Existing comment:
James K. Polk Medal
Of the large number made, only 34 medals were given out during the Polk presidency. Most of the mint's production was melted down to make subsequent medals. During this period the United States acquired over one million square miles of land by annexing the Texas Republic, dividing the Oregon Country with Great Britain by treaty and taking Mexico's northern territories by conquest.
Indians living in these lands, especially in California, were subject to attacks and displacement. |