Little Known First Ladies: Sarah Polk Quiz

Answer: No one knows

Sarah's father was Joel Childress, a wealthy planter who owned many slaves on his plantation in Tennessee. No records exist indicating what crop or crops were grown on the plantation. In addition to being a planter, Joel Childress also bought sold property in and around Murfreesboro. Sarah's mother was Elizabeth Whitsitt who ran the household.

Answer: False

Sarah was extremely well-educated for a girl of her time. She and her sister Susan attended the prestigious Moravians' Salem Academy in North Carolina. There, Sarah studied ancient classics and grammar. Although she was forced to end her education early because of the death of her father, Sarah continued her studies in more informal settings in Murfreesboro. Nonetheless, Sarah was extremely intelligent and knowledgeable in a wide array of subjects.

Answer: Got elected to office

Sarah and James had met in Murfreesboro when she was twelve and he was nineteen. Their families' social circles crossed paths many times. Both the Polks and Childresses were friends of Andrew Jackson. Jackson was very impressed with Sarah's intelligence, charm and beauty and told James Polk he should marry her.

However, Sarah was quite playful and jokingly told Polk she would not marry him until he was elected to office, something he had always inspired to do. Sarah did not consent to marry James until 1823 when he was elected to the state legislature.

Answer: She managed almost everything

Unlike most wives of politicians in her day, Sarah hoped her husband would achieve high office one day. She actively worked to get her husband elected and acted as his liaison with other members of Congress and politicians, whom Sarah actively worked to befriend.

The Polks did not have a formal residence in Washington so Sarah lived in a boarding house. Because of this, she was unable to host parties as a political wife would normally. However, this was not of much detriment to Sarah. Because she and James did not have children, she was far more mobile than any other congressional wife and was actively able to meet anyone and everyone.

Answer: She went back to Tennessee

Although her husband was not a member of the Cabinet, the Peggy Eaton Affair could have ended James' career. Both James and Sarah were close friends with Andrew Jackson and James saw him as a mentor. He would later be called Young Hickory to Jackson's Old Hickory.

However Sarah like the Cabinet and other congressional wives, refused to associate with the allegedly bigamous Peggy Eaton much to Jackson's dismay. Jackson fired his entire Cabinet over the scandal. Sarah feared that her involvement would negatively effect James' career and destroy their friendship with Jackson.

She went back to Tennessee during the height of the scandal so she could avoid Washington's social affairs. While she did side against Peggy Eaton, her absence gave the appearance that Sarah was at least neutral.

The plan worked and James remained in Jackson's good graces and Jackson later used his influence to help James become Speaker of the House.

Answer: Her husband's health

James Polk was always in ill-health. As a young man, he had gallbladder surgery that left him sterile and his health had been poor ever since. James was also a workaholic and Sarah feared this would put too much stress on him. James hardly ever attending any of the entertainment that was hosted at the White House and whenever he did, he always complained about how he could have been working. Sarah took on a much more active role in her husband's career than previous First Ladies did.

She often read and edited his speeches, met with members of Congress on business matters and gave her husband political advice.

In a letter, James even once wrote that Sarah was the person who had the greatest influence on him on political matters.

Answer: Disappointed

Sarah was extremely religious which caused her parties to be dull. She never served alcohol except for wine, there was very little music and dancing allowed and Sarah lacked the proper knowledge on how to host such social functions. Sarah never entertained previously and her guests often left deprived of fun and good food.

Much of the help around the White House came from slaves, which made Northern guests uncomfortable. Sarah never hosted events on Sundays because her religious beliefs and this cut back on the number of events. Sarah once hosted a dinner and never put out the place settings. Sarah's events paled in comparison to those of her predecessor Julia Tyler who hosted lavish parties frequently. Nonetheless, Sarah was a popular First Lady because of her personality and in spite of her hosting skills.

Answer: She thought blacks were predestined by God to be slaves

While many abolitionists used their strict religious beliefs to advocate for the end of slavery, Sarah used hers to advocate for it. She thought slavery was a wonderful thing and that God had created blacks to be slaves to their superiors. She also thought that she and her husband were created to advance the U.S., specifically the doctrine of Manifest Destiny.

Sarah was known as a cruel slave owner. While she claimed families should never be separated, she often did just that if she made a profit on it. She continued to buy and sell slaves after husband died. During the Civil War, Sarah had hoped to remain neutral but when pushed, sided with the Confederacy. After the war ended and the South lost, Sarah fell despondent as her home was nothing like it was before the war. She became rather reclusive though did frequently host presidents and first ladies during their terms in office.

Answer: James Buchanan

Sarah spent much of her widowed life as a semi-recluse. She hardly ever left home but had frequent visitors and corresponded with many people, especially politicians and their families she had known well from her time in Washington. One of the people she had a friendship with was future president James Buchanan.

However, at the time it was widely speculated (sometimes openly) that Buchanan was gay and in a relationship with Rufus King who would go on to become vice president under Franklin Pierce. During Buchanan's presidency, rumors also began swirling that he was having an affair with the widowed Sarah. No proof exists and many of the president's letters were destroyed by his niece Harriet Lane allegedly to hid his tryst with King.

Answer: Her burial place

Sarah died at the age of 87 in 1891 at Polk Place in Nashville. She was originally buried there next to her husband. This was the president's second burial place and the one he desired as expressed in his will. However, legal infighting amongst the Polk relatives over Sarah's will caused a lengthy court battle. Sarah left much of the property and estate to her adopted daughter Sallie but this will was successfully thrown out in favor of the president's nephews and nieces. However, they refused to follow the president's will they managed to reinstate. In 1893, both Polks were moved from Polk Place to the Tennessee Capital Building because the legal dispute threatened the interment. Polk Place was demolished in 1901.

Since then, there have been many legal battles to reinter the Polks at James K. Polk House, which is the only surviving building to have been owned by the president. In 2017 after over a century of dispute, the process began to move the Polks out of the Tennessee Capital Building. However this effort was stalled in 2018 by the Tennessee Historical Society which opposed the move.