Polk-+Edison

James K. Polk

My "I am..." person is James K. Polk. This person made me interested because he was the 11th president and he led the successful Mexican-American War. He was an intelligent president working hard to fix banks and lower taxes. What I knew about this president from the moment I started researching was that he was the 11th president of the United States. His wife was named Sarah, but he had no children. He was a very devious man. Some questions that came into my mind was why didn't he have any children if he was married to a wife named Sarah? I thought every man and woman who gets married should get a child.

My primary historical question is, "Why was James K. Polk motivated for leading the successful Mexican-American War?"

**Primary Sources

Document: ** http://link.tsl.state.tx.us/exhibits/annexation/part4/jas_polk_apr23_1844_2.jpg
 * ** James K. Polk's papers: http://www.loc.gov/rr/mss/text/polk.html **
 * Annexation: http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/exhibits/annexation/part4/jas_polk_apr23_1844_1.jpg

Video/Audio:
 * About James K. Polk: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-svYiVLr_nBk/james_k_polk/

Visual:
 * Photos of James K. Polk: http://www.picsearch.com/pictures/celebrities/american%20presidents/james%20polk.html

Quotes: http://equotes.wetpaint.com/page/James+K+Polk+Quotes
 * "No president who performs his duties faithfully and conscientiously can have any leisure."
 * "With me it is exceptionally true that the Presidency is no bed of roses."
 * "I am heartily rejoiced that my term is so near its close. I will soon cease to be a servant and will become a sovereign."
 * "There is more selfishness and less principle among members of Congress than I had any conception of, before I became President of the U.S."
 * "Foreign powers do not seem to appreciate the true character of our government."

**Secondary Sources** 

Websites: 
 * Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_K._Polk
 * James K. Polk Official Website: http://www.jameskpolk.com/new/

 **Podcast: media type="file" key="SS Project.mp3"** This is the podcast about me talking about James K. Polk and answering the historical question I researched about.