President Polk wanted California but knew Mexico would not agree to sell it and his only avenue was to start a war (knowing the US would win it).
The united states and the Soviet Union
The leader in the early 1900's who supported the idea that African-Americans should temporarily accept inequality while working to gain job skills and obtain economic independence was Booker T. Washington. He wanted to see Black progress through entrepreneurship and education, rather than trying to directly challenge segregation.
Changing of American Music for decades.
