Polk: The Man Who Reworked the Presidency and America

In Polk, Walter R. Borneman provides us the primary full and authoritative biography of a president typically overshadowed in picture however seldom outdone in accomplishment. James Ok. Polk occupied the White Home for under 4 years, from 1845 to 1849, however he plotted and attained a formidable agenda: He fought for and gained tariff reductions, reestablished an impartial Treasury, and, most notably, introduced Texas into the Union, bluffed Nice Britain out of the lion’s share of Oregon, and wrested California and far of the Southwest from Mexico. On reflection, these successes appear much more spectacular, given the contentious political setting of the time.

On this unprecedented, long-overdue warts-and-all have a look at Polk’s life and profession, we now have a portrait of an expansionist president and decisive statesman who redefined the nation he led, and we’re reminded anew of the true which means of presidential accomplishment and resolve.