President James K. Polk may not be a household name, but if you live in Texas, the southwestern United States, or the Pacific Northwest you have President Polk as the purveyor of Manifest Destiny that made that happen. Polk’s expansionist views brought a large amount of territory second only to the Louisiana Purchase under President Thomas Jefferson. Unlike Jefferson, Polk saw an impending conflict on the horizon if the issue of slavery wasn’t addressed fully. He committed to only serve one term as president in order to bridge the gap between soon-to-be warring factions.

President Polk is often associated with the Methodist tradition, in large part due to his wife. Even though he often attended a Presbyterian congregation, on his death bed he summoned the Rev. John B. McFerrin to baptize him into the Methodist tradition.