James K Polk discussion thread

[DanCa]

Anyone? :D Sorry helping my niece with a history paper.

[baldguy]

1. Ask Bill O'Reilly

He won a Polk award - very Most Prestigeous.

[Somawas]

2. Here's a link

http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/nc/bio/public/polk.htm

Polk graduated from the University of North Carolina where he was a member of the Dialectical Society. When I was an undergraduate I used to sit in Polk's chair. That was a long time ago!

[bbinacan]

8. I'm a UNC alum where

was Polk's chair?

[Somawas]

12. Top floor of New West in the Di-Phi Hall. nt

[bbinacan]

15. Thanks for the infio, I graduated

in 1986. How about you?

[Somawas]

16. AB, 1971; JD 1974

[rockymountaindem]

3. We owe a great debt to James K. Polk...

Or as his close friends used to call him, "Jimmy K." or "J-dog". If it weren't for him, and his willingness to fight an unpopular war that turned the stomachs of even Ulysses Grant and Robert E. Lee (who both fought as Lieutenants in the Mexican-American War), we wouldn't have southern Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, California, and most importantly, the western half of Colorado today.

So hats off to Jimmy K, Americas most underrated Prez!!!

[SaveElmer]

14. Course this had several negative consequences...

Hastened the onset of the Civil War as many northerners viewed this as a land grab designed to spread sleavery to the west. Also legitimized in many minds the notion that American could attack another country merely to expand its territory.

While there were legitimate beefs with the Mexican government, the fact is this was a land grab pure and simple...nothing noble about it.

[InsultComicDog]

4. He annexed Texas

...which I'm sure seemed like a good idea at the time

:argh:

[Rob H.]

"James K Polk" by They Might Be Giants

It is too a real song!

In 1844, the Democrats were split
The three nominees for the presidential candidate
Were Martin Van Buren, a former president and an abolitionist
James Buchanan, a moderate
Louis Cass, a general and expansionist
From Nashville came a dark horse riding up
He was James K. Polk, Napoleon of the Stump

Austere, severe, he held few people dear
His oratory filled his foes with fear
The factions soon agreed
He's just the man we need
To bring about victory
Fulfill our manifest destiny
And annex the land the Mexicans command
And when the votes were cast the winner was
Mister James K. Polk, Napoleon of the Stump

In four short years he met his every goal
He seized the whole southwest from Mexico
Made sure the tariffs fell
And made the English sell the Oregon territory
He built an independent treasury
Having done all this he sought no second term
But precious few have mourned the passing of
Mister James K. Polk, our eleventh president
Young Hickory, Napoleon of the Stump

Hope this helps. :)

[DanCa]

5. Polk High in chicago was were Al Bundy scored 3 Touch downs

Not in one season mind you but in one game.

[the_spectator]

6. Did James K Polk believe in chemtrails?

Of course, as he was President in the 1840s, back then it was the lines of smoke made by railroad smokestacks that people suspected of being a secret government program to brainwash people and/or change the weather. Know-Nothings speculated that the smoke from trains was designed to impair people's judgement to the extent that they would accept living in the same neighborhood as Irishmen. Some of the more extreme southerners feared that the smoke was an abolitionist plot to send up a permanent cloudbank which would hide then sun, causing the climate to become drastically colder, and thereby to destroy the slave-based agragrian economy of the South.

How did President Polk come down on that?

[WI_DEM]

7. Polk is considered a "near great president" by many historians

because he accomplished all of his goals--including the annexation of Texas--and is often considered the last strong president until Lincoln.

[Hardrada]

9. OK, Polk was the LAST southern conservative president

before Bush II. I guess they ARE prone to make war and promote slavery!

[TNDemo]

10. His wife kept his gallstone in a jar in her drawer.

Does that help? :D I have been through his house in Columbia. Here is a site that may have extra info: http://www.jameskpolk.com/new/

[TNDemo]

11. Here's where his inauguration took place.

And where he attended church. Take a look at the sanctuary. It is Egyptian style and pretty cool to look around. My ancestor was the first minister there.

http://www.dpchurch.com/dpctour.htm

[underpants]

13. Compare and contrast the run up to "Polk's War" with the war on Iraq

That would be a fine paper for her to do.