11th President
Democratic
1845-1849James K. Polk
Manifest Destiny
Polk aggressively pursued territorial expansion and achieved nearly all of his major stated goals in a single term.
Sequence
11th President
Years
1845-1849
Party
Democratic
Why This Presidency Matters
Mexican-American War
Oregon boundary settlement
Massive western territorial expansion
Sequence Recall
Previous
John Tyler
Next
Zachary Taylor
Term Structure
1845-03-04 to 1849-03-04
Elected by the Electoral CollegeWhat This President Actually Did
A full dossier has not been written for this presidency yet. The page still includes timeline, institutional themes, measures, crises, and study prompts, and the dossier model is ready to be filled out presidency by presidency.
Vice Presidents
George M. Dallas
Constitutional Themes
Territorial expansion and executive war leadership
Signature Measures
Walker Tariff
Independent Treasury restoration
Defining Crises
Mexican-American War
Self-Test Prompts
Which party did James K. Polk represent, and what broader era does this presidency belong to?
Democratic. This presidency is grouped here under Manifest Destiny.
How did James K. Polk first enter office?
Elected by the Electoral College.
What are the three most important moments to remember from this presidency?
Mexican-American War; Oregon boundary settlement; Massive western territorial expansion.
Daily Drill Extension
Which presidents bracket James K. Polk in the sequence?
John Tyler and Zachary Taylor.
Which party and era should you associate with James K. Polk?
Democratic; Manifest Destiny.
How did James K. Polk first enter office?
Elected by the Electoral College.
Name two high-signal moments that make James K. Polk historically memorable.
Mexican-American War; Oregon boundary settlement.
Which constitutional or institutional themes should you connect to James K. Polk?
Territorial expansion and executive war leadership.