Having formed a new nation, Americans expanded westward, fought a war or two with pirates, and elected a bunch of rather forgettable presidents who didn't even have the courtesy to grow comical facial hair of which future historians could make fun.
 President James K. Polk: Business up front, party in the back, baby. Polk was actually a pretty effective president - he made a list of goals and accomplished them all in one term. He may not be MEMORABLE, but he got the job done.  When Frances Trollope wrote a book saying Americans were dirty and rude (which, by all acounts, the early Americans were), they responded in the most mature way possible: drawing a picture of her that made her look like Jabba the Hutt. | ASSIGNMENT ALERT!  Above: John Brown, subject of the song "John Brown's Body Lies a-Mouldering in the Grave," one of the solid gold smash hits of the 1850s. Your assignment - write a better song about mouldering. Send it to the Smart Aleck Staff - we may post a few right here!* SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL The Diaries of Lewis and Clark (with the spelling cleaned up by thoughtful archivists - these guys could NOT spell) *As always, by sending it in, you grant us the right to post it here. |
