Presidency of James Knox Polk

Historical Context Note

Lucas Paul Richert (University of Saskatchewan)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.2: American (US) Writing and Culture: The Nineteenth Century, 1783-1900.
Vol. editors: J. Michael Duvall (College of Charleston), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Tony Papanikolas (San Jose State University)

Domains

Changes of government, elections and reigns

Dates

Date of occurrence 1845-03-04-1849-03-04

Places

United States (Location)

Resources

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During the election of 1844, James K. Polk, former Speaker of the House, took a stand on two important issues. First, Polk demanded immediate annexation of Texas. Second, Polk claimed the entire Oregon Territory as property of the United States and he eschewed an agreement with England that provided for joint ownership. In fact, Polk adopted the political campaign slogan “fifty-four forty or fight.” In the final event, the election was rather close: Polk defeated his Democratic opponent, Henry Clay, by 38,000 votes and 170 electoral votes to 105. On the domestic front, the Polk presidency was significant for its vast territorial acquisitions. Texas was annexed – as Polk had promised. The result was a two-year war with Mexico. Polk also resolved the Oregon issue when he oversaw the…

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263 words

Citation: Richert, Lucas Paul. "Presidency of James Knox Polk". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 January 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=583, accessed 18 April 2024.]

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