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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

"There are three key reasons why James K. Polk deserves recognition as a significant and influential American president," Polk biographer, Walter Borneman, wrote. "First, Polk accomplished the objectives of his presidential term as he defined them; second, he was the most decisive chief executive before the Civil War; and third, he greatly expanded the executive power of the presidency, particularly its war powers, its role as commander-in-chief, and its oversight of the executive branch." President Harry S. Truman summarized this view by saying that Polk was "a great president. Said what he intended to do and did it."The ramifications of Polk's presidency resound down to our own day. The most controversial action he took was the invasion of Mexico. Criticism by a young congressman by the name of Abraham Lincoln's hurt Lincoln's re-election to the congress. It was a war that saw action by Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, and many others who would later fight in the Civil War. Polk's decision is still debated on ethical grounds. Grant later wrote, "I was bitterly opposed to the [Texas annexation], and to this day regard the war, which resulted, as one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger against a weaker nation."Polk was a fervent believer in Manifest Destiny and is the president considered most influential in expanding the U.S. across the continent. He was a lifelong slave-holder and was considered by abolitionists to be a tool of the pro-slavery powers.