Lady First: The World of First Lady Sarah Polk

by Amy S. Greenberg

The acclaimed author of A Wicked War now gives us the little known story of Sarah Polk: remarkably influential First Lady, and brilliant master of the art of high politics--a crucial but unrecognized figure in the history of American feminism.

At the same time as the Woman's Rights convention was taking place at Seneca Falls in 1848, First Lady Sarah Childress Polk was wielding influence unprecedented for a woman. Yet, while history remembers the women of the convention, it has all but forgotten Sarah Polk. Now, Amy Greenberg brings her story into vivid focus. We see her father raising her on the frontier to discuss politics and business as an equal with men. We see her use savvy and charm to help her brilliant but unlikeable husband ascend to the White House. And we see her exercising truly extraordinary power as First Lady: quietly manipulating elected officials, shaping foreign policy, directing a campaign in support of America's expansionist war against Mexico. Greenberg makes clear that though the Polk marriage was a partnership of equals, Sarah firmly opposed the feminist movement's demands for then-far-reaching equality. A riveting biography--and a revelation of Sarah Polk's complicated but essential part in American feminism.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, American History, Politics, 19th Century, Womens

400 pages, Hardcover

First published February 5, 2019

About the author

Amy Greenberg is Liberal Arts Research Professor of History and Women's Studies at Penn State. She is a leading scholar of Manifest Destiny and has held fellowships from the Huntington Library, the New York Historical Society, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the American Philosophical Society. Her previous books include Manifest Manhood, Antebellum American Empire, and Cause for Alarm.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like most of the presidents somewhere between John Quincey Adams and Abraham Lincoln, I have only the dimmest impression of President James Polk. Was he the one with the baby face? No? He's the one with long hair? Cool. Don't know the man. Certainly don't know his wife.
But as this biography successfully illustrates, she is a woman infinitely worth knowing.
Sarah Polk wielded incredible political power in an era when women barely possessed property rights, much less the right the vote. Her influence and political skill garnered her the reputation of the perfect Southern lady, even while behind the scenes she was the recognized manager of her husband's political campaigns and press. She leveraged female helplessness to an artform during the Civil War to keep her property together though sympathizing and maybe outright assisting southern succession. And she maintained a very strong network of family ties despite not having (and evincing no desire to have) any children herself.
Greenberg contrasts Sarah Polk's subtle but significant political power with the burgeoning women's movement happening in Seneca Falls at the same time. She casts Sarah Polk in the role of a Nancy Reagan or Phyllis Schlafly in contrast to first ladies like Hilary Clinton. But I appreciate that she leaves it there. While some interesting inferences come from the comparison, Sarah Polk manages to stand on her own in a really unique way.
In particular, I enjoyed how the book emphasizes her friendships. Whether it was the way she benefited from Dolly Madison when she first came to D.C. or the relationship she developed with Andrew Johnson, this remarkable woman knew how to network.
And while at 400 pages this biography seems quite long, when you consider all those relationships, it also feels like it barely scrapes the surface of Sarah's life.
Where I would say the bio feels weakest is also probably where the author does the best walking a fine line: with Sarah Polk's problematic legacy. On the one hand, she was an impressive role model and an amazing woman in her own right. On the other hand, her treatment of slaves while a slaveowner, her support for the Confederacy, and her refusal to adopt any of the various nieces and nephews she raised fits uneasily with our modern values. Even the way she played the 'weak female card' to get her way during the Civil War made me cringe a little.
Lady First doesn't shy away from these components—in fact, it quite bluntly brings them forward and doesn't waste too much time in direct condemnation. It places enough trust in the reader to recognize the problem and inconsistency in her behavior.
But at the same time, it also jus plain left me wanting more. There were so many elements of Sarah's life to dig into but her character flaws get so much time that they felt repetitive in contrast with everything else. I don't know how the author could have balanced it better without leaving the reader frustrated because she didn't focus enough on the bad...but that's where it left me.
Overall, though, I'd say that if you enjoy American history and biographies of strong but forgotten women, this is well worth the time.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an impressive work on the 11th woman filling the position we know as “first lady”. It shows her an able politician throughout her life. The title bows to the culture of the day: for a woman to operate on the level of Sarah Childress Polk, she had to, despite her power and influence, present herself as a “lady first”.

