James K. Polk's Influence On Political Interest

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James K. Polk was the 11th president of the United States, and the last Jacksonian to hold the office. Polk was born in North Carolina in 1795, the eldest of ten children. He moved to Tennessee when his father, Samuel Polk, got a job as a land surveyor and businessman. Growing up, Polk was very sick, and even had to undergo a urinary stone operation as a teenager. Polk’s political interests were likely influenced by his father, who was a staunch supporter of Jacksonian politics ("James K. Polk.").
In 1818, Polk graduated from the University of North Carolina at the top of his class and was admitted to the Tennessee bar in 1820. He practiced law under Felix Grundy, which had a major impact on his future political career because Grundy was later elected to the U.S. Senate and eventually became Van Buren’s attorney general. He also got a taste of politics from his position as a clerk in the Tennessee Senate (Freidel and Sidey). In 1823, Polk was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives where he served until he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1825. In 1835, he became Speaker of the House, and in 1839 he won the Tennessee gubernatorial race ("James K. Polk.").
Polk wanted to be Van Buren’s running mate in the 1844 presidential election. However, due to the …show more content…
This led to a clear split in both parties since all northerners supported it and all southerners opposed it. This conflict threatened to split the Democratic Party, as many of Polk’s southern supporters began to support John C. Calhoun, who was pro-slavery. This issue lasted the rest of Polk’s term since he wanted to extend the Missouri Compromise line of 36°30' throughout all of the American territories. The issue of slavery now was bigger than ever and was clearly dividing the nation
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