What was James K. Polk chief promise as a presidential candidate in 1844?

In 1844, Democrat James K. Polk was elected president. Polk, by far the most influential president between Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln, had campaigned to annex not only Texas, but California and Oregon as well. Polk, a slaveholder, supported the growth of slavery in the West. He also believed that the U.S. would benefit greatly if it grew larger, especially if it could extend to the Pacific Ocean, where it would gain ports for commercial shipping and for its navy. Over the next four years, Polk would achieve his goal of acquiring vast stretches of land from Texas to California to Washington.