Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America

While I would recommend "Polk" to all fans of the period I would caution that it seems to lack a little in the life of the man. While I doubt that this is the fault of the biographer since outside of his presidential diary - Polk did not leave a large written record. Borneman deicated less than 20 pages to Polk's early life, and hardly mentions his times growing up in Pineville, N.C. - my question is this because there is little known or was it left out to help the book flow?

Having mentioned this fault, I do find the book to be both readable and entertaining. In fact, Broneman has written one of the best political accounts of the turmaoil that lasted between the end of Jackson's term and the end of Polk's.

My final tally - if you are looking for a biography that is an equal of "John Adams" you may be disappoined, but if you are looking for an interesting overview of the 1830's and 1840's.. you probably have found the very best possible book!

Score "B+"

One of the main contentions of Walter R. Borneman in "Polk" is that the "Dark Horse" label does not truly apply to James K. Polk. In agreeing with this statement, one might only contend that history's retrospective review of Polk's presidency often trivializes his accomplishments. Thus, he may be seen as a "dark horse" in the pantheon of great presidents.

In comparison to other biographies on Polk, this may be the most complete. As I suspect other readers did, I felt I learned a great deal reading this book. At times the dialogue becomes too engulfed in military speak, but this is a forgiveable offense. Westward expansion did engage the United States in significant conflict. As a result, much of the text during Polk's presidency is focused in the conflict.

James K. Polk only sought one term as president. Unlike Borneman, some biographers have recorded this as a boastful and perhaps arrogant belief that Polk could accomplish all he wanted in one term. In fact, Polk was simultaneously appeasing the whigs that wanted a one term limit and the democrats to support him in the hopes that they could win the White House in four years. Polk expressed four goals for his presidential term: reduce the tariff, establish an independent treasury, acquire the Oregon territory, and acquire New Mexico and California from Mexico. Although Texas was a central focus of Polk's campaign, it would be admitted to the Union only weeks before Polk took office.

Polk was unpopular among certain colleagues. For this reason, the legacy of Polk is somewhat forgotten. Living only 103 days after leaving the White House also did not help to highlight his legacy. More than 150 years after Polk's death, people are awakening to Polk's importance in American history. The biography penned by Walter R. Borneman is commendable in moving toward this progress. It may be the best written, most thorough biography of Polk available.

I didn't know squat about James Polk and now I do. Isn't that the point.

The period between Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln is by far the least studied period of my "historical hobby." I picked this book up on a business trip in Canada and read it in a week.

First, it is an easy read. It goes into just enough detail to keep you interested but not too much detail to cause you to lose interest. Second, the book is not long for no reason. I've read a lot of biographers and many times I think authors want to write a 900+ page account of someone just because they think people will think it is better or more complete if it is 900+ pages instead of 300+.

I couldn't disagree more. This book was the perfect length. Polk was a one-term President who didn't serve in congress during critical legislation. The big thing about Polk was American expansionism and the author treats that in very fine fashion.

I really enjoyed this book completely and would recommend it to anyone wanting a solid account of Polk the man and Polk the President. If you are a "Polk" lover than maybe you should read something more detailed but for a guy like me it was perfect.

This, in some ways, will be a tortured and conflicted review. My interest in this book and President Polk comes out of an overall general interest in late 1840s American History. Bernard DeVoto termed 1846 a year of decision. Polk came to office and declared he would only serve one term and listed what he wanted to accomplish and left office four years later accomplishing all his goals. He went on to live only 103 days into his retirement. Borneman's book is more a political biography than personal and no doubt Borneman tries to present a warts and all biography but he does truly admire Polk's accomplishments, especially the expansion of United States territory. Yet the book gives very short focus to the impact Polk's War and goals had on the people at the time (history not being written by the losers). At best Polk's war of expansion, the War with Mexico, appears today as an immoral war of choice which also had a huge impact on Native Americans, Mexicans, and slaves which Polk owned. Borneman pays small attention to Polk (as an Andrew Jackson man) supporting policies that lead to a great economic collapse (no national banks) and slow development of national infrastructure (they did not believe that internal improvements such as roads, railroads, bridges were the responsibility of the federal government). The book focuses mainly on the territory conquest and how Polk marketed his predetermined desire to expand U.S. territory into Mexican and British held areas. Polk started the Mexican American war so he could force Mexico to sell us part of Texas and much of the current Southwest United States. The then young anti-war congressman Abraham Lincoln challenged the war, its cause, motivation and conduct by saying the war had been "unnecessarily and unconstitutionally begun by the President of the United States.". Borneman points out very well in his book that Polk changed forever the Presidents use of War Powers. Polk went to war and then asked congress to approve what he had done by saying congress needed to "support the troops". Up until this time Presidents waited on Congress to take the lead and declare war which is Congress's responsibility under the constitution. So Polk, as Borneman sees it, was a large first step on the road to the modern Imperial War Presidency (of George Bush?). Lincoln worried that if the President had such powers that it would "Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so, whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such purpose -- and you allow him to make war at pleasure." (Sound familiar?) So why am I so conflicted in my review? Well I do live in California which most likely would not be part of the United States today without Polk's clear, go it alone, headstrong focus and determination. And now I know for sure we stole it fair and square by forcing Mexico to sell it at gun point. Overall Borneman has done a good job of making Polk's case and placing Polk and policies in the context of the times. However, the presentation although readable is not as readable as I would have liked. It came alive more when the personal nature of the man is presented and becomes to dry and slow when its all about policy. I actually think that Borneman's Polk is interesting enough that a more fully expanded personal and social biography might be enjoyable. I recommend with some reservation unless you're just not interested in what Presidential power can accomplish no matter what the constitution has to say about the means.