The first half covers her childhood through her life as first lady; the second covers her life as a widow. Throughout, the issue of slavery is squarely faced.

Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America and A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent say Sarah is active in her husband’s campaign/administration, but are not clear on what she did. Both show that James has problems with his own party as well as the opposition. Amy S. Greenberg shows through letters and reports of the time that Sarah has regular communication with powerful politicians, judges and generals. She is not just a conduit to her husband, but a filter like today's communications directors. It seems that some of Sarah’s power stems from her husband being difficult to work with.

James Polk kept his head down on the slavery issue; many did not know of his Mississippi plantation. Greenberg is clear that he worked behind the scenes to start the Mexican War to add slave territory to the US. She shows how he capitalized on it. With more demand for slaves, each of Polk’s slaves became more valuable. He purchased a 12 year old female and there is evidence showing that this was for breeding. Sarah is not a conscience for her husband; She accepts the slavery system. To support the financially strapped former first lady, Dolley Madison, Sarah hired Madison's White House slave, Paul Jennings. (Of course, Jennings had no choice in the matter nor pay.) Sarah makes no changes in the Mississippi Polk Plantation when she inherited it.

I found Polk’s widowhood even more interesting than her early political life. She is clearly the Grand Dame of Nashville. She built a giant tomb in her backyard and for over 40 years wore black. She kept the Polk mansion just as it was when James was alive. An provocative caveat regarding this marriage is James’ desire towards his life’s end to be baptized a Methodist while throughout his life he seemed to be, as his wife was, a Presbyterian. His will also has an unexpected twist that is not sympathetic to Sarah’s family.

In the Civil War Sarah entertains the Union generals. She pulls strings to get her cotton through the Union blockade and get a release of POW relatives held by the Union Army. At the same time her private sympathies are with the south: she is sewing uniforms for the Confederate Army. After the war, in addition to her pension from the country her actions defied, she appealed for funds for items taken from her Mississippi plantation in the war. Like her husband, to the general public, she appears neutral on the slavery (and by inference, secession) so after the war she is well positioned to be deferred to as a national figure of respect. In this time, her grand-niece married a founder of the Klu Klux Klan, who became a governor of Tennessee.

Sarah Childress Polk left few letters and little other writing. This book was culled from letters to her, contemporary reporting and recollections of others along with research on the issues and society of the day.

This is quite a story and should be of interest to anyone with interest in this period, particularly those who appreciate a straightforward appraisal of the issues of race and gender at this time.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best biographies of First Ladies help you learn more about their husbands as presidents and people, while also considering them as individuals apart from their husbands’ identities. They place their subjects within the context of their times, without letting the story of “the times” overwhelm that of “the life.” And, particularly for our earlier First Ladies, they make the most out of often scanty surviving documentary evidence without resorting to too much conjecture.

This biography of Sarah Polk accomplishes all of those things brilliantly. I read ten books on James K. Polk prior to reading this, and I still came away knowing more about him - and certainly more about Sarah Polk - than I did going into this. There are more personal details about the Polks’ relationship, their family and their everyday life together than you get from any Polk biography. Even interesting little anecdotes such as how Sarah was instrumental in achieving Dolley Madison’s dream of erecting the Washington Monument (for which Polk himself laid the cornerstone) and how Sarah formalized the previously unofficial use of Hail to the Chief as the presidential anthem, somehow never found their way into any other Polk book I’ve read.

While many books on our early First Ladies spend a lot of time discussing their husbands’ lives, and even many books on James Polk’s early career spend a lot of time on Andrew Jackson, this book provides the necessary background and historical context without ever straying far from Sarah Polk herself.

