Name: Polk
ISBN: 9781400065608

Walter R. Borneman

A biography of a misunderstood and under-appreciated American president follows the political career of James K. Polk and the events of his administration, including the acceptance of Texas into the union and the expansion of presidential powers.

The Man who Transformed the Presidency and America

Polk

Jeremy Anderberg

"In politics, serendipity should never be discounted. But then again, neither should persistence, hard work, and unyielding determination. The stars may have aligned for James K. Polk in 1844, but that he was there at all to take advantage of them was due to his own personal resilience and character."

My last few POTUS reads have been a bit boring to say the least. Even Robert Remini’s elegantly written biography of Andrew Jackson was a bit dry. Thankfully, Borneman came along with an engaging, narrative-driven book about POTUS #11: James K. Polk.

He was a dark horse candidate (perhaps the first in American history, actually) in 1844 and won a close election. Before taking office, he promised to serve just a single term, and he faithfully held to that promise (for perhaps the last time in American history).

Polk made four campaign pledges, and accomplished all of them. Most famously, he doubled the size of the US, acquiring Texas (with help from his predecessor), the Oregon Territory (which included Washington), and California (which included Arizona and most of New Mexico).

In the midst of his great successes, though, he led the nation into the Mexican-American War using less-than-wholesome reasoning. He accomplished much, at least based on what he promised, but he got us into a needless war which was, in many ways, a precursor to the Civil War.

Borneman navigates this tension pretty well and crafts a compelling narrative about Polk’s place in the Civil War era and the broader reach of American presidential history. Good reading for any fan of history.

Polk The Man who Transformed the Presidency and America

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