Repaying a Debt

James Polk claimed to be an advocate for the abolition of slavery while never ceasing to purchase more, younger slaves. However, as a public figure, he was not foolish enough to purchase them personally.

All of this was handled by his wife, Sarah Polk, and the secret slave trade continued until James Polk passed away.

Polk himself believed that viewing slaves as chattel was morally correct, but since this did not align with the mainstream views of the time, he could only conduct his slave purchases in secret.

"James Polk never purchased slaves; those transactions were merely to ensure domestic harmony."

As for the slaves themselves, Polk preferred those who were young and efficient.

"Especially the girls; they can create more value throughout their lives, and every child born to a slave will be a part of my property." — From a letter Polk wrote to his cousin.

Furthermore, the proportion of children in Polk's secret transactions was quite high, accounting for nearly 60% of all trades, which was considered a very visionary practice at the time.

Because child slaves were cheaper and had a longer "service life," some American economists in history even referred to him as a "great investor."

Although some anecdotes often claim that slaves on plantations lived better than those in factories, the mortality rate for minors on plantations was 45%, whereas the national mortality rate for minors was only 23%.

In other words, nearly half of America's slaves did not live to adulthood, while three-quarters of ordinary Americans did.

In Polk's plantation, the mortality rate for minor slaves was 55%, primarily because his wife focused on breeding more slaves for profit, forcing those youths to endure hardships they should never have faced at their age.

Since Polk could not touch the institution of slavery, he