Focusing on James K. Polk's handling of the diplomatic crisis with Mexico, which followed his accession to office, and on the results of the Mexican War, this unit asks the student to evaluate Polk's actions. In the evaluation, the student must assess the responsibilities of presidential leadership and confront the implications of power in international affairs. Subsidiary questions include the relationship between the President and Congress in the making of foreign policy, the problem of criticizing a President's wartime policies, and the question of whether war is ever justified as an instrument of national policy. (Author)