A Country of Vast Designs

President James K. Polk, often overlooked yet ever-consequential, comes to life in this “compelling, perceptive” ( The Wall Street Journal ) biography of the 11th President of the United States, Andrew Jackson ’s protégé, and champion of “manifest destiny.” When James K. Polk was elected president in 1844, the United States was locked in a bitter diplomatic struggle with Britain over which country would inherit the rich lands of the Oregon Territory. Texas, not yet part of the Union, was beset b