CMV: James K. Polk is the most underrated President in American history

When people think about America's greatest Presidents, there's a few that immediately come to mind. Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, the Roosevelts, Kennedy, and Reagan (with that later ones depending on the peoples' modern day political affiliations). Broadly though, there's a few Presidents that the vast majority of Americans agree are among the best, it's amazing that Polk isn't among them.

When people think about great Presidents, one of the first criteria is winning a war. Washington won the Revolutionary War, and Lincoln won the Civil War. Polk checks that box, he won the Mexican-American War. Not only did he just win it though, but he also oversaw the largest territorial expansion in a single Presidency. He gained the Mexican cession, which spanned from Texas to California, and he also secured the Oregon Territory in a treaty with Britain. Further, he also reestablished an Independent Treasury System, lowered tariffs, and established the Smithsonian Institute and Department of Interior.

All of that's great, enough to land him in the top ten with most people when they learn that he did those things (which they should've been taught by the public education system, but I digress), but the real defining factor that makes him not just good but really one of the greats is how he achieved it all.

In the 1844 presidential election, Polk was relatively young, he was in his 40s and a dark horse candidate, and when he ran he promised to serve only one term. In an age when our government is filled with septuagenarians and octogenarians who served for decades, and when its broadly agreed upon that there should be term limits and that we've had low quality/unpopular candidates from both parties in these last few cycles (largely due to advanced age and being entrenched in party politics), it's amazing that Polk isn't more appreciated. The Roosevelts both ignored the two term precedent, and they're both viewed favorably even despite this, even though one of Washington's most well liked qualities he willingly gave up power by leaving after his second term.

With all of this in mind; his youth, his willingness to give up power, and his numerous accomplishments, I think it's crazy that he isn't viewed as one of the country's all-time greatest Presidents, and for that reason I viewed him as THE most underrated President in our history.