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JAMES KNOX POLK
[Library of Congress]
1795-1849
11th President (1845-1849)
Education: University of North Carolina
Occupation: lawyer
Political Affiliation: Democrat
Organizational Affiliation(s): Mason
Religious Affiliation: Presbyterian, Methodist?
Summary of Religious Views:
Polk's father and grandfather were deists, which prevented James from being baptized as a child (the minister refused to baptize James unless his father reaffirmed his faith, which he would not do), and eventually led to the Polk family's move from North Carolina to Tennessee. Polk's mother, on the other hand, was a strong Presbyterian, and her influence seems to have had a more lasting effect on Polk. Polk was a regular church-goer throughout his life, most often attending Presbyterian services (his wife's faith), but he did not formally join any church until, on his deathbed, he joined the Methodist church .
Views on Religion & Politics:
Quotations:
"It [the US Government] is a common protector of each and all the States; of every man who lives upon our soil, whether of native or foreign birth; of every religious sect, in their worship of the Almighty according to the dictates of their own conscience; of every shade of opinion, and the most free inquiry; of every art, trade, and occupation consistent with the laws of the States." -- Inaugural Address, 4 March 1845
"One great object of the Constitution was to restrain majorities from oppressing minorities or encroaching upon their just rights. Minorities have a right to appeal to the Constitution as a shield against such oppression." -- Inaugural Address, 4 March 1845
References, Links, & Further Reading: Books, Articles, Links
Books
Works by James K. Polk
ed. by Milo M. Quaife, The Diary of James K. Polk during His Presidency, 1845 to 1849, 4 vols., McClurg, 1910; Vol. I Vol. II Vol. III Vol. IV
ed. by Allan Nevins, Polk: The Diary of a President, Longmans, Green, 1952
ed. by Herbert Weaver, Paul H. Bergeron, and Wayne Cutler, Correspondence of James K. Polk, 11 vols. to date, Univ. of Tennessee Press, 1969-
Biographies
Walter R. Borneman, Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America, Random House, 2008
Paul H. Bergeron, The Presidency of James K. Polk, Univ. Press of Kansas, 1987
William Dusinberre, Slavemaster President: The Double Career of James Polk, Oxford Univ. Press, 2003
ed. by Sam W. Haynes & Oscar Handlin, James K. Polk and the Expansionist Impulse, Longman, 2001
Thomas M. Leonard, James K. Polk: A Clear and Unquestionable Destiny, SR Books, 2000
Eugene I. McCormac, James K. Polk: A Political Biography, Univ. of California Press, 1922; reprint, Russell & Russell, 1965
Charles A. McCoy, Polk and the Presidency, Univ. of Texas Press, 1960
John H. Schroeder, Mr. Polk's War: American Opposition and Dissent, 1846-1848, Univ. of Wisconsin Press, 1973
Charles Sellers, James K. Polk, 2 vols., Princeton Univ. Press, 1957-1966
John Seigenthaler, James K. Polk, rev.ed., Macmillan, 2004
Articles
William Dusinberre, "President Polk and the Politics of Slavery," American Nineteenth Century History, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2002, pp. 1-16
John S. D. Eisenhower, "The Election of James K. Polk, 1844," Tennessee Historical Quarterly, Vol. 53, No. 2, 1994, pp. 74-87
Norman A. Graebner, "James K. Polk: A Study in Federal Patronage," Mississippi Valley Historical Review, 38, 1951/52, pp. 613-632
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