WATCH: James K. Polk, Manifest Destiny

The 11th President of the United States, James K. Polk, is often overlooked despite playing a crucial role in radically reshaping the future of the nation during his presidency. According to Wilfred McClay, a history professor at Hillsdale College, Polk is criminally underrated. He served a single term, during which he transformed the young United States into a cross-continental power.

Polk was elected president in 1844 as a dark horse candidate. He came to power after several previous electoral losses due to his outspoken support of American expansion into Texas and the Oregon Territory. Martin Van Buren, a former Democratic President, and Henry Clay, a Whig, were his main opponents, and both opposed the voluntary annexation of Texas on the grounds that it could trigger a war. In contrast, Polk was unapologetically bellicose, and Texas was annexed in 1845 soon after he became president. The very next year, a war broke out between Mexico and the United States, which the latter decisively won. By 1848, American troops had occupied the Mexican capital, and almost half the country’s territory was ceded to the United States.

The President was similarly aggressive in negotiations concerning the Oregon Territory. At the time, the territory comprised modern-day Oregon, Washington, Idaho, portions of Wyoming and Montana, and most of British Columbia. Britain, Russia, Spain, and the United States had claimed the territory. By Polk’s tenure, only the United States and Britain maintained their claims, and they had agreed to jointly occupy the territory. The situation was untenable in the long run, as American colonists in the area outnumbered the British several times over. However, unlike Mexico, Britain was a great power and could not be steamrolled.

Despite this, Polk campaigned on securing almost all of the Oregon Territory for the United States, setting the northern border between American and British territories at the 54 degrees and 40 minutes latitude (“54° 40′ or Fight!”). However, by 1846, American forces were bogged down in Mexico. Therefore, when Britain offered a compromise border at the 49th parallel, Polk was willing to take it. By the time he stepped down in 1849, American territory had expanded by approximately a third. The Pacific West and Southwest of the United States belong to the United States largely because of President Polk, who subscribed to the mid-nineteenth century idea of “Manifest Destiny.” This idea dictated that American democracy should extend from coast to coast, encompassing the entire continent.

According to McClay, part of the reason Polk is forgotten compared to other significant American presidents may be the fall from grace of the idea of Manifest Destiny, which is now regarded as militant and imperialistic. Nonetheless, McClay views Polk more favorably: “(Polk) was confident that what he was doing was noble and good – bringing freedom and prosperity across the continent to ever more people. Looking back almost two centuries, isn’t that exactly what he did?”

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