For any faults it may have, if you want to read a 1-volume full biography of James K. Polk, this and Robert Merry's book are your only choices (at least in the last 50 years or so). I haven't read Merry's book, so I cannot make that comparison.

Strengths: fascinating subject, full modern scholarship, reasonable length, excellent description of the times and political context in whick Polk lived and served, long overdue treatment of such a notable president.

Weaknesses: focused on his political life to near exclusion of his personal life, one of the more notable First Ladies got extremely short shrift, much stronger in explaining the "whats" than the "whys."

Bottom line: I enjoyed it and am extremely glad it was written (I did not want to have to read McCormac's 80-year-old bio or Sellers' 2-volume set from the 1960s), but I would have liked to know more about Polk personally and his family.

Polk
The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America
By Walter R. Borneman

If asked to name those who have served as President of the United States, few average Americans would be able to offer more than a handful of names. Among those least likely to be named is that of James Knox Polk our eleventh president. Yet, in a 1948 poll of leading historians conducted by the late Arthur Schlesinger, Polk ranked tenth in a list of twenty-nine. Why, one wonders, would a former president rank so highly among historians, while remaining comparatively unknown to the average American? In his new biography of Polk, historian Walter R. Borneman (1812 The War That Forged A Nation and The French and Indian War) takes a fresh look at Polk, the man and his presidency.
The period between the administrations of Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln has sometimes been seen as something of a drought, lacking a forceful, dynamic president. Yet as Borneman skillfully points out, Polk proved, by far, to be the strongest of the pre-Civil War presidents, greatly expanding the executive powers of the office and acquiring a huge chunk of territory for the U.S. Interestingly enough he accomplished all of this as a one-term president, having vowed at the outset not to run for reelection.
The author's captivating style illuminates Polk's life and his not inconsiderable accomplishments as president. It was Polk who, in 1844, finally settled the long disputed Oregon question that brought the present states of Oregon and Washington into the Union and in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War it was Polk's political adroitness (through the Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo) that also added California and virtually all of the Southwest. Thus, with the exception of a small strip of extreme southern Arizona and New Mexico (added five years later in 1853 with the Gadsden Purchase), Polk completed the formation of the contiguous United States. No president since Thomas Jefferson added as much territory to the U.S. as Polk: more than a million square miles of territory. Polk also played an active role in bringing Texas into the Union.

Polk The Man Who Transformed the Presidency is an insightful and beautifully written biography that will doubtless move Polk from the shadows of history into the forefront of those chief executives who have had a dramatic impact on the development of the United States.

James Polk, I learned from Walter Borneman, set four objectives for his presidency and achieved them. Two of those objectives resulted in a 38% increase in US land mass, fulfilling the manifest destiny yearnings of his era. Polk ranks high among historians but is unknown among the general population. Andrew Jackson, his mentor, accomplished a lot less and lives on in the national consciousness and the $20 bill.

This book won't bring Polk's legacy forward, but for those who are interested it does a good job of defining his presidency. The book shows how Polk met the constraints any manager meets, the biggest of which are people problems. A century before Peter Drucker, Polk demonstrates the ability to set a goal and focus.

