In the middle of the 1844 presidential election, an explosive story that some believed would transform the presidential campaign appeared in the national media. Instead, it turned out to be a piece of disinformation that proved to be far less consequential than if it had been true.
The Origin of Who Is James K. Polk?
Ultimately, I arrived at the same conclusion with which I started: the 1844 presidential election was an overlooked, yet crucial, step move toward the Civil War.
Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics 