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James K. Polk: Man of Manifest Destiny

September 18, 2008 12:16 am

Part two of a seven-part series about U.S. presidents.

CHARLOTTESVILLE

Polk is considered a good president because he came into office with four main goals, and he accomplished them all! He pledged to: 1) resolve the Oregon Territory border with Britain; 2) settle the Texas border dispute and acquire California and New Mexico from Mexico; 3) establish an independent treasury system; and 4) reduce tariffs. Polk knew what he wanted to accomplish, and through a mix of dedication, persuasion, strong-arming, and political ingenuity, he made it happen.

Although Polk is often considered the first "dark horse" candidate, he came into the presidency with significant political experience: He served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 14 years, including a stint as speaker of the House from 1835 to 1839, and then returned home to be governor of Tennessee from 1839 to 1841. One of Polk's mentors was Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States; Jackson relied on Polk as speaker of the House to advance his agenda through Congress.

THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE

Like Jackson, Polk believed that the president was the one true representative of all the people and, as such, the president had to use his power to fulfill the will of the people. He was an effective and strong chief executive--the strongest between Jackson and Abraham Lincoln. He worked incredibly hard, perhaps even giving all he had as he died only months after leaving office.

Polk involved himself in many details as president; in fact, today we might call him a micro-manager. He came into office declaring, "I intend to be myself president of the U.S." Polk resisted turning over the reins of power, and he tightly controlled the White House and the executive departments. He was personally responsible for many facets of the executive branch, and he ran much of the Mexican War from Washington--supervising war planning and implementing military strategy.

Yet, despite his firm control, he treated his Cabinet members with respect, meeting with them frequently, and valuing their input on issues.

Polk advocated "Manifest Destiny," the idea that the country was preordained to spread from coast to coast. And he was in tune with the public's views--many Americans, especially in the South and the West, supported U.S. territorial expansion. As president, Polk reached an agreement with Britain to settle the boundary of the Oregon Territory at the 49th parallel, and his representatives negotiated the treaty that ended the Mexican War, which gave the United States the territories of California and New Mexico. In total, the United States increased by more than a million square miles during Polk's presidency and acquired the present-day states of Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, Idaho, Washington, much of New Mexico, and portions of Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana.

AN UNRESOLVED ISSUE

Still, many historians believe that Polk missed being a truly great president because he left unresolved the greatest issue of his day: slavery. When the United States acquired vast new territories under his leadership, sectional battles over the spread of slavery came to the forefront. One of the most contentious pieces of legislation during Polk's tenure was the Wilmot Proviso, which forbade slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico. The House passed it numerous times but the Senate never did. Each trip to the Senate floor inspired contentious debate.

Many Northerners and abolitionists wanted to stop the spread of slavery into the new territories because they opposed the institution itself or did not want to compete against it economically. Southerners felt that if slavery was thwarted, even in geographic areas where its spread was uncertain--the arid West would likely never have supported cotton--they would be endangering the institution where it already existed and with it, their way of life. They did not want a congressional mandate to dictate to them what they could do with their own "property."

POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY

Polk supported two possibilities in an attempt to resolve the issue. The first was to extend the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific Ocean, restricting slavery to those territories south of the latitude 36° 30'. The second was the idea of popular sovereignty, letting the people in the territories decide whether to allow slavery. But Congress did not adopt a solution before Polk left office, and slavery and sectional strife continued to dominate the nation until the Civil War.

As we look toward the fall election, James K. Polk offers only limited lessons for the next U.S. president. Times have changed, and much of what made Polk a successful president cannot be translated to the 21st century. Polk would barely recognize the size and scope of the federal government today. In 1850, just two years after he left office, the State Department had 240 employees, of which only 22 people worked in the United States. In 1997, the most recent figures from the State Department, 15,506 people work for the State Department, with more than 9,000 of those in the United States.

But although Polk's presidency offers limited practical lessons for the next president, there are lessons to be learned nonetheless--basic tenets such as hard work, integrity, political savvy, and respect.

More deeply, the next president must grasp looming problems and be aware of the consequences of his actions and their effects on public policy. He needs to be clear on what his goals and ideals are, and he needs to choose people who can respect and work for those. Then--unlike James K. Polk--the president must step back, delegate, and allow his Cabinet members and advisers the freedom to do their best work.

Sheila Blackford is the managing editor of American President: An Online Reference Resource from the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.