To What Extent Was the Mexican War an Avoidable and Unnecessary

question 36

Essay

To what extent was the Mexican War an avoidable and unnecessary war? Alternatively, how might the Mexican War be considered an inevitable war between America and Mexico that could not be avoided even if President Polk and the various Mexican governments had engaged in some difficult political bargaining and compromises during the mid-1840s? What diplomatic, military, and economic steps could President Polk and the Mexican government have taken to avoid war and why didn't they respectively or jointly do so?

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Definitions:

T Tubules

Transverse tubules; system of inward extensions of the muscle fiber plasma membrane.

ATP

The energy necessary for metabolic processes in cells is transported by a molecule called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP.

Action Potential

An electrical signal resulting from depolarization of the plasma membrane in a neuron or muscle cell. Compare with resting potential.

Bone Mineral

Inorganic substances, primarily hydroxyapatite crystals, that give bones their hardness and strength.