James K. PolkThe 11th President

Family first moved to the U.S in the 1720’s. James was born in 1795 to Samuel and Jane

Polk, and was the oldest of 10 children. Both of James’ grandfathers fought in the

revolutionary war. Later, one grandfather moved to Tennessee to

become a successful farmer, which later prompted James’ family to do the same.

Family History

Childhood Home

Polk’s FamilyHere is James’ family. As the oldest of ten children he assisted his mother in caring for his siblings, making him very responsible and hardworking at

an early age.

Early Life

Polk lived most of his childhood in North Carolina, but then his family moved to Tennessee to become farmers.

His mother was stern. She believed that having a strong sense of duty was necessary for her children, which was a Presbyterian principle she took seriously.

Early Life Cont.

The trip to Tennessee (more than 500 miles) took its toll on Polk and most of his childhood was marked by illness and gallstones.

To make up for his lack of physical condition Polk developed an unhealthy work ethic and studied extremely hard.

Polk had several tutors growing up, and was adept

at reading , writing and arithmetic. Later on he attended the University of North

Carolina and graduated in 1818 with honors. After that he studied under Felix Grundy, an

astounding political figure who would served in the Senate during Van Buren’s presidency.

Under Felix, Polk passed the state bar exam, and with his knowledge of law, he secured himself the position of clerk of state senate, an important stepping stone to his rise as president.

Education

Sarah Childress

In 1824 Polk married Sarah Childress, the daughter of a wealthy planter.

They met through their private tutor when Sarah was 12, and connected romantically in their early teen years.

Sarah was very well educated, attending the

Moravian Female Academy in Salem, North Carolina.

She became heavily involved in James’ social and political life, being very adept at communicating with others unlike James, while exhibiting a lively and intelligent charm.

She helped James develop better communication skills, a necessary trait in a president.

More on Sarah

James and Sarah Sarah was very involved in Polk’s political career, helping him escape his

shell and communicate with others effectively.

Rise to Presidency

Polk started associating with the Jeffersonian-Republicans and soon became a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives.

In the two years he was member, he became chief legislative lieutenant of William Carolls, a Tennessee Governor.

In 1825, Polk won a seat in the U.S House of

Representatives. He continued to win this seat six more times. During this time Polk developed the same ideals

as Andrew Jackson by favoring limited government and taking some power away from banks. Essentially, whatever Jackson favored, Polk favored as well, which helped him gain Jackson’s trust and his nickname, “Young Hickory”, a tribute to Jackson’s nickname, “Ole’ Hickory.”

Rise to Presidency Cont.

Andrew Jackson

In 1839 Polk left the House in order to pursue governorship in Tennessee, but due to tough economic times that occurred because of Jackson’s monetary policies, Polk lost this opportunity twice.

After two losses, Polk retreated to his plantation, where he would wait for an opportunity to come back to politics.

Throughout that time Jackson and Polk would communicate often.

Letter to Jackson

Letters Cont.

Polk often wrote in a very formal way to everyone including Andrew Jackson.

He often wrote to Jackson about completed tasks he had done for Jackson, or just to see how Jackson was doing, especially during the presidency.

Especially during Jackson’s presidency, Polk would often send Jackson letters regarding the state of the Union an also his views from within the House.

Jacksonian democracy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VgofAOLbdg

Advocated equal rights and limited government Very tied closely with slavery and the subjugation of Native Americans

(Polk, in fact, owned slaves). Described as a market revolution as well because during that time

improvements in technology and transportation were made, contributing to the fall of the older artisan economy and promoting expansion and a manufacturing economy.

Jacksonians gave little weight to education, believing that “everyone” had the rights to be successful (white males primarily)

Opposed banks for their monopolies

One thing Polk took to heart from his predecessors was that everyone was supposed to have equal rights. Jacksonians generally supported white males, but Polk demonstrates a strong sense of responsibility, one that he brings to the presidency.

