The first American armed battle to be fought mostly abroad was the Mexican-American War (1846–1848). It put President James K. Polk's expansionist administration against a politically fractured and militarily unprepared Mexico. The Nueces Strip boundary dispute between Texas and the United States was the direct cause of the Mexican-American War. Texas' accession to the United States angered Mexican leaders and citizenry because Texas was not recognized by Mexico as an official American territory. Mexico was practically bankrupt. When the conflict started in 1846, the nation was plagued by financial turmoil. Mexican ports were blocked by America, making an already difficult situation worse because Mexico was unable to import or export commodities or impose import taxes.