Helping San Diego, California and beyond since 1997.
Do you need
volunteer, community service, work, military or court hours?
|
|
Helping San Diego, California and beyond since 1997.
|
|
Click here and add this page to your favorites!
|
Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: PIG-POL |
|
|
POLK, JAMES KNOX (179 1849) , eleventh president of the United States, was born in Mecklenburg county, North Carolina, on the 2nd of November 1795. In iSo6 he crossed the mountains with his parents and settled in what is now Maury county, Tennessee. He graduated from the university of North Carolina in 1815, studied law in the office of Felix Grundy (1777184o) at Nashville in 1819182o, was admitted to the bar in 1820, and began to practise in Columbia, the county-seat of Maury county. After two years of service (18231825) in the state House of Representatives, he represented the sixth
movement
Pillow , Polk's intimate friend, did much to bring about the nomination.The unequivocal stand of Polk and his party in favour of the immediate annexation of Texas and the adoption of a vigorous policy in Oregon contrasted favourably with the timid vacillations of Henry Clay and the Whigs. Polk was elected, receiving 170 electoral votes to 105 for his opponent Clay. In forming his cabinet he secured the services of James Buchanan of Pennsylvania, as secretary of state, Robert J. Walker of Mississippi, as secretary of the treasury, William L. Marcy of New York
The four chief
establishment of the independent treasury system, the reduction of the tariff by the Walker Bill of 1846, the adjustment of the Oregon boundary dispute with Great Britain by the treaty concluded on the 15th of June 1846, and the war with Mexico and the consequent acquisition of territory in the south-west and west. The first three of these were recommended in his first annual message , and he privately announced to Bancroft his determination to seize California. The independent treasury plan originated during Van Buren's administration as a Democratic measure; it had been repealed by the Whigs in 1841, and was now re-enacted. Protectionists contend that the tariff legislation of 1846 was in direct violation of a pledge given to the Democrats of Pennsylvania in a letter written by Polk during the campaign to John K. Kane of Philadelphia. Briefly summarized, this letter approves of a tariff for revenue with incidental protection, whereas the annual message of the 2nd of December 111845 criticizes the whole theory of protection and urges the adoption of a revenue tariff just sufficient to meet the needs of the government conducted on an economical basis. It is difficult to determine whether this was always his idea of incidental protection, or whether his views were changed after 1844 through the influence of Walker and the example set by Sir Robert Peel in Great Britain, or whether he was simply " playing politics " to secure the protectionist vote in Pennsylvania.The one overshadowing issue of the time, however, was territorial expansion. Polk was an ardent expansionist, but the old idea that his policy was determined entirely by a desire i to advance the interests of slavery is no longer accepted. As a 1 matter of fact he was personally in favour of insisting upon 540 40' as the boundary in Oregon, and threw upon Congress the responsibility for accepting 490 as the boundary, and he approved the acquisition of California, Utah and New Mexico, territory from which slavery was excluded by geographical and climatic conditions. Furthermore a study of his manuscript diary now shows that he opposed the efforts of Walker and Buchanan in the Cabinet, and of Daniel S. Dickinson (18001866) of New York
' Bancroft served until September 1846, when he was appointed minister to England. He was succeeded as secretary of the navy by John J. Mason, who had previously held the office of attorney general See John S. Jenkins, James Knox Polk (Auburn and Buffalo, 1850), and L. B. Chase, History of the Polk Administration (New York, 185o), both of which contain some documentary material, but are not discriminating in their method of treatment. George Bancroft contributed a good short sketch to J. G. Wilson's Presidents of the United States (New York, 2nd ed., 1894). He made copies of the Polk manuscripts and was working upon a detailed biography at the time of his death in 1891. These copies, now deposited in the Lenox Library, New York City, contain a diary in 24 typewritten volumes, besides some correspondence and other private papers. They have been used by James Schouler in his Historical Briefs (New York, 1896), and by E. G. Bourne in an article entitled " The Proposed Absorption of Mexico in 18471848," published in the Annual Report of the American Historical Association for 1899, i. 157169 (Washington, 1900). Bourne discusses the part which Polk took in preventing the complete absorption of Mexico. See also the Diary of James K. Polk . . . . 1845 to 1849 (Chicago, 4 vols., 1910), edited by M. M. Quaife. (W. R. S.*) End of Article: POLK, JAMES KNOX (179 1849) If you wish, you can link directly to this article.
<a href="http://jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia/PIG_POL/POLK_JAMES_KNOX_179_1849_.html"> POLK, JAMES KNOX (179 1849) </a> |
|
|
(Previous) POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC |
(Next) POLK, LEONIDAS (1806-1864) |
|
Sponsored Advertisements