Because she had no children, and no need to devote her time and energy to domestic work because of the slaves she owned who would do it for her, she had plenty of time to spend on politics. From James’ first political campaign all the way until his presidency, Greenberg writes how Sarah served as James' "unofficial communications director and secretary", ran interference, met with office seekers and other politicians so James wouldn't have to, and corresponded with those who wrote her directly, recognizing her status as the gatekeeper through whom they could reach her husband. That was in addition to all of the social events she held, Dolley Madison-style, in cultivating support among lawmakers for the president and his policies.

So Greenberg’s contention that Sarah Polk was an influential First Lady who reimagined what the position could entail might be a common one, but in this case, it’s a strong and well-argued one. Since the time of Dolley Madison herself, most other First Ladies were either absent or ill and indisposed, so Sarah Polk’s mere presence, to say nothing of her political acumen, were in stark contrast to many who had come before her.

There were some complicating factors, though. Sarah Polk was far from perfect - from the minor (her husband chided her from time to time for gossiping and saying unkind things about others) to the more severe (she was an unrepentant slaveowner who helped arrange for slave purchases and sales even while in the White House, and wholeheartedly supported her husband's policy positions, some of which were controversial then and are even more so now). She was also First Lady during a time of real change - the Seneca Falls Convention took place during the Polk administration, so she was both a woman ahead of her time, while also not being quite as far ahead as others were advocating for women to be. In taking the initiative in being so politically active, "she didn't need to ask anyone for women's rights" for herself, Greenberg observes, yet she was not "willing to advocate in public" for women’s rights for others.

Since Sarah Polk outlived her husband by some four decades, her story doesn’t end with her husband’s death - fully ⅓ of the book is devoted to her life after the White House. And in many ways, it’s the most dramatic part of her life - as a Southern slaveholder living among Confederates, and a former First Lady who once represented the Union, she had to use her savvy political and personal skills just to survive. While Tennesseans feared having their property seized or pillaged by Union troops, Sarah Polk welcomed Union officers to her home and charmed them with her hospitality and her noncommitalism. While her sympathies were with the South in many ways, she “kept up a facade of her neutrality” that allowed her to successfully navigate the tumultuous era. Whether that was canny or duplicitous of her, is left for the reader to decide.

Sarah Polk spent the rest of her life wearing black in mourning for her long-dead husband, while maintaining their home as a shrine to his memory and taking every opportunity to promote his legacy at a time when his reputation was falling into decline.

This book succeeds in every respect, documenting the full life of a significant but little-known First Lady, shedding new light on the personality and presidency of her husband, all within the context of the significant social changes regarding the role and the rights of women that were occurring all around them.

While Sarah Polk ended up living a full life, you can’t help but to feel that the Polks’ story ended on a sad note with the demise of their home, Polk Place, after her death. Envisioned as a monument, a historical site and a final resting spot for the Polks themselves, it ended up in the hands of distant heirs with few if any close ties to the Polks, who sold the property, divvied up the proceeds, and counted their money as the Polks’ graves were moved and the home was torn down. Nothing but a nondescript building and a historical marker remain in downtown Nashville today, where a presidential home and museum ought to be. It’s an unfortunate coda to the story of a political power couple whose legacy is complicated, but well-deserving of study. And this book contributes a great deal toward ensuring that their stories are better known.

[Steve Donoghue]

Amy Greenberg's assertion that Sarah Polk, of all people, was responsible for revamping the way Americans conceive of the role and nature of the First Lady seems at first like a bit of a stretch, to put it mildly. But the author backs up her claims with formidable research and insight - and the result is a remarkable addition to First Lady biographies. My review: https://openlettersreview.com/open-le...

