James K Polk
About James K Polk
The eleventh President who fulfilled every major campaign promise in a single term. Polk acquired Oregon from Britain, California and the Southwest from Mexico, and lowered tariffs. The Mexican American War (1846-1848) gave the US vast new territory but intensified the slavery debate. Polk kept his promise to serve only one term and died three months after leaving office. He is considered one of the most effective one term presidents, having expanded US territory by one third. Polk was a protégé of Andrew Jackson.
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