I basically knew nothing about James Polk before reading this book beyond that he came after Tyler and before Taylor. I found the story of his presidency immediately relateable to modern politics. The trials that he went through are amazing and the success he had in both completing the tasks he laid out for himself and sticking to his promise of only one term are impressive. The book was well written and kept my interest the entire time. I listened to the audio book, so I’d imagine that a second reading would help me pick up more tidbits.<\/p>\n
I found the information about the Mexican-American War especially fascinating. I knew very little about this war, let alone the machinations that went into it’s development and ultimate settlement. The time restraints on communication alone bring such a different element to diplomacy from today’s immediate notification that it almost becomes unbelievable.<\/p>\n
Overall, a very good book that I found highly entertaining and informative.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I basically knew nothing about James Polk before reading this book beyond that he came after Tyler and before Taylor. I found the story of his presidency immediately relateable to modern politics. The trials that he went through are amazing and the success he had in both completing the tasks he laid out for himself … Continue reading A Country of Vast Designs<\/span>