[David Dunlap · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a biography of Sarah Childress Polk, the wife of the 11th POTUS -- and something of an historical marvel or an annoyance, depending upon one's point of view. The marvel is the author's mastery of her material; the possible annoyance is how much she spins from such slender records. There are many passages like these: "Sarah probably" or "perhaps" or "certainly the Polks must have." (I confess to leaning a bit toward the annoyance end of the scale, especially for the early part of the book.) The author maintains that Sarah Polk was 'the most powerful woman in America' in 1848, and she shows how this came to pass: through native gifts of political insight and intelligence, an array of people skills (that endeared her to the nation, especially when contrasted with her rather taciturn husband), a feminine deference that was expected of "the fairer sex" during the period, and a close partnership with her husband, acting as his unofficial communications director throughout his political career (maintaining correspondence with men completely apart from their relationships with James). I believe, though, that Greenberg may overstate her case when she maintains that Mrs. Polk was "the first politically effective partisan First Lady" (what about Dolley Madison?). -- The chapters on Sarah's long widowhood and her activities during the Civil War (when she was courted by both Union and Confederate) make for interesting, if somewhat murky, reading. The epilogue, which details the role Childress/Polk relations played in the formation of the Ku Klux Klan, is sadly chilling. -- I left the book with a keener appreciation for Sarah Polk as a person; curiously, I found I did not really like her very much (and I am not altogether certain why this should be the case). Still, this is a volume that helps fill in a period of U.S. history that is perhaps more neglected than others.

[Tom Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Greenberg digs into the life of Sarah Polk. She finds the good and the bad and lays it all out there. An interesting look at elite Southern attitudes toward slavery.

[Susan O · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Although Sarah Childress Polk rose to political power by crossing boundaries, skillfully manipulating both men and women, and analyzing politics with a focus nearly as intense as that of the husband who worked himself to death, in public memory Mrs. James K. Polk was celebrated as something quite different, a First Lady who was a lady first whose politics had been driven by love and by a widow's responsibility to protect and cherish the memory of her lost husband. It wasn't untrue, but nor was it the whole story." (emphasis mine)

Sarah Polk was the most well-educated first lady of her time and a companion to her husband it every way. She worked beside him politically, reading about and discussing issues of the day, corresponding with politicians, and reaching out for favors when necessary. She preferred to be with the men in the parlor after dinner than with the ladies in the drawing room. Franklin Pierce said that he would rather discuss politics with Sarah than with her husband. In spite of this, she managed to do all these things with a deference to her husband the men around her that prevented giving offense.

Greenburg paints a thorough portrait of Sarah with all the nuances that come from being an intelligent, ambitious woman of the South in the 19th century. Yes, Sarah had many admirable qualities, but she was also a slave owner. Her relationships with the enslaved people in her life are also discussed, as well as her time of maintaining a "neutral" stance during the Civil War.

While Greenburg's biography of Sarah Childress Polk was well-written and well-researched, it was somewhat dissatisfying. Partly this was due to the lack of information about Sarah, but also the epilogue seemed somewhat removed from the narrative and unnecessary to Sarah's story leaving a strange impression at the end. Overall, it was well worth the time and I do recommend it for those interested in the lives of the First Ladies of the US.

[Joanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a native Tennessean (who actually stayed at the James K Polk Motel when I was 12 years old) I should probably know a whole lot more about James and Sarah Polk that I do. I love to read and learn about U.S. Presidents and their families, and reading this biography of Sarah Childress Polk was interesting. As it began, I almost did not continue past the beginning, because the introduction gave me the impression that the author was attempting to canonize Sarah Polk. As I read, however, I began to see that Sarah was a study in contrasts. She was a devout Presbyterian and banned hard liquor from the White House, but she loved being part of her husband's political life, and at dinner parties when the men and women would adjourn to separate rooms, she would frequently join the men to discuss politics. Nevertheless, Sarah never sought to work outside the home, and she sought to always be a lady first. In fact, the decades after she became a widow were largely devoted to her faith and to preserving her late husband's legacy. Something I learned from this book, however, was the some of of Sarah Polk's Childress relatives were among the founders of the KKK. After reading this book, I sort of get it. The Childresses learned early how to play both sides of many issues to ensure a greater chance of ending up on the winning side.

