Key Events in the Presidency of James K. Polk

1845

March 4, 1845

James K. Polk is inaugurated as the eleventh President of the United States.

October 10, 1845

Under the direction of Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft, the Naval Academy opens at Annapolis, Maryland.

June 25, 1845

General Zachary Taylor receives orders from Polk to move his troops from Fort Jesup in Louisiana to a position “on or near the Rio Grande” in Texas to discourage a Mexican invasion.

December 29, 1845

Texas is admitted as a slave state, making it the twenty-eighth state in the Union.

1846

February 4, 1846

The Mormon migration to Utah, led by Brigham Young, begins.

May 13, 1846

Congress declares war on Mexico after American troops, under General Zachary Taylor, clash with Mexican troops on the north bank of the Rio Grande.

June 14, 1846

In the Bear Flag Revolt, approximately thirty American settlers (anticipating the Mexican War) take over a small Mexican garrison in Sonoma, California, and declare California a free and independent republic.

June 15, 1846

The Oregon Treaty establishes the 49th parallel as the border between British and American claims to the Oregon territory, granting the United States clear title to present-day Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and Montana, while granting to Britain territory above the 49th parallel and full control over Vancouver Island.

December 28, 1846

Iowa is admitted as a free state, making it the twenty-ninth state in the Union.

1845-1846

The great Irish potato famine forces huge waves of starving immigrants to the United States, greatly increasing the populations of the nation’s metropolitan centers and sparking nativist backlashes.

August 10, 1846

Congress establishes the Smithsonian Institution.

November 1846

The Whigs regain a majority of seats in the House of Representatives.

1847

February 22-23, 1847

General Zachary Taylor defeats the Mexicans under General Santa Anna at the Battle of Buena Vista. Taylor’s victory cements his growing acclaim as a national hero and helps propel him to the 1848 Whig nomination for President.

July 22, 1847

The first Mormon emigrants arrive in the Salt Lake Valley.

September 14, 1847

General Winfield Scott takes Mexico City, adding pressure to the Mexican government to submit to the demands of James K. Polk and sign a treaty of peace.

1848

January 24, 1848

James Marshall discovers gold near Sacramento, California. The discovery begins the massive migrations of the California gold rush, allowing the territory to become a state and setting off fierce debates over whether to admit California as a free or slave state.

February 2, 1848

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the Mexican War and grants the United States vast territories, including all or large parts of present-day California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming, and confirms the incorporation of Texas as part of the United States. The acquisition of these lands aggravates growing sectionalism in the country over the future of slavery in the Union.

May 29, 1848

Wisconsin is admitted as a free state, making it the thirtieth state in the Union.

November 7, 1848

Zachary Taylor is elected the twelfth President of the United States.

November 1848

Democrats regain a majority of seats in the House of Representatives.

1849

March 3, 1849

The United States Department of Interior is created. It combines the General Land Office, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Pension Office, the Bureau of the Census, and the Patent Office into a single department.

March 5, 1849

Zachary Taylor is inaugurated as the twelfth President of the United States.