WEBVTT - Short Stuff: James Polk, Disinterred

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, there, everybody, and welcome to short stuff. I'm Josh,

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<v Speaker 1>there's Chuck, there's Jerry, And like I said, this is

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<v Speaker 1>short stuff, So let's get to it about James K. Polk.

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<v Speaker 1>That's right, James K. Polk, eleventh President of the United States,

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<v Speaker 1>former Governor of Tennessee, former Speaker of the House and

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<v Speaker 1>House Representative of the state of Tennessee. Former member of

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<v Speaker 1>the Senate or was he he clerked for the Senate.

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<v Speaker 1>He did clerk for the Senate. That's where he where

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<v Speaker 1>he got his start, which was pretty impressive because he

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<v Speaker 1>was still in law school, I think. But he made

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<v Speaker 1>such a name for himself that they basically said, come

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<v Speaker 1>on as our as the Tennessee State Senate mascot, buddy,

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<v Speaker 1>and we're gonna we're gonna raise you up from there. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>So Polk was born in North Carolina, although he um,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, I think people in Tennessee have a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of respecting reverence for him. But he was born in

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<v Speaker 1>North Carolina or North Kakaaki as we call it. And

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<v Speaker 1>when he was ten, they moved to Tennessee what this

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<v Speaker 1>article calls the Tennessee Frontier. Yeah, well, I mean it

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<v Speaker 1>was at the time why not if you were a

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<v Speaker 1>white European settler and his dad, uh, Sammy Polke, Samuel Polk,

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<v Speaker 1>his paw, Chuck, we're talking Tennessee, that's right, his paw.

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<v Speaker 1>He built a two story house in eighteen sixteen in Colombia,

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<v Speaker 1>and that's where James lived for a while as young adult,

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<v Speaker 1>and it now serves as the James K. Polk Museum

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<v Speaker 1>Home and Museum Presidential Museum. Yeah. So that's like just

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<v Speaker 1>a bit of the background of this interesting story about

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<v Speaker 1>the fact that James Polk has been exhumed and moved

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<v Speaker 1>a couple of times since his death. Yes, this, this

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<v Speaker 1>short stuff just got interesting. Even though this article, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>sure you noticed, did not say anything about his death

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<v Speaker 1>or where he was buried. There's clearly a paragraph or

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<v Speaker 1>two missing, I think. So I went back and I

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<v Speaker 1>was like, it's there under this, like what's going on here? Um,

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<v Speaker 1>But nope, it's not there. So so basically, James Polk

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<v Speaker 1>he became the eleventh president of the United States after

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<v Speaker 1>John Tyler Um, who was the first president not elected

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<v Speaker 1>I believe, to become president. He succeeded William Henry Harrison,

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<v Speaker 1>who died after a month. You know that famous Simpsons song,

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<v Speaker 1>there's William Henry Harrison. I died in thirty days. Um. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>that that's what happened, and John Tyler succeeded him. Well, Um,

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<v Speaker 1>James Polk soundly beat uh Taylor Tyler Um. And he

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<v Speaker 1>beat him basically saying like, look, I've got some campaign

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<v Speaker 1>promises I'm going to handle. I'm going to take care

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<v Speaker 1>of these things in one term and then I'm going

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<v Speaker 1>to go. And I'm young, and and no one's ever

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<v Speaker 1>elected a president this young. No. I think he was

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<v Speaker 1>forty nine when he was elected or something like that,

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<v Speaker 1>so at the time he was definitely the youngest, although

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<v Speaker 1>you'd think in like the eighteen forties or eighteen fifties

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<v Speaker 1>that was like old school, but I guess not. But

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<v Speaker 1>he was elected and he did what he said he

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<v Speaker 1>was going to do. He um established the Naval Academy.

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<v Speaker 1>He um oversaw the very first US postal stamp created, right,

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<v Speaker 1>and everyone's like, what's that? And he's like, just watch everybody.

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<v Speaker 1>Um and then he uh signed into law of the Smithsonian,

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<v Speaker 1>which makes me a big fan of him. He also

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<v Speaker 1>did something pretty big. He established the Independent Treasury System,

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<v Speaker 1>which was the predecessor Chuck to the Federal Reserve. And

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<v Speaker 1>at the time you might think, well, federal Reserve, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>boo or yeah, or whatever however you feel about it.

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<v Speaker 1>It was very much needed at this time because back

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<v Speaker 1>then stay owned or private banks would routinely just not

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<v Speaker 1>trade you gold and silver for the paper that you

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<v Speaker 1>came to trade back in. They would say, we don't

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<v Speaker 1>have it, sorry, and this would cause panics over and

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<v Speaker 1>over again. So they set up a bank to the banks,

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<v Speaker 1>the Independent Treasury System, And that was a big one

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<v Speaker 1>that he did because it took a lot of political

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<v Speaker 1>clout to overwhelm him the state's interests at the time.

