After winning the US presidency in 1845, according to the oft-repeated anecdote, James K. Polk slapped his thigh and predicted what would be the "four great measures” of his administration: the acquisition the Oregon Country, the acquisition of California, a reduction in tariffs, and the establishment of an independent treasury. In this eye-opening study, Tom Chaffin dispatches the thigh-slap anecdote and other misconceptions associated with Polk. In the process, he demonstrates how the "four measures” story has skewed our understanding of Polk.