I.

Introduction

James Polk (1795-1849), 11th president of the United States (1845-1849). He was one of the nation's most successful presidents. During his one term in office the United States expanded westward to the Pacific Ocean, California and the New Mexico Territory were won in the Mexican War (1846-1848), and the Oregon country was acquired through negotiations with Great Britain. A Jacksonian Democrat, Polk succeeded in putting the economic principles of the Democratic Party into law. However, he failed to prevent a split in his party over the slavery issue.

Despite his notable achievements, Polk has been consigned to relative obscurity among U.S. presidents. Although an able and extremely hard-working leader, he was not an imaginative statesman. However, as president he reflected the then-prevalent American belief in manifest destiny, the idea that the United States had a natural right to control all the territory between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He was also a firm believer in the strictest interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine, which barred interference in the western hemisphere by European powers. Because he secured territorial growth, Polk is considered one of the most important of the American presidents.