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<v Speaker 1>Who are who are run by these these influential bankers

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<v Speaker 1>who didn't want a federal system above them. So those

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<v Speaker 1>were some big ones. He also started the Mexican American War,

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<v Speaker 1>which is definitely a mark against him, that's right. But

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<v Speaker 1>through all, I mean, he got a lot. A lot

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<v Speaker 1>happened in those four years, and like you said, true

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<v Speaker 1>to his word, he said, four years, I'm out, and

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<v Speaker 1>uh I went back to Tennessee and then I think

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<v Speaker 1>let's take a break now and then we'll talk about

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<v Speaker 1>how he died and started bouncing around after that. So

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<v Speaker 1>Polk died of what they think now is cholera. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>he got sick. They kind of denied it was cholera,

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<v Speaker 1>but he was surrounded by people with cholera. But they

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<v Speaker 1>were like, no, you don't have cholera. And he was like,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm pretty sure I have cholera because everyone around me

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<v Speaker 1>has cholera. And they said, no, it's not cholera, not you, James.

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<v Speaker 1>But I think he died. That's kind of widely believed

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<v Speaker 1>to be his cause of death today. Well, the first

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<v Speaker 1>place he was interred was the Nashville City Cemetery with

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<v Speaker 1>the cholera victims. Yeah, it was a legal thing. It

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't called the Nashville City Cemetery back then, but the

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<v Speaker 1>way I saw it, it it was basically like if you

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<v Speaker 1>died from infectious disease, infectious disease, you had to be

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<v Speaker 1>buried there as close to the groundwater as possible. Yeah. So, um,

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<v Speaker 1>that's the first place that he's buried. We need like

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<v Speaker 1>a ding or something here because he's been interred one time.

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<v Speaker 1>I think Jerry could manage a ding. Let's let's hope Jerry. So, um,

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<v Speaker 1>he's he's buried there in again the Nashville City Cemetery

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<v Speaker 1>like a common caller victim. And somebody said, whoa, this

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<v Speaker 1>is no place for a beloved president Um to to

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<v Speaker 1>be buried. We need to we need to show some

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<v Speaker 1>respect and also more closely follow them the wishes of

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<v Speaker 1>his will. Yeah, because he said that he wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>be buried at Polk Place, which was his mansion where

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<v Speaker 1>he and his wife lived. Um, And they they moved

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<v Speaker 1>him there. They actually built him like a pretty sweet

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<v Speaker 1>little memorial on the front in the front yard. You

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<v Speaker 1>can see drawings of it, and it's like, there's the house,

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<v Speaker 1>there's the memorial, like right there in the little front yard.

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<v Speaker 1>It was pretty cute. Yeah. And his wife Sarah, thank

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<v Speaker 1>you for for remembering her name. I was like frantically

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<v Speaker 1>searching for it and couldn't find it. Yeah, his wife Sarah,

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<v Speaker 1>I guess you know, she was like, well, let me

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<v Speaker 1>just live for another I don't know, forty two years.

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<v Speaker 1>I read that. I was like, is that a miss Brent.

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<v Speaker 1>It could be in this article, but it's not. Yeah, exactly,

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<v Speaker 1>according to this article, he never died. He's right behind you, so,

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<v Speaker 1>oh my god. Um, So yeah, she lived another forty

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<v Speaker 1>two years, which is outstanding, great, great long life. And

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<v Speaker 1>once she finally died, there was a bit of an

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<v Speaker 1>argument over the ownership of Polk Place and kind of

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<v Speaker 1>like where they should be ultimately in their uh whatever,

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<v Speaker 1>what they thought was their final resting place. But everyone

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<v Speaker 1>else is like, but where should their real final resting

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<v Speaker 1>place be? Right? Well, I think they would technically be there,

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<v Speaker 1>but he in his will had had left the stipulation

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<v Speaker 1>that the state of Tennessee could take Polk Place and

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<v Speaker 1>own it as long as a Polk would be allowed

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<v Speaker 1>to live there forever. And Um, Tennessee said, that's an

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<v Speaker 1>im perpetuity, which is illegal. So this clause as part

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<v Speaker 1>of your will is null and void, which left it

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<v Speaker 1>open to his errors to do with what they wished

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<v Speaker 1>with this place, um, which was turned around and sell

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<v Speaker 1>it to a developer because he didn't have any children. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>These were all relatives who didn't give a spit about

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<v Speaker 1>what happened to this to his beloved home. Yeah, I

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<v Speaker 1>can't believe that was sold by developers in and they

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<v Speaker 1>demolished it. They demolished it, and this was like this

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<v Speaker 1>they were Tennessee was thinking of turning this into the

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<v Speaker 1>governor's mansion and preserving this, and they said, no, get

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<v Speaker 1>rid of it. So they actually disinterred him. So the

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<v Speaker 1>state of Tennessee disinterned he and Sarah and moved their

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<v Speaker 1>remains to the state capital. And you'd think, okay, that

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<v Speaker 1>would be the end of the story. The guy's been

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<v Speaker 1>buried to two times now, no, one to three times.

