation late
On February 2, 1848, representatives of the United States and Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo officially ending hostilities between the two countries and ceding over one-half million squ
This three-volume set for general readers and students in high school and up consists of 800 entries and 146 primary source documents, revealing both American and Mexican perspectives of the war. From
This impressive collection joins the recent outpouring of exciting new work on American politics and political actors in the mid-nineteenth century. For several generations, much of the scholarship on
The Mexican War introduced vast new territories into the United States, among them California and the present-day Southwest. When gold was discovered in California in the great Gold Rush of 1849, the
Writing from the vantage point of the Texas–New Mexico boundary issue, Mark J. Stegmaier provides definitive analysis of the dispute settled by the last great accord on sectional issues between North
The oddly named president whose shortsightedness and stubbornness fractured the nation and sowed the seeds of civil warIn the summer of 1850, America was at a terrible crossroads. Congress was in an u
