James K. Polk: A Resource Guide

American Memory Historical Collections

Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress

The complete Abraham Lincoln Papers from the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress consists of approximately 20,000 documents. The collection is organized into three "General Correspondence" series that include incoming and outgoing correspondence and enclosures, drafts of speeches, and notes and printed material. The collection includes a printed copy of the Treaty with Republic of New Grenada proclaimed by President James K. Polk on June 12, 1848.

The African-American Experience in Ohio: Selections from the Ohio Historical Society

The collection is a selection of manuscripts and printed text and images drawn from the collections of the Ohio Historical Society. It illuminates the history of black Ohio from 1850 to 1920, a story of slavery and freedom, segregation and integration, religion and politics, migrations and restrictions, harmony and discord, and struggles and successes. The collection includes a newspaper clipping, "Who is James K. Polk?"

America's First Look into the Camera: Daguerreotype Portraits and Views, 1839-1864

The Library's daguerreotype collection consists of more than 725 photographs dating from 1839 to 1864. Portrait daguerreotypes produced by the Mathew Brady studio make up the major portion of the collection. The collection includes an image of James Polk.

An American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera

The Printed Ephemera collection comprises 28,000 primary-source items dating from the seventeenth century to the present and encompasses key events and eras in American history. Search the bibliographic records and the full text option to find items related to James Polk, including the proclamation announcing that war had been declared on Mexico.

Architecture and Interior Design for 20th Century America: Photographs by Samuel Gottscho and William Schleisner, 1935-1955

The collection is comprised of over 29,000 images primarily of architectural subjects, including interiors and exteriors of homes, stores, offices, factories, historic buildings, and other structures. The collection contains more than twenty photographs of Polk's residence in Columbia, Tennessee.

By Popular Demand: Portraits of the Presidents and First Ladies, 1789-Present

This collection presents portraits of U.S. presidents and first ladies, including two of James Polk and one of Sarah Childress Polk.

The Capital and the Bay: Narratives of Washington and the Chesapeake Bay Region, ca. 1600-1925

The collection comprises first-person narratives, early histories, historical biographies, promotional brochures, and books of photographs in an attempt to capture in words and pictures a distinctive region as it developed between the onset of European settlement and the first quarter of the twentieth century. Search the full text option to find items related to James Polk, including a recollection of President Polk's Inauguaration in chapter 5 of the Recollection of Men and Things at Washington, During the Third of a Century.

A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875

This collection contains a large selection of congressional material related to James Polk's political career as a member of the House of Representatives and U.S. president. Search this collection by date and publication to find materials related to Polk.

• The Congressional Globe presents congressional debate and presidential messages from Polk's service in the House of Representatives (1825-39) and his presidency (1845-49), including his message to Congress on May 11, 1846, asking for a declaration of war on Mexico.
• The United States Congressional Serial Set on this site contains a selection of House and Senate documents and reports such as House Executive Document No. 60, which reprinted all of President Polk's messages associated with the Mexican War.
• The United States Statutes at Large contains the full text of all the laws enacted, proclamations issued, and treaties ratified during Polk's presidency, including the declaration of war against Mexico, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and the Oregon Treaty.

"I Do Solemnly Swear...": Presidential Inaugurations

This collection contains approximately 400 items relating to presidential inaugurations, including Polk's inauguration in 1845, the last one attended by Dolley Madison.

Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music, 1820-1860 & 1870-1885

The collection includes popular songs, operatic arias, piano music, sacred and secular choral music, solo instrumental music, method books and instructional materials, and music for band and orchestra. The collection contains the sheet music to "President James K. Polk’s Grand March and Quick Step."

The Nineteenth Century in Print: Periodicals

The collection presents twenty-three popular periodicals digitized by Cornell University Library and the Preservation Reformatting Division of the Library of Congress. They include literary and political magazines, as well as Scientific American, Manufacturer and Builder, and Garden and Forest: A Journal of Horticulture, Landscape Art, and Forestry. Search the bibliographic records and the full text option to find items related to James Polk, including the article President Polk's Administration from the Atlantic Monthly.

Words and Deeds in American History: Selected Documents Celebrating the Manuscript Division's First 100 Years

In honor of the Manuscript Division's centennial, its staff has selected for online display approximately ninety representative documents spanning from the fifteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. The collection contains a copy of letter from James Polk to the Committee of the Democratic National Convention accepting the Democratic presidential nomination.