James K Polk was the most efficient president in the history of the United States of America

Yet, because of his short term he is often overlooked in the grander scheme of American history. He actually made several important contributions to America during his years. Here are his accomplishments 1) Tariff Reduction Tariffs are an issue that has been present on America's political stage ever since its inception, and the years of Polk's administration were no different. Before James K Polk had been in office, the tariff had been raised substantially, and the democrats wanted to see the tariff lowered. In 1846, Polk signed the Walker Tariff into law, lowering the rate of the tariff. The new tariff was a quiet success that is often disregarded by history. It created an increase in the amount of trade America saw, most notably with Britain (This will be important later). This increase in trade also brought about an increase of revenue for the treasury(1) While not the most exciting of topics, Polk's tariff reduction was a very important step in his presidency 2) Independent treasury The creation of an independent treasury in 1846 was another quite, yet important act under Polk's administration. Back then, the banking system was in shambles. There had been two national banks of the United States, the first one created after the revolution (and having its charter expire in 1811)(2), and the second created in 1812 and expiring in 1836. (3) A major controversy erupted between democrats and Whigs over the banking issue. The national bank came into often conflict between itself and state/local banks, and in 1836 it was not renewed. The Panic of 1837 ensued, causing commerce to fail throughout the country. By Polk's time, the Whigs wanted to create a third national bank, while democrats wantin an independent treasury. Polk created in 1846 the Independent Treasury, which was meant to correct the issues the American banking system had at the time. The number of banks actually rose during this time, as did their deposits and circulation(4). Not very exciting, but important nonetheless. 3) Territorial expansion This was Polk's most important action as president, and he did quite a bit in this field. After Texas was absorbed into the United States, it became apparent that conflict with Mexico would arise. The Mexicans felt as though they had been slighted through the affair. That said, they still retained a large amount of land in America, including what is now California, Nevada, New Mexico, etc. Polk was a supporter of Manifest Destiny. He saw the expansion of America in the continent as a major priority, and knew he would have to go through Mexico to do it. After a brief skirmish on the Mexican border, the Mexican American War began. While the merits of the war itself are flimsy, the reward for this was not. the Americans won the war fairly decisively, and in 1848 the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed. This treaty handed over present day California, Nevada, Utah, parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado and Wyoming to the United States(5). This is a huge expansion of territory, only rivaled by the Louisiana Purchase a few decades earlier. The border dispute between Texas was finally fixed at the Rio Grande. Gaining this territory was a huge step forward for America's future. He also is responsible for acquiring the Oregon Territory. The British and Americans had disputed what is today Oregon, Idaho, and Washington for years. It had become sore spot in the relation between the nations since he War of 1812. Polk was able to have the border drawn at 49th parallel. (6) This wasn't the full territory he had hoped for, but he did manage to gain a substantial amount of land anyway. This didn't make relations with Britain much better, however the increased trade as a result of the lowered tariff did help to make the transition more amicable. All these actions would have been a great accomplishment for any president, however the most amazing part of his presidency is that he did it all in one term. After the completion of his first term, he decided not to run for a second one. Part of the reason was that he had done so much that he was worn out from the job, but a major reason was that he had done everything he had set out to do. Why should he run for a second term if he had accomplished all of his goals? This is why Polk is the most efficient president we have ever had. Was he the best? No. The most famous? Not by any means. But he did more in his four years than any other president did in their first term, and he even accomplished more than some two term presidents. He did all he needed to do in a short amount of time, making him America's most efficient president ever. 1). http://www.u-s-history.com... 2). http://www.ushistory.org... 3). http://www.u-s-history.com... 4). http://chestofbooks.com... 5). http://www.pbs.org... 6). http://www.nwcouncil.org...