James Polk And American Territorial Expansion

There have been more than forty presidents in American history since 1789. These presidents give us different impressions. The text tries to seek the different ways to study the first"Dark Horse"in American history______ the eleventh president : James Polk. James Polk has many causes which belonged to be one of the greatest American presidents. He was the first and the sole president in America, who had kept in his word to perform all tasks when he left the White House. Polk left behind his country that was both larger and weaker ___expanded by more than a million square miles but fatally torn over the issue he had refused to address: slavery.This text includes four sections, which the second and the third sections are the main parts of the text. The first section:The"Dark Horse"President____ James Polk entered the White House 1, James Polk's the early period。2, the election of 1844。3,James Polk and It's Four Targets。The second section:Manifest destiny and"The Polk's Doctrine"1, The Flourishing of Manifest destiny。2,"The Polk's Doctrine".The third section:"The Polk's Doctrine"Came Into Reality:1,The Reoccupation of Oregon.2, War with Mexico and the Effect ion of the War。4, The fourth section :the Evaluation of James Polk一,The"Dark Horse"President ____James Polk entered the White House1,James Polk's Youth Period :James Polk was born on his family farm in Mecklenburg county,North Carolina on Nov 2,1795。When he was ten,his family moved west to Tennessee。In 1818, he finished his education at the University of North Carolina, and then studied law under a prominent lawyer. In 1825, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where served for six terms. Among Polk's political assets was relied on Andrew Jackson, when Jackson finally won the White House, Polk became his closest ally in congress. With Jackson behind him, Polk became the speaker of the House in 1835. His support for Jackson's initiatives was so strong that his colleagues nicknamed him"Young Hickory."( because Andrew Jackson president nicknamed"Old Hickory.")2,The Election of 1844Americans were invited by newly independent Mexico in 1821to settle in her northern province of Texas. The Texans rebelled for independent and requested annexation by the United States. As we known Texas had become a major issue in American politics. The annexation of Texas thereupon became an issue in the Presidential election of 1844. The Whig and the Democratic candidate____ Henry Clay and Martin Van Buren, who both foresaw that annexation meant war with Mexico. While Southerners favored the annexation of Texas and Northeasterners opposed it.When the Democrats convened to select their presidential nominee for the election of 1844, no one expected Polk to emerge at the top of the ticket. Expansion seemed likely to affect the presidential election, Former President Martin Van Buren was the front-runner, but he lost the support of the South when he opposed the annexation of Texas, The convention deadlocked, at last, it brought forth the nation's first dark-horse candidate: James Polk. Polk not only opposed high tariffs and was dead set against establishing another national bank., but also he announced his support for both the annexation of Texas and the reoccupation of Oregon from the British, taking"Fifty __Four Forty or Fight!"as his slogan. The election...