[Patrick Macke · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story about a First Lady who was in many ways admirable ... she was unique to her time and place and never wavered from her principles and core beliefs ... intelligent, calculating and loyal she is at once a noble and sad figure, isolated, lonely and flawed for her view of slavery, and at the same time, possessing the caring and wise traits of a natural-born leader ... she is, in the end, an American worth knowing

[QSTCMomma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, the author could not decide if she was writing a history book or a biographical story.

The author very much wants you to know that she painstakingly researched Sarah Polk; however, the author also wants you to know her opinion of many unknowable situations.

It was confusing and difficult to track what happened when due to the lack of dates.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think the author liked her much. I also thought she had a few snide comments in her book that were not necessary. At times i felt she was being judgemental, judging Sarah from todays standards and not those of Sarah's time.

[Joseph J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This impressive biography joins a growing list of serious First Lady studies, and especially as with Catherine Allgor's study of Dolley Madison- A Perfect Union- focuses on an American First Lady's not admirable legacy with American slavery. James and Sarah Polk were a childless couple (Greenberg does not delve into the traumatic early surgery which left James sterile and/or impotent -see her footnotes). In their childless state James and Sarah became true political partners, eventually sharing an office in the mid-19th. century White House. Sarah's political machinations and instincts are highlighted, as is her role in Polk's often unpopular wartime Presidency. Another thrust of this biography is into their lives as slave owners. Like Dolley Madison, the pious, no liquor drinking of dancing good Christian Sarah saw her slaves as financial property and flesh and blood for hellish work on their plantations. Most sickening is James' preference for young slaves-children-as they held the potential to make more slaves. James in his will-like Washington-asked his slaves be emancipated upon Sarah's death, yet his purchase of very young slaves immediately before his own sudden death, and assurances of wealth to Sarah, suggest James was more concerned with how posterity and history may view his legacy. Sarah lived a long widowhood, straddling sectional preference during the Civil War. No doubt favoring the slave owning South-the source of her wealth-she welcomed Union soldiers and Generals Grant and Sherman into her home with cool manners. The South's defeat signaled a downturn in her fortunes, and after her death an assortment of nieces and nephews laid claim to what was left. She was an independent woman and thinker for the 19th. century and much of the biography chronicles her long widowhood and sustained presence in American memory.

[Dominique King · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was curious about "Mrs. James K." Polk, and didn't know much about her as I hadn't done much reading about this time period (my reading tends to include later eras like the "Gilded Age" or the early 20th century), but I'm sure this would have interested Tim as he read a lot of history from the "early Republic" era, and he hoped to do a final essay about "the Lost Cause" and its myth and history. Mrs. Polk's biography included a surprising about of information about the early days leading up to the Civil War (1840s and 1850s) and a good bit of information about Mrs. Polk and her family during the years after the Civil War...and on through the 1880s and early 1890s. This would have been one of those things I'd would have ended up pointing out to Tim that he might have never caught his eye in traditional history books! Women's history has always been an interest of mine...and the more obscure, the better! I found the story of Sarah Polk's life very frustrating in that it was unduly the story of a woman who was content to see her life story subsume by her husband's (the country's President Polk during the 1840s...he died in 1849) somewhat threadbare and eventually tattered reputation when, in the course of history, his emphasis and pride in "accomplishments" like spurring forward "Manifest Destiny" and rolling head-long into, and through, the Mexican-American War and her own dubious record during the Civil War and the record of her subsequent kinfolk in "lost Cause" efforts and memorializing Confederate history...well, it was a depressing read to me. Decent book, but it might help if you're a pretty big history geek to tackle reading it through to the end.

