Non-fiction: Inaugural Address (March 4, 1845)

Overview
James K. Polk’s inaugural address of March 4, 1845 presents a compact creed of Jacksonian democracy married to an assertive but peaceable vision of national expansion. He frames the presidency as a trust to preserve the Constitution, uphold the Union, and administer a frugal government, while signaling priorities that would define his single term: fiscal orthodoxy, limited federal power, and the orderly enlargement of the nation’s boundaries. The tone is sober and constitutional rather than rhetorical, emphasizing duty, legal restraint, and national harmony.

Constitutional Principles and the Union
Polk grounds his program in a strict construction of the Constitution. Federal powers are enumerated and limited; all residuary authority remains with the states and the people. He ties majority rule to minority rights, warning that sectional agitation and power-grabbing undermine republican liberty. The executive, in his telling, must execute the laws, refrain from usurpation, and cooperate with Congress within constitutional bounds. Civil and religious liberties, trial by jury, the independence of the judiciary, and a free press are invoked as pillars of self-government. The Union is not only a legal compact but the safeguard of individual freedom and national prosperity.

Economy, Public Lands, and Internal Improvements
Polk pledges an economical administration, opposing a national debt beyond pressing necessity and favoring the Independent Treasury to separate public finances from private banking. He rejects a national bank as unconstitutional and dangerous, and he supports a tariff calibrated for revenue rather than for protection of specific interests, cautioning against policies that transfer wealth through government favoritism. On public lands, he argues they are a common inheritance to be managed for the nation’s benefit, with terms encouraging settlement while providing revenue, and he repudiates schemes to distribute land proceeds to the states. Internal improvements by the federal government should be confined to objects of clear national character; local projects belong to the states lest partial legislation and patronage corrupt the system.

Territorial Expansion and Foreign Policy
Polk links continental expansion to constitutional process and peaceful diplomacy. He welcomes the annexation of Texas as the product of reciprocal consent and as an enlargement that strengthens the Union. Recognizing tensions with Mexico, he expresses a resolve to seek amicable adjustment, privileging negotiation over force. On the Pacific Northwest, he asserts a clear and strong American title to Oregon, coupled with a willingness to settle the boundary by fair negotiation with Great Britain. More broadly, he recommits to a foreign policy of friendship with all and entanglement with none, reiterating the American principle that European powers should not extend their political systems on this continent. The nation will avoid interference in European wars while maintaining adequate naval and military means to defend commerce, citizens, and territory.

Domestic Harmony and Reserved Powers
Conscious of sectional sensitivities, Polk stresses that matters of domestic institution within the states are reserved by the Constitution to the states themselves. National peace depends on mutual forbearance, strict fidelity to constitutional limits, and the even-handed administration of federal power. He calls on citizens and their representatives to subordinate narrow interests to the general welfare.

Commitment and Appeal
Polk concludes by affirming personal accountability under oath, asking for cooperation from Congress and good will from the people, and invoking divine favor for an administration devoted to law, liberty, and the lasting strength of the Union.