The papers of James K. Polk (1795-1849), governor of Tennessee, representative from Tennessee, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and eleventh president of the United States, contain approximately 20,500 items dating from 1775 to 1891, with the bulk falling in the period 1830-1849. The collection includes correspondence, presidential letterbooks, diaries, speeches and messages, account and memorandum books, family papers, financial and legal records, printed matter, portraits, and other papers relating chiefly to Polk’s political career in Tennessee and on the national level.

Reporting on the nomination of James K. Polk for president at the 1844 Democratic National Convention.

(manuscript copy)

The complete Abraham Lincoln Papers from the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress consists of approximately 20,000 documents. The collection is organized into three "General Correspondence" series that include incoming and outgoing correspondence and enclosures, drafts of speeches, and notes and printed material.

This collection consists of over 15,000 pieces of sheet music registered for copyright during the years 1820 to 1860.

This collection contains a large selection of congressional material related to James Polk's political career as a member of the House of Representatives and U.S. president. Search this collection by date and publication to find materials related to Polk.

The Congressional Globe presents congressional debate and presidential messages from Polk's service in the House of Representatives (1825-39) and his presidency (1845-49).

The United States Congressional Serial Set on this site contains a selection of House and Senate documents and reports.

The United States Statutes at Large contains the full text of all the laws enacted, proclamations issued, and treaties ratified during Polk's presidency.

The collection comprises first-person narratives, early histories, historical biographies, promotional brochures, and books of photographs in an attempt to capture in words and pictures a distinctive region as it developed between the onset of European settlement and the first quarter of the twentieth century.

This collection is comprised of over 29,000 images primarily of architectural subjects including interiors and exteriors of homes, stores, offices, factories, historic buildings, and other structures. The collection contains more than twenty photographs of Polk's residence in Columbia, Tennessee.

Historic American newspapers selected and contributed by state partners in the National Digital Newspaper Program. Search this collection to find newspaper articles that reference James Polk from this time period.

The Printed Ephemera collection comprises 28,000 primary-source items dating from the seventeenth century to the present and encompasses key events and eras in American history. While the broadside format represents the bulk of the collection, there are a significant number of leaflets and some pamphlets. Search the collection to find items related to James Polk, including the proclamation announcing that war had been declared on Mexico.