[Shawn Thrasher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and even handed look at the life of Sarah Childress Polk, wife of one term president and Mexican-American War starter James K. Polk. Sarah was enigmatic even back then, working behind the scenes for her taciturn husband. Sarah (unofficially) worked as his PR person and press secretary during his campaigns, and it was an open secret that if you needed something done or something to get to the ear of James Polk, you went through his wife Sarah. It was she who, in Dolley Madison style (a frequent guest at their White House), worked the Washington party circuit, sweettalking for husband's administration. The Mexican-American War can be rightly said to be as much hers and it was his. All the while Sarah maintained a public image of a conservative Christian (my words, not hers) politician's wife, supposedly above the fray. She was a strong and almost admirable woman. But Greenberg's also details the Polks lives as slaveholders as well, and then admiration turns to disgust. The Polks operated a particularly brutal plantation in Mississippi, with slave children they secretly purchased while in the White House. A high yuck factor overshadows much of the girl power Sarah Polk could have brought to the table (her niece's husband was one of the post Civil War founders of the KKK). However, what Greenberg does particularly well is to bring a sense of nuance to the lives of Sarah and James Polk. While certainly not condoning the slavers behaviors and actions, Greenberg does delve into how this world often operated, and why Sarah and James were part of it and how they benefitted from it. Overall, a terrifically interesting book.

[Jeremy Anderberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Sarah was no ordinary wife.”

For all the positives of Borneman’s book, he didn’t quite write enough about the utterly fascinating Sarah Polk. The couple was childless, which in 19th century America meant a large bit of freedom from the sometimes enslaving duties of child-rearing and house-keeping. In any list of influential First Ladies, Sarah is always near the top. She was intensely interested in politics and served a number of unique roles for James, including advisor, communications director, and more. Sarah pushed him, gave him advice, and networked on his behalf.

In this absorbing book, historian Amy Greenberg chronicles Sarah’s life, which included 40+ years as a widow — James died shortly after his single term ended.

While Sarah’s life is immensely interesting (including, for me, her involvement in the Civil War), the real strength of the book is Greenberg’s take on women in American politics in the 19th century. While they were often hidden from public view, women were rather influential in Washington DC and beyond, and Sarah Polk was the exemplar of that influence.

Greenberg gives great context, but is also witty, sometimes sarcastic and ironic, and just so honest and even opinionated. I always appreciate that in a historian. She doesn’t dance around the weaknesses or hypocrisies of either of the Polks.

Another great book for anyone interested in US history and especially the role of women in politics. I’m looking forward to reading Greenberg’s other books too.

[Scott Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you think of powerful First Ladies, chances are that you probably won’t think of Sarah Childress Polk, yet, this work highlights that she was as influential and powerful as any First Ladies with more name recognition. Married to one of America’s less well known presidents, she and James Polk made a formidable political couple, and much of James’ success in politics can be attributed to her efforts. They never had children of their own, but they lived for his career, and while James preceded her in death by 40 years, she was always faithful to him and his memory.

Yet, her life has many twists and turns separate from her husbands. During the Civil War, she somehow managed to remain a symbol of respect for both the Union and the Confederacy. In the post-Civil War America, she was as powerful a name as any figure serving in DC, as presidents from Johnson to Cleveland called upon her, much like she and James called upon Dolley Madison. While revered, she was not exactly blameless in all things. She was a willing slave owner, and her priority was profit at the expense of freedom and quality of life of the slaves.

Overall, a well-written book that provides insights into a little known, but important political figure in 19th century American politics. It would be interesting to see what she would be like in the modern era. Probably would be a strong conservative/Republican voice I suspect, but still, glad I got to read this work.

[Fran Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first biography written about President Polk's wife Sarah. Polk was a president that we haven't heard much about. He served only one term, by his own choice, but he was remarkedly modern in taking political advice from his wife. At a time when women could not vote and their role in society was to have children and rule the home, Sarah held a remarkable place in her husband's presidency. She not only was his ears and eyes but helped make policy. But the most remarkable job she did was talking to other politicians and helping them to see things as her husband desired.

