Capable, hardworking James Knox Polk, the eleventh President of the United States, was a man of his word. Upon assuming the office of the President on March 4, 1845, he had set for himself four goals: 1. to resolve the ownership dispute with the British over the Oregon Territory 2. to acquire for the United States the territories of California and New Mexico 3. to lower the protective tariffs on American manufactured goods 4. to re-establish the independent treasury system originally instituted during the Van Buren Administration. By the time President Polk left office in 1849, he had achieved all four of his goals. Early in his political career, Polk's small size and flair for "stump" (political campaign) speeches earned him the nickname "Napoleon of the stump." Silent in manner, Polk always chose his words carefully and was usually cold and abrupt in his dealings with people. A firm believer in "Manifest Destiny," President Polk's imperialistic policies were criticized by a young senator from Illinois by the name of Abraham Lincoln. Philosophically James Polk maintained the old fashioned principles of the Democratic-Republican Party under Jefferson; politically he maintained fierce loyalty to the Democratic Party under Andrew Jackson.
James Knox Polk was born on November 2, 1795 on his father's farm near Pineville, in Meckenburg County, North Carolina. He was the oldest of ten children born to Jane and Samuel Polk, a wealthy North Carolina farmer and land surveyor. In 1806 the Polk family moved to a farm along the Duck River in Tennessee, which at the time was one of the westernmost points of the frontier. There were no schools on the frontier, and the young James Polk received his elementary education from tutors and from his well-educated parents. James Polk's early life was hampered by constant illness. When he was seventeen, he underwent an operation (without the aid of anesthesia) to remove gallstones. The operation was a success, Polk's health improved dramatically, and he dedicated his new found energy to the pursuit of his studies. James Polk entered the University of North Carolina where he studied the classics, and mathematics, graduating with honors in 1818. After graduation, Polk moved to Nashville, Tennessee where he studied law under Felix Grundy. He passed the bar in 1819 and set up practice in Nashville.
In 1823 James K. Polk was elected to the Tennessee legislature. He served two years before being elected to the United States House of Representatives.
On January 1, 1824, James K. Polk married Sarah Childress. Sarah was a strictly religious woman who, as first lady, forbade the serving of alcohol and all music and dancing in the White House. In spite of her severity, she was very popular as a first lady. She was pretty, charming, sincere, and capable. While in the White House, she served as hostess and as White House Secretary. James and Sarah Polk had no children.
Polk's skill as an orator and his loyalty to the Democratic Party hastened his rise to power within the House. He quickly became Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, then Democratic Majority Leader, and finally Speaker of the House. From the very beginning of his fourteen-year tenure in the House of Representatives, James K. Polk had a reputation as a strong supporter of Andrew Jackson. Polk's unshakable loyalty to Jackson earned him the nickname "Young Hickory," which was a play on Jackson's war hero nickname, "Old Hickory."
In 1839 James Polk left the House to run as the Democratic candidate for governor of Tennessee. He served a successful two-year term as governor, but failed to get re-elected in the two subsequent elections, 1841 and 1843.
The 1844 Democratic National Convention was deadlocked between Martin Van Buren and Lewis Cass, neither of which could get the two thirds majority vote needed to receive the Democratic nomination. The situation seemed hopeless until the party unexpectedly looked to Polk as an option. On the ninth ballot, the dark horse candidate, James K. Polk, won the nomination of the Democratic Party. Polk was nominated on an expansionist platform. During his campaign he called for the annexation of Texas and the establishment of an agreement with Britain that would expand the Oregon Territory to the 54 - 40 parallel. With the crucial support of Andrew Jackson, Polk beat the Whig candidate Henry Clay. James Knox Polk became the eleventh President of the United States on March 4, 1845.
Since 1818 the United States and Britain had held joint ownership of the Oregon Territory. President Polk now asked Britain to cede the territory from California to the 49th parallel to the United States. When Britain refused, President Polk asked Congress to draw up a declaration ending joint ownership of the Oregon Territory. The declaration was issued on April 23, 1846. Fearing the possibility of war, Britain accepted President Polk's original offer, and the territory of the United States was extended to the 49th parallel.
The Walker Tariff Act, for which Polk had been fighting since becoming President in 1844, finally became law in 1846. The Tariff Act tremendously reduced the stipulations on the Northern-sponsored protective tariffs. President Polk held that southern farmers had as much right to protection from the government as northern manufacturers did. Despite the vehement opposition of the Northern states, the tariff reduction proved beneficial to the economy. Its installation stimulated foreign trade of all American goods.
Also in 1846, President Polk saw through the passage of an independent treasury bill. The bill established sub-treasuries in major cities where federal funds could be deposited. The bill was based on the Independent Treasury Act of the Van Buren Administration.
Texas had been annexed to the United States three days before President Polk's inauguration. The southern border of Texas was in question, so President Polk sent General Zachary Taylor and the southern division of the western army into Texas to defend it against a possible Mexican attack. When no such attack occurred, President Polk ordered General Taylor and his troops to enter the territory between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande. This territory was claimed by both the United States and Mexico, but it was occupied by Mexicans. President Polk's decision to send in armed troops to this territory was a clear provocation of Mexico. When Mexico counter attacked in an attempt to repel the invasion, President Polk asked Congress for a declaration of war citing Mexico as the aggressor. The American troops under Generals Taylor and Winfield Scott won a decisive victory over Mexico. The Treaty of Guadeloupe-Hidalgo was signed early in 1848. The treaty set the Rio Grande as the southern boundary of Texas. The treaty also forced Mexico to sell the territories of California and New Mexico to the United States for $15 million.
At his inauguration James K. Polk had promised that he would only serve one term as President of the United States. He kept his promise in 1848 by not seeking the Democratic nomination. President Polk left Washington on March 4, 1849 and went on a tour of the South. He traveled for three months and then returned to his newly purchased plantation home in Nashville, Tennessee. James Knox Polk died on June 15, 1849, three and a half months after leaving office.
