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James K. Polk

James K. Polk. Lived 1795-1849 Presidency 1845-1849 Served as Speaker of the House and Governor of Tennessee Democrat Last “strong” Pre-American Civil War President. 1845

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James K. Polk

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  1. James K. Polk • Lived 1795-1849 • Presidency 1845-1849 • Served as Speaker of the House and Governor of Tennessee • Democrat • Last “strong” Pre-American Civil War President.

  2. 1845 • The Great Potato Famine begins in Ireland. It’s potato crop is infected with a potato blight (fungus). The Great Famine causes a large wave of Irish immigration to the United States to escape starvation and disease. • Goals: Polk’s Administration 1. the re-establishment of the Independent Treasury System, 2. the reduction of tariffs, 3. acquisition of some or all the Oregon boundary dispute, “54° 40' N or Fight” 4. and the purchase of California from Mexico.

  3. June 1846 England and America compromise on the Oregon Country, setting the boundary between the British and America at the 49° N Parallel

  4. December 29,1845 Texas officially becomes a state. Polk sends Zachary Taylor down to the Texas Territory to build a fort in the disputed territory hoping to provoke an attack by the Mexican Army

  5. Mexican War 1846-1847 • 1846 • Transcendentalist, Henry David Thoreau, went to jail rather than pay a tax to support the Mexican War. By doing this he was practicing his belief of “civil disobedience”. • Polk’s 3 Part Plan • American troops would drive Mexican forces out of the disputed border region in Texas, Rio Grande River Valley, and make the border secure. • The U.S. would seize New Mexico and California. • American forces would take Mexico City.

  6. The Peace Treaty 1848 • Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo signed in Feb. 1848 ended the war with Mexico. • Mexico gave up all land claims to Texas, Rio Grande became Texas border. • Mexico ceded California, Arizona, and New Mexico to the U.S. • In return the U.S. gave Mexico $15 million.

  7. California • Gold Rush 1848-1852 • Gold is discovered by John Sutter at Sutter’s Mill in Northern California. • Those who arrived in 1849 were known as the Forty-Niners • People built new communities called Boomtowns. • Levi Strauss sold the miners sturdy pants made of denim and it made him rich.

  8. Effect of Gold Rush: 1. There was a rush of settlers to California 2. It pushed many American Indians off their lands 3. population of California quickly rises to the amount required for statehood 4. California’s proximity to Pacific Ocean led to an increase of immigration from Asian nations

  9. A Religious Refuge in Utah • 1846 • 12,000 Mormons made the migration from Illinois to present-day Salt Lake City Utah because they were being persecuted for their religious beliefs. • Mormons called their area the Desert and with hard work and determination they made the desert flourish. • 1850 • Utah was not easily incorporated into the U.S., they often had conflicts with Federal Officials, In 1857 and 1858 war almost broke out between the Mormons and the U.S. Army

  10. 1848 • Elizabeth Cady Stanton and a few other women organized the first women’s rights conventions in Seneca Falls, New York. • 1849 • Harriet Tubman Escapes • After fleeing slavery from captivity in Maryland, Tubman returns south at least 15 times to help rescue several hundred others.

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