This was before the Civil War and the Polks had slaves and no children. This enabled Sarah to not be tied down as other wives as she had no children to raise and the slaves did her household work . Often women at that time before birth control were worn out physically and their health was affected adversely by constantly giving birth to children. The author feels that these two factors, plus a liberal father who educated her as much as women could be educated at that time allowed her the time, physical health, and education to speak knowledgably to men about politics.

She had a pleasant and interesting personality which her husband, the President, did not have and that helped her too. Very well researched book, I heard the author speak and Amy Greenberg obviously enjoyed her research on a little know subject.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg - what a fantastic engaging fun book to read! Ch 5 is a blast! Varina Davis, Dolly Madison, and especially Catherine Beecher all fascinating to learn about. Greenberg writes like she is presenting a story as one peels an onion being slowly peeled revealing succulent bites of personality, beliefs and facts about her subject. I had no idea Lincoln was an excellent wrestler, Polk supported the Mormons and that Sarah bought child slaves while in office. I love the line”Sarah didn’t need to ask anyone for woman’s rights”. Neither did she advocate for woman’s rights at all. She felt bad for Mormons being persecuted for their practice of polygamy in Illinois and took action to help them. Another intriguing statement: “James offered a vision of Sarah as emancipator while ensuring that she would become something very different upon his death: a cotton planter.” My head explodes about Sarah’s views on slavery and her own beliefs of benevolence toward her own slave property. It is so DIFFICULT for me to conceive that people thought owning another person was a good thing. My god! What a fantastic book!! I Hope the author assembles book on all of Sarah’s correspondence. Let’s hope!!!

[Beverlee Jobrack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. I read two biographies of James K. Polk and his involvement in the Mexican American War. With the support of Andrew Jackson and a third party effort, he beat Henry Clay and followed John Tyler, another Southerner sympathetic to slavery who took office when William Henry Harrison died.

It was clear that Sarah Polk had an enormous influence on her husband and was a social person who charmed Washington and made Polk a more appealing character. This biography paints a profile of a 19th century woman of the South, before women had the vote. Polk died shortly after he left office in 1849. Sarah lived through the Civil War, Reconstruction, and some in her family actually formed the KKK. She died in 1891. She was a slaveholder, was sympathetic to the "noble cause," and it was never clear if she believed the South should have seceded. After Polk died, she ran the plantation and after the War got involved in the Temperance movement and the Daughters of the Confederacy, the group that built all those Confederate statues and kept the cause alive.

[Sm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it probably was not the author's intention, this book changed my view of the Polk Presidency. I had thought that Polk was a first a pure expansionist, and second a pro Unionist. As such he professed, to be neutral with respect to the slavery issue. I now think that Polk's expansionism had a pro-salvery motive. His professed neutrality seems to have been only a tactic to appeal to a national audience while advancing his pro-Southern and anti-black agenda.

With respect to Sarah, the author advances the idea that she used female deference to advance her goals is a prominent theme. This is reported on time and time again. But there was no evaluation efficacy of this strategy, both in terms of Sarah's personal goals and in terms of advancing her policy objectives. Could a more pro-feminist deportment worked instead? On this curious question the author is mute.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book. She was politically involved with her husband, without being obtrusive. It was not appropriate in the mid 1800s for southern women to participate in politics. She used her southern upbringing, to show deference to men in power while still getting her own way, especially when it was beneficial for her husband, President James K. Polk. She was persistent and a manipulator to get her own way during his presidency and afterwards.

During the Civil War, she tried to appear neutral; she entertained Union officers at her home, Polk Place while she supported the Confederacy. One way she supported the Confederacy was hiding jewels and artifacts of the Historical society at Polk Place.

The author balanced the positive and negatives sides of Sarah Polk. One positive was her unwavering support of her husband and a major negative was her continuing support of slavery.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at the life of an underrated first lady. Sarah Polk, wife of the 11th US President James K. Polk, was a valued partner in her husband's presidency. Her shrewd political savvy aided her husband greatly in his career. The book can be a bit heavy-handed at times in regards to the politics of the day. However, this was Sarah's life. For me, the most fascinating part of the book was Sarah's life after her husband's death shortly after leaving the White House. I knew nothing of her life when she became a widow, so this was a real eye opener for me. Sarah Polk played both sides in the Civil War and emerged relatively unscathed, despite her Southern sympathies. She devoted her remaining years to advancing her husband's memory and supporting causes she believed in.

