Press Release
January 3, 2012
Contact: John Holtzapple or Tom Price, (931) 388-2354

EXHIBIT ON JAMES K. POLK AND SLAVERY OPENS AT POLK HOME

COLUMBIA, TN- The James K. Polk Home’s new exhibition “A Matter of Utmost Caution: James K. Polk and Slavery” is now open at Polk Presidential Hall, the site’s exhibit facility, and will run through March 18. This original exhibit examines Polk’s involvement with slavery as a politician and a slaveholder, and describes the lives of the enslaved men and women who labored on his Mississippi cotton plantation or worked as domestic servants. Displayed artifacts include ones found on the site of Polk’s plantation as well as related items on loan from the Tennessee State Museum and a private collector. Visitors may watch a videotaped interview with Ora Lee Polk Phillips, a descendant of workers at the Mississippi plantation.
In James K. Polk’s first speech as a U.S. Congressman, he called slavery “a common evil.” Even so, he was a slaveholder whose political career was partly financed by plantation revenue. He defended each state’s authority to allow or prohibit slavery, but denounced vocal supporters and opponents of the institution for threatening national unity. These apparent contradictions make Polk an interesting figure in the history of 19th-century American slavery.
Polk Presidential Hall is located on the grounds of the James K. Polk Home at 301 W. 7th Street in downtown Columbia, TN. The admission fee for “A Matter of Utmost Caution” is $5 per adult and $3 per child. Combination tickets that include both the exhibit and the Polk Home are also available. The site is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Monday-Saturday and 1 p.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. For additional information, call the Polk Home at (931) 388-2354.