Borneman does little to define Polk's character or personality. You do not feel you know Polk, nor any other key people of this time. One example is that while Sarah Polk's name appears here and there and is defined in 2 page summary at the end, the reader really doesn't see what that role is. Is she an assistant or hostess? Confidante or an advisor? What did she influence and how?

Polk's cabinet and army included not just rivals but contenders for his position. Each had a reason to minimize his achievements and with Polk's death, so soon after his presidency, this has to be a big factor in halting his influence and historical presence. Polk had no heir carry his flame. He had no wealth to found a university or hospital. There was no big constituency with an interest in preserving his name.

If his presidency were to be viewed today, among the general public, Polk might still not achieve the status the historians accord him. Americans, proud of their coast to coast country, might not approve of Polk's means of achieving it. Also Polk was not only a slave owner, but also was a preserver of the status quo on this issue.

This book can serve as a basis for later works. Its author puts forward a lot of important material. Borneman didn't inspire my interest in Polk, (and irritated me with nick names - "Old Bullion", "Rough and Ready", "The Red Fox") but he did pique my interest in this less heralded period of American history.

James K. Polk always shows up on the best Presidents' list along with the obvious Washingtons, Jeffersons, Lincolns, etc. Mr. Borneman delineates why this is the case, in a clear, concise writing style, and illuminates both Polk's personal and political life. This book is a must-read, not only for would-be historians, but also for people like me, who had never had a complete understanding about this important period in American history.

This is a highly readable and quick-paced analysis of an often overlooked president. Polk is best known as having presided over the largest territorial expansion in our nation's history, and Borneman understandably devotes of his analysis to the foreign policy maneuvers that led to the acquisition of Texas, California, Oregon and New Mexico. I had just a few minor criticisms of the book. First, this is a pretty light read. This is good, in the sense that it is quite accessible even to those without much of a background in the subject matter. However, the book probably won't appeal to those looking for a more scholarly, academic treatment of the political and ideological conflicts underlying Polk's policies. That's not to say that Borneman ignores these underlying issues altogether, but he seems more comfortable detailing military maneuvers and describing the colorful personalities of the key players than he does in describing the ideological positions of political parties. Also, the author at times adopts a very informal, conversational voice that somewhat detracts from the seriousness of the issues he is writing about. For example, after recounting an excerpt from Polk's diary to the effect that that Polk would take a tough stance vis-à-vis Great Britain on the Oregon issue, the author writes "Take that, John Bull!"

On the whole, though, this is a very readable and fair assessment of a very important period in our country's history. And the author's preference for personality portraits works because the personalities involved, from John C. Fremont to General Santa Anna, are simply interesting. Borneman writes a convincing defense of Polk's administration while not glossing over his personal and political weaknesses.

James Polk provides a look at one of the paradigm shifts to occur in United States history. The era of expansion that occurs under Polk coupled with the changing role of the government sets the stage for what would become known as manifest destiny and the prosperity of the Gilded Age. It also serves to lay the catalyst for the Civil War and the debate about an American Empire. The author sets his book along several lines and breaks them into sections accordingly. Probably the boldest claim of the book and the one that is argued the best is that Polk was in fact not a dark horse candidate and his ascension to the presidency was part of a well orchestrated political plan. This case is well made and the campaign is covered well especially Polk's unique promise to serve only one term. The ability to free him self from political favors to get reelected ensured that he would not be a lame duck and he could use his will and political power in a time of his choosing.
One of the other strengths of the book is in exploring the internal politics of the House of Representatives and the power of Andrew Jackson. The patronage machine of Andrew Jackson helped several rising starts including Sam Houston but James Polk was always the favorite son. Exploring this patronage and unique relationships which most biographies of Polk only glaze over is one of the strengths on Borneman's. The book also gives a look at the Thomas Hart Benton faction that was crucial in western expansion.
There is a sideline constitutional issue debated throughout the book that is also worth spending some time discussing. The ability to declare war rests with the congress via the constitution however as the author demonstrates not only Polk but all presidents are able to force the congress into rubber stamping a vote for war and Polk does so with his declaration that "American blood has been split on American soil". No true patriot can resist a vote to war with that line and congress overwhelmingly approves. As the war progresses dissent from the other side becomes louder and one of the loudest voices is that of a new freshman congressman Abe Lincoln. This side story is one of the fascinating parts of the interconnected life of James Polk.
Overall this is an excellent book and well worth reading to explore this transformative era in American politics. Walter Bornerman does a brilliant job and it is easily the best I have read on James Polk.