In this episode of Unpresidented, we move on from the do-nothing president to the man responsible for taking more land than any other US leader in history. James K. Polk's fierce persistence and vital political connections fed him a steady, stable political career, driven to fulfilling his political party's aspirations. 

When his name entered the fray at the 1844 Democratic Convention, no one thought they were gambling away the nation's future by considering Polk to take the nomination. Unlike his mentor, Andrew Jackson, Polk was coming into a nomination as a highly experienced, seasoned politician, who was less vulnerable to making impulsive decisions.

Polk's presidency, though, became one of the most consequential in US history, and possibly the most when just considering one-term presidents. Though he leaves office as a hero, he also leaves the nation with irreparable problems in its power structures, that seal an inevitable Civil War in just 12 years time.

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