Polk’s Views towards predecessors

The “Dark Horse”

After talking to Jackson for several years, Polk was nominated to run for President for the Democrats.

James K. Polk first appealed to delegates because he has the protegé of Andrew Jackson.

Polk also openly showed his support of annexing Texas, which appealed to many voters.

In addition to this, Polk was a very hard worker that showed his support for Van Buren before he declared his opposition to annexing Texas.

Presidential Campaign Here is Polk v.s. Dallas in the election of 1844.

FrontRunners of the Election of 1844

FrontRunners Cont.

Martin Van Buren (left, Democrat) and Henry Clay (right, Whig) were at the fore front of their parties nominations in 1844.

Another party involved was the Liberty Party, headed by James Birney.

Arguably the biggest issue at this time was the possible annexation of Texas.

Most people supported the annexation of Texas, and so did Clay, so he easily got the nomination, but Van Buren ran into trouble.

Martin Van Buren

The delegates at the Democratic convention reinstated a new rule where the nominee would need two-thirds majority vote to obtain the nomination.

Since Van Buren had openly opposed the annexation of Texas, it was extremely unlikely that he would get the nomination.

In fact, one Van Buren stated that he had opposed the annexation of Texas, he assured his loss of the nomination.

Slogans

Slogan used by the Democrats was 54-40 or fight! Which referred to Polk’s determination in obtaining the Oregon territory from Europe.

Clay and the Whigs used the slogan “Who’s James K Polk?” appealing to the fact that not many people had ever heard of Polk.

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Results

Polk’s InaugurationThe statues seem to symbolize power, power that Polk has just achieved

even though he was considered a Dark Horse candidate.

President PolkPolk was always known for being a workaholic and working on his own

without the help of Congress.

Inaugural Address

At this time the state of the country was

starting to get divided as the issue of slavery in Texas was the subject of huge debate.

“our Constitution. Texas was once a part of our country—” the use of “our” helps Polk generalize his statements and have the people listening consider themselves as unified.

Polk also does not make himself known as a ruler, but rather someone who has risen to power through the help of the people.

Background/Rhetoric

In the election of 1844, Van Buren committed political

suicide when he announced his opposition to annex Texas.

After the first ballot Van Buren fell behind Lewis Cass, former secretary of war for Jackson.

As a result, Van Buren gave his full support to James K. Polk, the first Dark Horse candidate nominated by a major party.

To gain supporters, Polk promised he would seek office for only one term, acquire the northwestern land from the British, annex Texas, and lower the tariff.

President Polk

After the ballots were in, Polk had beat runner

Henry Clay by the thinnest margin in history, by approximately 38,000 votes.

His win marked the mature growing of a two party system that would dominate all elections.

Polk was the first president to assume the position without having a majority of the popular vote.

Next is an example of a speech that Polk made during his presidency.

President Polk Cont.

Third Annual Message

Speech made on December 7, 1847. Very interesting to see how Polk starts his first

sentence, usually Polk is extremely formal, yet he starts off with an informal statement. This allows for the common people to build a connection with him right at the beginning of the speech.

He also uses the suppression of expression, and generalizes everything to the people.

“How unimportant are all our differences of opinion upon minor questions of public policy compared with its preservation, and how scrupulously should we avoid all agitating topics which may tend to distract and divide us into contending parties, separated by geographical lines, whereby it may be weakened or endangered.”

Rhetoric

Domestic Affairs

Polk’s main concern was to improve international affairs in order to expand the total area of the United States.

Other main concerns were lowering the tariff and establishing an Independent Treasury.

In 1846 the Walker Tariff was enacted,

effectively lowering the tariff by moving rates downward to revenue levels.

The same year the Independent Treasury Act passed, setting up an independent treasury aside from private banks that would receive federal funds.

He also acquired the northwestern land from Great Britain, successfully increasing the size of the U.S dramatically.

Domestic Affairs Cont.

As president

Polk states this about the members of Congress: “There is more selfishness and less principle among members of Congress than I had any conception of, before I became President of the U.S.”

