James K. Polk

Critical Analysis on “James K. Polk: A Clear and Unquestionable Destiny” by Thomas M. Leonard
Thomas M. Leonard argues in his book “James K. Polk: A Clear and Unquestionable Destiny” the dedication and responsibility that took Polk from his childhood to his arrival as president of the United States, and the circumstances in which the country was in those years. The book explains in detail thesituation that lived the United States before the expansionism to the west and the war against Mexico.
In summary the mayor book’s theme is the politic life of James Knox Polk, who born on November 2, 1795 in rural Mecklenburg County. Polk started his political career in 1819 as clerk of the state legislature when the country was in panic because of the Second Bank of the United States. Polk waselected to state legislature of Tennessee in 1823 and to House of Representatives in 1825, becoming one of Jackson’s supporters.
Polk helped Jackson’s fight against the National Bank and later he won the election as Speaker of the House. In 1843, Polk became governor of Tennessee after lost the governor election in 1841. The next year he became the “Dark House” presidential candidate to theDemocratic Party. Polk became president of the United States beating Henry Clay of the Whig Party.
Leonard’s book explains is the critical situation that lived the country when the government was deciding the annexation of Texas, Oregon, New Mexico, and California spite of the impediments of the European countries and the war against Mexico, and the decisions that Polk took in this matters across hispolitic life. Polk was one of the most successful presidents of the 1800s.
The mayor purpose of Leonard is to show the circumstances that made the United States one of the largest countries in the world with the annexation of Texas, New Mexico, California, and Oregon with his principal character James K. Polk, explaining his political career and decisions that made for benefit the majority andto change the country.
One of Leonard’s themes in his book is the circumstances that made Polk president of the United States when his party was much divided in all the country. The more important victory of Polk before coming candidate for the presidential election and that took the attention of many people in the Democrat Party was in 1843 when he won the election for governor of Tennessee.Having the attention of the Democrat Party, Polk took advantage of the circumstances of his party in 1844 when the Democratic nomination convention didn’t give the necessary two-thirds to Van Buren. In the third day of the convention making the seventh ballot Polk’s name came to the nomination.
There were pro-Van Buren and anti-Van Buren democrats and that was the circumstance that prevents VanBuren presidential candidacy. Polk has the supported of a very important Democrat and ex-president that was Jackson. Also, many pro-Van Buren and many anti-Van Buren trusted in Polk giving him advantage against Van Buren. In the eighth ballot, Polk received forty-four votes of the necessary176. But on the ninth ballot, state after state went to Polk, and his name was the only one left on the ballot.So, for first time in the United States Polk was the first “Dark Horse” in a presidential election.
Polk became an unexpected presidential candidate giving him an advantage; because he didn’t made many compromises with rich people or Democrats for support his nomination. But also he has a disadvantage because he was a virtual unknown throughout the country. So, Polk had the support of his partywithout negotiation with anyone giving him the liberty of do and says his intentions if he become president of the United States.
From the beginning of the president campaign Polk said the he would serve only one term if elected giving him more credibility to his proposals, while in the other side Clay from the Whig Party, issued inconsistent statements on expansion satisfying the Southern...