Essay on The Presidency of James Knox Polks - 2023 Words

He was the 11th president of the United States and was known as â€Å"young hickory†, and the first â€Å"dark horse†. James Knox Polk accomplished many things in his life. He served in the House of Representative, became governor of Tennessee, and became president of the United States. His achievements impacted the U.S and made it what it is today. For example he annexed Texas, lowered tariffs, established an independent Federal Treasury, went to war with Mexico, and added three states to the union. If James Polk did not become president, then there is a possibility that California, New Mexico and Oregon would not be a part of the United States. James Knox Polk was born November 2, 1795 in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. James was the son of†¦show more content†¦With Sarah by his side he had many campaign victories. Being a supporter of Andrew Jackson’s democratic policies at age twenty-nine he was elected to the U.S. Congress. From 1825-39 James was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and was serving as its speaker (Evisum Inc). After serving as speaker he became Governor of Tennessee in 1839-1841. In 1844 Democrats were having a difficult time getting 2/3 of the vote to nominate a presidential candidate, Polk who was running for the position of vice president, became nominated for the presidential candidate (Kelly). The focus on the campaign was to annex Texas which Polk was for the idea versus Clay who opposed the idea. Clay opposing the idea led Polk to victory. Many problems had occurred with the state of Texas. Texans thought it would be best to interest security and economic stability to petition to the United States for annexation. In 1837 at the time President Martin Van Buren was against the idea of having Texas annexed because of concerns that it would become another slave state in the United States. Another reason why he did not want to annex Texas was because he did not want to start any problems wi th Mexico. Things changed in 1843 when President James Tyler examined the annexation issue again. A treaty was sent to Senate but because of anti-expansionist the treaty was denied. When Polk became president he too was in favor of having Texas annexedShow MoreRelatedJames Polk s A Wicked War959 Words   |  4 Pagestheir supply of land and profits. To fulfil the demands of the American expansionists, James Knox Polk was voted into presidency in 1845. Amy S. Greenberg’s book, A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico highlights the era of war and expansion during Polk’s years in office; and through a critical lens, holds him accountable for his injustices in the Mexican American war. While James Polk is considered to be a controversial figure in American history, the true question liesRead MorePresidential Leadership Rating The Best And The Worst In The White House Summary856 Words   |  4 Pagesspeak on presidents that I generally had little knowledge of. At first I was skeptical of the book, questioning how a book that was less than 300 pages could successfully describe each presidency. This book does exactly that, in keeping things brief it goes into detail in describing each president for their presidency, or lack of in some cases. The book has much to be taken away from it. I was impressed by the amount of short facts that were placed in this text, as well as by the amount of informationRead MoreJohn K Polk And Western Expansion2495 Words   |  10 PagesJohn K Polk and Western Expansion Under James Knox Polk, the United States grew by more than a million square miles, adding territory that now composes the states of Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, Idaho, Washington, much of New Mexico, and portions of Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado. Much of the United States is owed to the expansion planned by Former President John K Polk. His actions would lead to the annexation of Texas and purchase of California and New Mexico from Mexico. In theRead MoreEarly Life Zachary Taylor was born on November 24, 1784 near Gordonsville, Virginia. His parents,900 Words   |  4 Pagesdescendant of the colonist leader of the Plymouth Colony, William Brewster. Taylor’s second cousin is believed to be the fourth president, James Madison (Britannica 2013). As a child, Taylor received very little education as a child. There were no formal schools available in Kentucky. Taylor was homeschooled for only a couple of months (Britannica 2013). Pre-Presidency Taylor had a rich experience in the military before he became president. He enlisted in the army in 1806 and was commissioned firstRead MoreMexico s Independence From Spain Becoming A Young Independent Country Essay1707 Words   |  7 Pagestaxes grow so fast that when the Mexican government try to obtain control over it was too late. According to Acuna, â€Å"By 1844 war with Mexico over Texas and the Southwest was only a matter of time. James K. Polk, who strongly advocated the annexation of Texas and expansionism in general, won the presidency by only a small margin, but his election was interpreted as a mandate for national expansion† Europeans are guilty of imperialism because in the 1830s and 1840s they took advantage of the youngRead MoreThe Jefferson Davis Historic Site And Monument1351 Words   |  6 Pagestreason, but was later released without a trial. In the 1880’s, he actually began encouraging southerners to merge with the north again. Before he was a politician, Davis was in the army. He fell in love with his commanding general’s daughter, Sarah Knox Taylor, and sought her father’s permission to marry her. He turned him down on the basis that he didn’t want her to have to suffer through the life of a military wife. After consulting with his brother and considering the situation, Davis resignedRead MoreMoving West : The Western Frontier Essay2220 Words   |  9 PagesUnited States 1837 Vermont protested against admission of a state who had slavery Jackson didn t acknowledge the republic of Texas officially until the last day of his presidency Whigs and Democrats William Henry Harrison He was the oldest man, at age 68, and the first whig to win office Served shortest term of any presidency The Whigs Came about to oppose andrew jackson They wanted a strong gov’t They supported industrial development and economic growth High tariffs Federal funding for bridgesRead MoreHow Did Manifest Destiny Manifest Itself?1876 Words   |  8 Pagesthe perfect excuse for politicians like Polk, to push forward their plans of expansion in the West. James Polk was the 11th President of the United States and was in charge during both of the annexation of Texas and the Mexican War. He is one of the only presidents that competed his agenda while he was in his office. He was the last president before the outbreak of the Civil War. He is mostly remembered for his foreign policy success. The only reason Polk was not criticized a lot about the warRead MoreThe Colonization Of The West1800 Words   |  8 Pagessell of Louisiana for a total amount of 80,000,000 Fr or 15,000,000$ (4 cents an acre). Here, James Monroe and Robert Livingston, the two official negotiators, recognize a historic opportunity and seized it with no hesitation. The Louisiana Purchase allowed the United States to go to the West in order to discover this part of the country. This is what Lewis and Clark decided to do under Jefferson presidency. Their expedition was supposed to bring the country knowledge about its own territory. IndeedRead MoreGood Leadership Characteristics Of Good Presidents2415 Words   |  10 Pagesâ€Å"You have nominated and able and honest man.† It shows you even the greatest of people accepted Lincoln as an honest man. John F. Kennedy- Determined: The 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, had a few notable events during his presidency including the Space Race and The Cuban Missile Crisis. JFK said that he will get a man on the moon by the of the 1960’s. The United States did and before Russia too. He was determined to get man to the moon. The Cuban Missile was a result of the