Robyn Shapiro

James K. Polk is often considered to be the first “dark horse” candidate in Presidential elections. The Democrats, as a party rule, required that the nominated candidate receive a two-thirds majority at the convention. Five other individuals ran for the nomination and it was not until the eighth ballot that Polk’s name was even introduced. Thus, although Polk won the ninth ballot, and therefore the nomination, he remained relatively obscure, allowing his Whig opponents to rally around the slogan of “Who is James. K. Polk?”.

In the beginning of my campaign video, I wanted to captivate the viewer. The image that changes from red to white to blue is an illustration of an American Flag on a staff topped by a glowing liberty cap. Both this illustration and the title “For President: James K. Polk of Tennessee” are from a Democratic election ticket in Maryland.[1]

Polk had held a number of public offices including the speakership, but after finding many newspaper articles questioning who Polk even was, I decided that it was important to define him more strongly in terms of his character and adherence to Democratic principles than by his experience. The first picture I use of Polk was a print created in 1844 and would have been how he appeared in the election.[2] “Young Hickory” was a term used pervasively through a number of articles and was an obvious direct connection to President Jackson, “Old Hickory.” Jackson was still a looming figure in the Party who most strongly represented the ideals to which it strove to achieve. The three quotes that follow all came from an article attempting to answer the Whig question and all worked to keep the Jackson and Democrat theme strong while also helping to make Polk appear more qualified.[3]

Jackson and Polk had grown up in the same town and appeared quite friendly. Jackson, throughout the election had written a number of letters on behalf of Polk. To keep the Jackson theme ever present in the video I flashed a banner “Jackson and Liberty” across the screen to introduce quotes given by Jackson on Polk’s character. This banner appeared on another electoral ticket, demonstrating that the connection to Jackson was very much a part of actual campaign strategy.[4] Jackson’s words appear alongside a picture.[5] The character description is part of a longer letter in which Jackson describes Polk in detail.[6]

Polk had been extremely pro-Texas, but in the election where the issue was quite heated Polk, while still remaining a supporter, slightly tempered his discussion of the issue. Consequently, I wanted to include a mention of Texas in the video without excessive attention. The political cartoon shows Polk standing to the right of a bridge over “Salt River,” where he beckons Texas, welcoming them as brothers. The Whigs that opposed annexation rush down the river.[7] I then included a map of Texas[8] and a quote from the Massachusetts Democrats explaining that expansion would allow for the “extension of freedom.”[9] Polk displayed similar tact with the issue of tariffs and banking. He seemed to approve of a tariff only for revenue but pivoted back to arguing for a vague financial system that would benefit the entirety of the people. The quotation above the picture of the long gone Bank of the U.S.[10] is a direct quote of Polk found in an article reporting the events at a Democratic county convention.[11]

To solidify my establishment of Polk’s character I used another glowing Jackson quotation,[12] this time next to a commanding portrait of Polk that I now recognize is after the election.[13]

Finally to end the video, I decided to use a portion of an article that I thought comically undermined the Whig’s slogan. Instead of accepting the question of “Who is James K. Polk,” the author commented that Polk would be the next President.[14]