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<v Speaker 1>He's been buried three times. Let him rest in peace, right,

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<v Speaker 1>but it's not buried buried? And then was it three times? Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>he was buried in the city since twice buried? Yeah, right,

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<v Speaker 1>I know. It kind of concerned me too. It's like

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<v Speaker 1>trying to understand economics. Yeah, that's the old saying. Uh buried,

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<v Speaker 1>never mind buried thrice, but moved only twice. That's it.

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<v Speaker 1>So they, like you said, they moved into the capitol

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<v Speaker 1>and uh, you know, a place of great reverence and

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<v Speaker 1>respect where people can can go see. Although he is

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<v Speaker 1>sort of in the shadow of these two, he doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>have the kind of monuments that Jackson and Johnson have. No,

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<v Speaker 1>and that's why there's some people in the Tennessee State government,

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<v Speaker 1>specifically a guy named um oh what's that that State

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<v Speaker 1>senators Joe Joey Hensley, which is number one, not a

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<v Speaker 1>senator's name if you ask me a number two, not

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<v Speaker 1>a Tennessee senator's name. But there you have it, Joey

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<v Speaker 1>Hensley right exactly. Um he I could see him on

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<v Speaker 1>like Jersey Shore or something like that. He's like bright orange.

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<v Speaker 1>His hair stands up like a mile high. Anyway, Senator

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<v Speaker 1>Joey Hensley is like, look, man, I I I have

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<v Speaker 1>been up here for fourteen years working in the in

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<v Speaker 1>the Tennessee legislature, and I can tell you James Polk

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<v Speaker 1>is not getting his reverence. Yeah, people don't know he's

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<v Speaker 1>buried there. They barely mentioned him on the tour. He's

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<v Speaker 1>literally in the shadows of um Jackson and Johnson statues.

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<v Speaker 1>Like you said, we got to do something better. Let's

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<v Speaker 1>move this guy to his presidential library at his father's

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<v Speaker 1>house in Columbia, Tennessee. Yeah, this is a couple of

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<v Speaker 1>years ago, in two thousand seventeen, and a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>hoops have to be jumped through to move a dead

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<v Speaker 1>president's body. Believe it or not. Um. It did pass

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<v Speaker 1>the State Senate in March, which was just you know,

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<v Speaker 1>like kind of like the first stop to getting this done. Uh.

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<v Speaker 1>The governor has to approve it, the House has to

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<v Speaker 1>approve it, a local judge, and then most importantly in

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<v Speaker 1>this case, the Tennessee Historical Commission has to approve it. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>And that's the one that said no, I don't think

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<v Speaker 1>you should do that. Yeah, and his his um family

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<v Speaker 1>UH is kind of divided about it. Some people are like, yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>of course this would be a great place for him,

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<v Speaker 1>it's his presidential library, and other people like who right?

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<v Speaker 1>But then I and I didn't understand why anybody would

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<v Speaker 1>be opposed to moving him if he's not getting his

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<v Speaker 1>due in the capital. But the opposition's position seems to

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<v Speaker 1>be that he wanted to be buried at Polk Place

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<v Speaker 1>in Nashville. Right, Polk Place isn't around anymore, So he's

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<v Speaker 1>still buried in Nashville and at the Capitol. Get that

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<v Speaker 1>so um. I saw also in two thousand and eighteen,

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<v Speaker 1>the issue was brought back up again and it got

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<v Speaker 1>voted down by one vote by the state Senate this time.

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<v Speaker 1>So he's not going anywhere. It doesn't look like he's

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<v Speaker 1>going anywhere. Uh. So you know, if you're ever in Nashville,

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<v Speaker 1>go eat some hot chicken. Maybe go cut a record

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<v Speaker 1>at Jack White's little Recording booth. Don't forget to pick

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<v Speaker 1>up a molda rama while you're there. Pick up a

0:11:45.960 --> 0:11:49.320
<v Speaker 1>molda rama and go uh if you want to pay

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<v Speaker 1>your respects to James Polk Short stuff out. Stuff You

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<v Speaker 1>Should Know is a production of I Heart Radio's How

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