Few American Presidents did as much as James Polk: he annexed Texas, and acquired the Southwest and the Oregon Territory. He made the United States the massive country it is today. He also waged a war to do it, a war that his opponents called illegal and unconstitutional. And those very same land acquisitions caused a chain reaction that led to the American Civil War. And so today he is a controversial historic figure, praised by some historians, and hated by as many. Most regular people have never heard of him. 'James Polk' is his story, told by the filmmaker himself as he travels cross country to uncover his story, and understand one of the darkest figures from one of the darkest periods in American history. It is a film about the difficulties of uncovering history, of hidden cameras and security guards at every turn. It is a story of dead ends and frustration and discovery. —Brian Robert Rose