Discusses the concept of manifest destiny and examines the diplomatic deals and wars that brought new territories under American control and allowed the country to expand westward to the Pacific Ocean.

A biography of James K. Polk, the eleventh president of the United States, elected in 1844, focusing on how he was able to acquire the Oregon Territory, as well as Texas and surrounding lands, establishing the country from coast to coast.

Explores the history of America's territorial expansion, the ways in which it was done, and the term 'manifest destiny' that was popularized by newspaper editor John O'Sullivan in 1845.

"A century and a half before the Kennedys and the Clintons, the Fremonts and the Custers were American power couples. Indeed, John and Jessie Fremont, and George and Libbie Custer pioneered the phenomenon. So what made the Fremonts and Custers so famous? In popular culture, the husbands became all-American if tarnished heroes. Fremont was renowned as "the Pathfinder" who mapped swaths of the West in five expeditions and helped lead America's conquest...