Videos

Author and historian Amy Greenberg talked about how the Mexican-American War set the stage for the Civil War. This event was hosted by the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College.

First ladies scholars reconsidered the lives and legacies of Sarah Polk, Mary Lincoln, and Lady Bird Johnson. They looked at how the women were viewed in their own times, and how history…

Historians explored President James K. Polk’s views on federal mining and land policies, the environment, and religion. This talk was part of a two-day conference marking the completion of the…

This program featured five views of President James K. Polk’s politics and times, from his relationship with predecessor Martin Van Buren to his role as a wartime chief executive. This panel was…

Paul Finkelman and Conover Hunt talked about the life and influence of first ladies Sarah Polk, Margaret Taylor, and Abigail Fillmore. They responded to telephone calls and electronic communications. Sarah…

Joseph Wheelan explores the Mexican-American War of 1846 to 1848. The author chronicles President James Polk’s desire to acquire California via war and the popular dissent that followed the start of the war…

John Seigenthaler talked about his book, James K. Polk, published by Times Books. He described Polk as key to the U.S. westward expansion, and who carried forward the idea of Jacksonian…

Penn State Professor Amy Greenberg talked about her book, Lady First: The World of First Lady Sarah Polk.

Wayne Moore showed items from the James K. Polk and Andrew Johnson collections that are housed at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. He showed items such as letters, photographs, and cartoons related…

Amy Greenberg, history and women’s studies professor at Penn State University, talked about her book, A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico, in which she…

In the eleventh in a series on American presidents, the life and career of James Polk was discussed. Mr. Seale talked about President Polk and the events of his presidency, including the acquisition of…

John Holtzapple led a tour of the James K. Polk Ancestral Home in Columbia, Tennessee. It is the only surviving home -- save the White House -- in which the eleventh president lived. He…

Robert Merry talked about his book A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent (Simon & Schuster; November 3, 2009). The 11th president, James…

Scott Warren gave a tour of the birthplace of James K. Polk, 11th president of the United States, and talked about his life and accomplishments. C-SPAN’s Local Content Vehicles (LCVs) on their…

A short summary was given of President James K. Polk’s accomplishments and life history.

Walter Borneman talked about his book Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America (Random House, April 8, 2008). In his book he recounts the tenure of former President James K. Polk…

Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Foley, Director of the U.S. Marine Band, talked about the origins of “Hail to the Chief,” which was originally a popular song in the early 19th century, but…

Members of a President’s Day panel talked about the presidential biographies they wrote for Times Books' American Presidents series. Arthur Schlesinger, the general editor of the series,…

Professor Johannsen talked about the career of President Polk and why he has consistently been labeled by historians as a “near great” president. He talked about Polk’s nomination by the…

John Holtzapple, Director, James K. Polk Memorial Association, focused on a window dedicated to President Polk at the First United Methodist Church in Columbia, Tennessee.