WK4 Day 4 - "James Polk as President / Election of 1848"

February 6, 2025 Notes

On average, how many hours does a president tend to work per day?

16 hours

What two kinds of ‘work’ does a president have?

serious & ceremonial

What kind of work did Polk like as a President? What kind of work didn’t he like as President?

He liked serious work, but he hated ceremonial work.

How long did James K. Polk promise to serve for?

1 term

What was Polk’s Presidential nickname?

The Expansionist

In 1845, Polk’s belief that the US was destined by God to expand its territory across the entire North American continent was better known as?

Manifest Destiny

In what two areas did Polk promise expansion in as President?

Texas & Oregon County

In 1846, what was the original name for the 2-year war that happened between Mexicans and Americans and why?

“Mr. Polk’s War” because James Polk caused it

How many acres did the US gain for defeating Mexico in the Mexican-American war?

500,000 acres

What do we call the other large amount of westward land the US purchased in 1803?

Louisiana Purchase

What’s significant about the North & South during the Mexican-American war?

It was the last war the North & South fought together in before the Civil War

How many battles did the United States lose during the 2-year Mexican-American war?

1

In 1847, what was significant about the popularity of the Mexican-American war and why?

It was easy to recruit soldiers because everyone wanted to fight in the war

What was one major difference between US soldiers sent to battle versus Mexican soldiers sent to battle?

The US sent their best soldiers and equipment, but Mexico sent poor soldiers on parole with bad equipment to fight battles for their freedom

Whose name begins to get some recognition after fighting in the Mexican-American war? What was his nickname?

Zachary Taylor (Rough n’ Ready)

Which modern-day states did Mexico cede to the US in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in February 1848?

Texas, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado

How much guilt money did the US pay Mexico after colonizing/stealing 500,000 acres of their land?

$15 million

How many years after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 did the US obtain 500,000 more acres from the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?

45 years later (1803-1848)

When discussing westward expansion, what question/issue irked most Americans about it?

Would slavery expand out west?

What was Zachary Taylor’s position on slavery expanding out west? Why?

He didn’t really have a problem with it because he owned 400 slaves in Louisiana.

Who was the candidate for the Whig Party? Why was this weird?

Zachary Taylor. Most Whigs didn’t want slavery to expand westward, but Taylor didn’t have a problem with it.

Which Democratic candidate’s position on slavery expanding westward stuck in the Democratic Party’s political beliefs on that topic until 1860?

Lewis Cass

What was Lewis Cass’ position on slavery out west?

Popular Sovereignty. If 50,000 people moved west into a state and didn’t want slavery there, then the state would be a free state and vice versa.

Which 3rd Political Party emerged during the Election of 1848?

The Free Soil Party

What significant issue did the Free Soil Party focus on?

Stopping an expansion of slavery out west

What kind of position did the Free Soil Party have on slavery expanding westward? Was it radial or moderate?

It was moderate

Who was the Free Soil Party’s candidate?

Martin Van Buren

How many popular votes did Martin Van Buren (FSP) manage to get? How’s that amount different from the amount of popular votes James Birney got in the previous election?

291,000. It was almost 5x more than Birney had in 1844 (62,500).

How many popular and electoral college votes did Zachary Taylor (Whig) have?

1,361,000 & 163

How many popular and electoral college votes did Lewis Case (Democrat) have?

1,222,000 & 127

How many popular and electoral college votes did Martin Van Buren (Free Soil Party)³ have?

291,000 & 0

Who actually ends up winning the Election of 1848?

Zachary Taylor