Definitely worth it to take a look at the life of a first lady we don't get to read much about today.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greenberg gives us a well-researched and in-depth look at the life of Sarah Polk, wife of President James K Polk. This is definitely no hagiography. While Greenberg gives due credit for Sarah's intelligence and accomplishments in a time that did not reward strong women, we also see her flaws. Of course, some of what we might consider flaws today are due to the values shifting from those of the deep south in the 19th century to those of today. But some are due to a self-centeredness that is just plain off-putting. James Polk, perhaps best known for instigating the Mexican-American War, relied heavily on Sarah for assistance during his campaigns and insight when elected. She was more than happy to be a force behind the "throne."

[Patrick Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A biography of one of our more interesting First Ladies. Unique in their childlessness, the Polks for a political partnership that takes them all the way to the White House. Using her high intelligence and strategic use of deference, she is a phenomenal asset for her husband. She grasps power like few First Ladies since her have been able to achieve. She has warts, particularly her ownership of slaves and views on the issue as well as the belief in Manifest Destiny that drives the theft of California from
Mexico. But she is a precursor to the women's movement as she finds a means to have more of a say in her world.

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't a quick read. But it is engaging and easy to digest. How do you write about someone who left very little about herself behind? For First Lady Sarah Polk, her life was supporting the political goals of her husband and herself. She was Press Secretary and Campaign Manager and Political Adviser in the 1840's, when women didn't have a public voice! Mrs. James Polk was know in Washington DC as having power and influence, yet she was not sharp or divisive or hard or manipulative. That's why it is a challenge to write the truth about her - she was so modest and effacing and never talked about her own life.

[Edward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent biography of First Lady Sarah Polk, who was totally committed to being a partner to her husband President James Polk. That devotion lasted through her 42 years of widowhood.

She had many close confidants and was an alternative to her humorless husband. While a powerful woman in Washington DC, she didn't support women's rights. She was a slave owner. Her plantation had a higher mortality rate of slaves than most. She was most certainly a Confederate sympathizer, while acting as a neutral party during the Civil War.

[Gayla Bassham · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the one hand, Sarah Polk used the cult of domesticity to expertly wield soft power as First Lady. On the other hand, she was an unrepentant slaveowner who never really disavowed secession. The author of this book might admire her a tiny bit too much, but the research here is impressive and pathbreaking, so I salute her for that. The book was fascinating, and I walked away mildly infuriated and conducting a vehement argument in my head with a woman who died 140 years ago. Which is no doubt a tribute to the author's writing if not her analysis.

[Roben]

Wonderful read. Thank you Amy Greenberg. My life has been entangled with Sarah and James Polk for decades - the Polk Association, the creation of Provisions and Politics, my husband's office next door to the home for the length of his career. All the while their leadership was celebrated in our community, I was curious about the darker side of the era and never quite understood their place in history as it relates to ramifications in the South today. The awareness you brought with your research and exquisite storytelling is something for which I am most grateful.

[Barbara Kemp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good story, and a piece of American history I had not read before. But the writing style wasn’t to my taste. It was too expository. I think this story would have made for a very good historical novel. Mrs. Polk lived to be 87, a ripe old age in any century, and was a widow for about half of that life. There was plenty of good material for a wonderful story. I just would have preferred a different writing style.

[June Baer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am torn about this book. I like the writing. It is interesting to see how a woman of that era could have political influence. It gave me more of an understanding of the South. It is just very difficult to truly admire someone like Sarah Polk with her life and acceptance of slavery and the confederate south. I do like the author did not try to hide this part of the life of Sarah Polk. She did not belabor the point, but left to the read to understand the life.