Polk, in order to carry out the Jacksonian principles of Manifest Destiny and equal rights, he would have to carry the entire burden on his own without depending on help from Congress at various times.

This explains why Polk views the presidency as a position of great pressure and heavy responsibilities.

As the presidency went on, Polk continued to write his views in his diary.

Diary

Polk wrote in his diary almost every day about the stress he deals with at work.

He wrote in great detail about his daily duties, meetings with important officials, and often how he is feeling and current mood.

Diary Cont.

Currently, Polk’s diary is one of the most extensive collections of any President.

Its insight into the life of a president was a valuable resource to scholars who wished to know more about the type of stress Presidents go through each day.

Besides his diary, Polk’s letters were also very detailed and contained important information.

After Presidency

In 1849 Polk did not seek a second term and retired.

For three months after his term ended, he traveled throughout the Southern states, where he developed cholera and had to go back home immediately to Polk Place.

After Presidency Cont.

Everywhere Polk traveled he was greeted by crowds giving him their thanks, which Polk enjoyed very much.

Death

Polk died on June 15, 1849, he left most of his estate to his wife and he asked that she free the slaves when she was about to die. There was a funeral at a Methodist church in Tennessee, and then he was buried in Polk place.

Due to years of pressure and stress from the presidency, Polk’s health deteriorated quickly, and died on June 15, 1849.

Before his death he left everything to his wife, and told her to free the slaves when she died.

His tomb is in the state capitol cemetery in Nashville

Funeral

Unfortunately, the only record I found of Polk’s funeral was the newspaper article that came out. If you’d like to read some of the things that were said as well as who attended, here is the link. http://www.rarenewspapers.com/view/539653?imagelist=1

Legacy

Polk left the presidency as one of the most successful in history, accomplishing nearly every goal he wanted to achieve when he first attained office. He kept lines of communication open with Congress, lowered the tariff, extended the territory of the U.S, and established the Department of Interior.

Even with his accomplishments, critics accused Polk for his lack of understanding in the matters of slavery, which helped cause the fragmentation of both major parties, and later, the Civil War.

Polk’s Resting Place

Boundless. "Jacksonian Democrats: 1824–1860." Boundless.com. Boundless Learning,

10 June 2015. Web. 25 June 2015.

Google Book Contributors. "Polk Papers." Https://books.google.com/books?id=UY6mGC_HGVIC&pg=PA524&lpg=PA524 Google, 12 Mar. 2007. Web. 18 July 2015.

History Contributors. "Election of 1844." Http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h319.html. U-s-History, 12 Nov. 2006. Web. 25 July 2015.

History.com Writers. "James K. Polk Photo Gallery." Http://www.history.com/photos/james-k-polk. History Channel, 23 May 2009. Web. 3 July 2015.

"James K. Polk." James K. Polk. Ed. Michael R. Resse. History Channel, 19 Apr. 2010. Web. 25 July 2015.

Library of Congress. "Index to the James K. Polk Papers." (2003): n. page. Print.

Works Cited

Miller Center Contributors. "Miller Center." American President: James Knox Polk. Miller

Center, 12 Oct. 2008. Web. 28 June 2015.

New World Encyclopedia Contributors. "James K. Polk." Http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/James_K._Polk. New World Encyclopedia, 4 Apr. 2008. Web. 24 June 2015.

PBS Contributors. "President James K. Polk." Http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/biographies/james_polk.html. PBS, 3 Nov. 2009. Web. 24 June 2015.

Polk Contributors. "About James K. Polk | James K. Polk Home." About James K. Polk | James K. Polk Home. President Polk Home and Museum, 24 Apr. 2010. Web. 28 June 2015.

Staff, HIstory.com. "Jacksonian Democracy." Jacksonian Democracy. A+E Networks, 2012. Web. 25 June 2015.

White House Article Contributors. "James K. Polk." The White House. The White House, 23 Sept. 2006. Web. 26 June 2015.

Works Cited Cont.