By some measure, James K. Polk is among the most successful presidents in American history. But what were the costs of his many achievements? Colleen talks with Matthew Costello about the nation’s first dark horse presidential candidate, his ambitions for western expansion, and the triumphs that set the United States on a path toward civil war.
Featuring Matthew Costello, Ph.D., is Chief Education Officer, the Gerard B. Lambert Foundation Chair in White House History and director of the David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History at the White House Historical Association.
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