James K. Polk: The Expansionist US President

Q: What were the 4 goals of President Polk?

The 4 goals James K. Polk laid out for his presidency included: lowering tariffs, restoring the Independent Treasury, settling the Oregon boundary dispute with Britain, and seizing California and its ports from Mexico.

Q: Why was James K. Polk nicknamed 'Young Hickory'?

Polk was nicknamed 'Young Hickory' as a reference to his mentor Andrew Jackson, who was called 'Old Hickory'; this was because Polk was a staunch Jackson loyalist and sought to advance the Jacksonian agenda.

Q: How did Polk provoke a war with Mexico?

President Polk provoked a war with Mexico by sending an army down to the disputed Rio Grande border and seizing on the first outbreak of violence to paint Mexico as the aggressor and to demand a declaration of war.

Harrison W. Mark

Definition

James K. Polk (1795-1849) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the eleventh president of the United States. A protégé of Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), he was the dark-horse candidate of the Democratic Party in the US Presidential Election of 1844, running on a platform of expansionism and 'Manifest Destiny'. During his single term, Polk settled a boundary dispute with Britain over the Oregon Territory and oversaw the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), which resulted in Mexico's cession of 529,000 square miles (1,370,103 km²) of land to the US. Polk, whose health was fragile to begin with, often overworked himself, likely contributing to his death only three months after leaving office in 1849.

More about: James K. Polk

Timeline

2 Nov 1795
James K. Polk is born in a log cabin in North Carolina.
c. 1806
The Polk family moves out to Tennessee; Polk's father befriends Andrew Jackson.
1 Jan 1824
James K. Polk marries Sarah Childress, who becomes his closest friend and political advisor.
7 Dec 1835
James K. Polk becomes Speaker of the US House of Representatives.
15 Oct 1839 - 14 Oct 1841
James Polk serves a lackluster term as the 9th Governor of Tennessee.
30 May 1844
James K. Polk is unexpectedly nominated as the Democratic candidate for the 1844 election.
4 Mar 1845
James Knox Polk is inaugurated as the 11th President of the United States, having run on an expansionist platform.
13 May 1846
US Congress declares war on Mexico.
15 Jun 1846
The Polk administration concludes the Oregon Treaty with the UK, fixing the northern border of Oregon at the 49th parallel.
6 Aug 1846
James K. Polk re-establishes the Independent Treasury.
2 Feb 1848
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed, ending the Mexican-American War; Mexico cedes 529,000 square miles of land to the US.
5 Dec 1848
In his fourth annual address to Congress, Polk announces gold has been discovered in California, helping to kick off the California Gold Rush.
4 Mar 1849
James K. Polk leaves office, embarks on a triumphal tour throughout the American South.
15 Jun 1849
James K. Polk dies in Nashville, TN at the age of 53.