Potus Geeks Book Review: Who is James K. Polk
When one thinks of pivotal Presidential elections, the contest of 1844 isn't one of the first that comes to mind. It would set in motion a chain of events that would light the fuse for the coming Civil War, as the issue of expansionism would further divide the nation and intensify northern resentment of the southern "slaveocracy." Many expected the contest to be between former President Martin Van Buren for the Democrats and the prominent Whig Senator Henry Clay, who had tried for the big prize twice before, only to be denied, and left to hope that the third time would be the charm. But history has a way of turning out much differently than people expect.
Mark Cheatham tells the story of this election in the most recent volume from the University of Kansas Press's Presidential Election Series, the 2023 offering entitled Who is James K. Polk: The Presidential Election of 1844. The title reflects one of the election slogans of the 1844 Whig Party as they sought to disparage the surprise choice of the Democrats as their standard bearer in the contest. Polk was not a complete unknown. He had served in the Tennessee State Legislature before spending fourteen years in Congress, almost four as Speaker of the House. He had been elected Governor of Tennessee, but his political stock quickly fell after suffering two successive defeats to remain in the Governor's mansion. Considered by many to be a political has-been at age 49, Polk set his sights much lower, hoping to be picked for the number two spot on the Democratic Party's ticket in 1844.
Polk's fortunes took a turn for the better when President John Tyler, a former Democrat who was the first Vice-President to ascend to the Presidency upon the death of the incumbent, was kicked out of his own party (the Whigs) after refusing to tow the party line. Tyler created a political hornet's nest when he banked on getting re-elected (either as an Independent or maybe even as a Democrat) by working to annex the Republic of Texas to the United States. This was a political hot potato. Many northerners were against it because they assumed that it would be used for the expansion of slavery, giving the south more political power. Southerners liked the idea of expansion into Texas, and the issue polarized the nation even more than it had already been.
When the two front-runners for their party's nomination (Van Buren and Clay) tried to distance themselves from the issue, this spelled trouble for them, especially for Van Buren, who failed to win his party's nomination as expected because of a lack of southern support. With the support of former President Andrew Jackson, still a force to be reckoned with among the Democrats, and some skillful supporters at the convention, Polk surprised everyone by being the compromise candidate that Democrats could live with.
Cheatham provides a thorough analysis of the campaign, including consideration of the issue of resentment against immigrants (nativism) that led to rioting in some cities, as well as the impact of third party candidate James Birney of the anti-slavery Liberty Party, and potential candidacies of Tyler and of Mormon "prophet" Joseph Smith. He also offers an interesting account of how the major parties campaigned, learning from the "Log Cabin and Hard Cider" campaign of 1840, and provides an excellent post-mortem explaining why Polk won, where he did better than expected, where he did worse than he might have, and why he lost his home state, but still won the election.
Cheatham more than meets the high standard expected in this University of Kansas Press series. His analysis is intellectual but not excessively so, as he provides a very good analysis of the electoral calculus that ushered the nation into the Polk Presidency. He paints a clear picture of antebellum America and the growing pains the nation was experiencing in 1844 as it started to grow a conscience about the immorality of slavery, while still having very primitive notions of equality and an underappreciation of the harmful effects of bigotry and prejudice against minorities. This book is a worthwhile read for those interested in the history of presidential elections, the state of antebellum society and how the presidential sausage was made in 1844.
Mark Cheatham tells the story of this election in the most recent volume from the University of Kansas Press's Presidential Election Series, the 2023 offering entitled Who is James K. Polk: The Presidential Election of 1844. The title reflects one of the election slogans of the 1844 Whig Party as they sought to disparage the surprise choice of the Democrats as their standard bearer in the contest. Polk was not a complete unknown. He had served in the Tennessee State Legislature before spending fourteen years in Congress, almost four as Speaker of the House. He had been elected Governor of Tennessee, but his political stock quickly fell after suffering two successive defeats to remain in the Governor's mansion. Considered by many to be a political has-been at age 49, Polk set his sights much lower, hoping to be picked for the number two spot on the Democratic Party's ticket in 1844.
Polk's fortunes took a turn for the better when President John Tyler, a former Democrat who was the first Vice-President to ascend to the Presidency upon the death of the incumbent, was kicked out of his own party (the Whigs) after refusing to tow the party line. Tyler created a political hornet's nest when he banked on getting re-elected (either as an Independent or maybe even as a Democrat) by working to annex the Republic of Texas to the United States. This was a political hot potato. Many northerners were against it because they assumed that it would be used for the expansion of slavery, giving the south more political power. Southerners liked the idea of expansion into Texas, and the issue polarized the nation even more than it had already been.
When the two front-runners for their party's nomination (Van Buren and Clay) tried to distance themselves from the issue, this spelled trouble for them, especially for Van Buren, who failed to win his party's nomination as expected because of a lack of southern support. With the support of former President Andrew Jackson, still a force to be reckoned with among the Democrats, and some skillful supporters at the convention, Polk surprised everyone by being the compromise candidate that Democrats could live with.
Cheatham provides a thorough analysis of the campaign, including consideration of the issue of resentment against immigrants (nativism) that led to rioting in some cities, as well as the impact of third party candidate James Birney of the anti-slavery Liberty Party, and potential candidacies of Tyler and of Mormon "prophet" Joseph Smith. He also offers an interesting account of how the major parties campaigned, learning from the "Log Cabin and Hard Cider" campaign of 1840, and provides an excellent post-mortem explaining why Polk won, where he did better than expected, where he did worse than he might have, and why he lost his home state, but still won the election.
Cheatham more than meets the high standard expected in this University of Kansas Press series. His analysis is intellectual but not excessively so, as he provides a very good analysis of the electoral calculus that ushered the nation into the Polk Presidency. He paints a clear picture of antebellum America and the growing pains the nation was experiencing in 1844 as it started to grow a conscience about the immorality of slavery, while still having very primitive notions of equality and an underappreciation of the harmful effects of bigotry and prejudice against minorities. This book is a worthwhile read for those interested in the history of presidential elections, the state of antebellum society and how the presidential sausage was made in 1844.