[4/10/24] 18. The Life and Legacy of President James K. Polk with Rachel Helvering

Rachel Helvering, Executive Director of The President James K. Polk Home and Museum, joins host Adam Camac to discuss the life and legacy of President James K. Polk.  The show notes page for this episode can be found at placesandprofiles.com/18.   1:20 - The guest's background and connection to President James K. Polk, why the guest has an interest in President Polk 2:41 - Early life and family background of President Polk, his upbringing, how he initially finds his way into politics 6:14 - How President Polk's wife Sarah compliments him and how she is able to later help her husband's political career 8:34 - Polk's political career prior to becoming president 11:39 - Relationship between Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk, how Jackson served as a mentor to Polk, what this relationship meant in the context of the Democratic Party at the time 14:14 - Polk's time as Governor of Tennessee 16:30 - Polk's pivot to his unlikely 1844 presidential campaign 18:35 - Polk's unlikely path to surprising victories for the Democratic nomination and in the general election, the role the issue of Texas annexation played in Polk's victory 22:15 - How the boundaries of the United States changed during Polk's presidency with Texas, Oregon, and the Mexican Cession 25:56 - Polk's approach to slavery as a politician, Polk's personal connections to slavery 28:59 - What to know about the four years of Polk's presidency 32:57 - How Sarah Polk transformed the position of First Lady and made it into what it is today, how unusual and different she was as First Lady 35:56 - How the stature of the United States on the global stage changed and how the United States was viewed from abroad during Polk's presidency 38:01 - How historians in general view Polk's presidency and how they compare him to other presidents 40:21 - Why Polk died so quickly after leaving the White House, goals he might have had that he never had the opportunity to achieve after leaving office, what happened to Sarah during the remaining 42 years of her life after her husband passed away 45:15 - Anything we missed about the Polks and their significance 46:14 - Recommended and related resources