Libertyville HS
Election of 1848


Polk stepped down (one
term)
Whigs recruit Zachary
Taylor
 War hero
 Not interested in politics

Democrats split over
slavery issue
 Pro slavery Ds = Cass

Anti slavery Ds form Free
Soil Party, nominate Martin
Van Buren
Taylor:
Cass:
Van Buren:
163 ECV / 1,360,999
127 ECV / 1,220,544
--- ECV / 291,263
Zachary Taylor
Born in VA, moved to KY
 Career army officer – no
political experience
 Fought in War of 1812,
Blackhawk War, Second
Seminole War, Mexican
American War
 Slave owner who was
opposed to spread of
slavery into territories
 Nickname: “Old Rough and
Ready”

Sectional Differences: Mexican
Cession
Settlement raised question:
allow slavery in Mexican
Cession?
 Four proposals

 Polk: extend MO compromise
line (36° 30’) to Pacific
 Rep. David Wilmot (PA):
Wilmot Proviso = no slavery in
Cession
 Calhoun: Right to property +
5th Am. protected slavery
everywhere
 Stephen Douglas (IL) & Cass:
“popular sovereignty – states
have right to choose through
elections
Sectional Differences: Mexican
Cession

Complicating issues
 Texas Debt ($10 million –





Feds pay)
TX / NM border dispute
Slavery in Washington, DC
(northerners offended)
Underground railroad
(southerners offended)
Failure of North to enforce
fugitive slave laws
Trigger to crisis: CA
request for admission to
union as free state, 1849
Great Debate of 1850

Senator Seward
 Admit CA as free state
 Admit NM as free state
 Reflected President
Taylor’s wishes

Southern reaction
 Secession!
 “Fire eaters” = southern
extremists
 Began urging
secession, in TN
Clay takes Senate floor as VP Fillmore
Presides and Calhoun looks on
Great Compromise of 1850


Clay, Douglas worked
together for its passage
Proposal
 Admit CA as free state
 Allow UT, NM to decide slavery
issue via popular sovereignty
(state vote)
 TX dropped claim for territory in
exchange for debt relief
 Slave trade (but not slavery)
abolished in DC
 Fugitive Slave Act strengthened
Compromise of 1850

View of Southerners
 Opposed b/c of CA admission as
free state
 Opposed b/c of TX land loss
 Opposed abolition of slave
auctions in DC

View of Northerners
 Opposed b/c no Wilmot Proviso
 Opposed b/c Fugitive Slave Law
might result in regular citizens
having to take part in slave patrols

Northern Democrats (“free
soilers”) and Southern Whigs
(border states) supported
Compromise
Compromise of 1850


Major development:
during debate, President
Taylor died
Millard Fillmore became
president


Fillmore a strong supporter
of compromise bill
Compromise passed in five
separate parts
Effect of Compromise






Slave issue resolved to Pacific Ocean
Hardened sectional differences between North, South
Whig Party disintegrated over slavery question (gave
too much away to Southerners – 1852 election)
Rise of Republican Party (abolitionists, anti-slavery
Whigs)
Avoided Civil War for ten years
Laid seeds for disunion
 Fugitive Slave Law
 Kansas-Nebraska Law of 1854
Election of 1852
Whigs pass over
President Millard
Fillmore and
nominate General
Winfield Scott
 Democrats = Franklin
Pierce, an unknown
compromise
candidate

Pierce:
Scott:
Hale
254 ECV / 1,601,274
42 ECV / 1,386,580
--- ECV / 155,825
Franklin Pierce
Northerner (NH), with
sympathy for
southerners
 Considered one of the
worst presidents, ever

 Ostend Manifesto
 Supported Fugitive Slave
Law
 Supported KansasNebraska Act
Ostend Manifesto

Southerners wished to annex
Cuba
 Strengthen slave based
economy
 Secret effort to purchase Cuba
from Spain for $120 million
 If Spain wouldn’t sell, diplomats
threatened to take Cuba by force

"Cuba is as necessary to the North American
republic as any of its present members,
and that it belongs naturally to that
great family of states of which the Union
is the Providential Nursery."
~Ostend Manifesto, 1854

Secret leaked, Northerners
freaked
Effect
 Northerners, feeling threatened
by Fugitive Slave Law and
“Bleeding Kansas”, pressured
Pierce to reject doc
 Pierce was also forced to oppose
due to international outcry from
European monarchies
Fugitive Slave Law



Constitution required return of
fugitive slaves
North rarely enforced earlier
law
Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
 Made it a $1000 fine for any official
who failed to arrest a runaway
slave
 Helping runaway slave = 6 months
prison and $1000 fine
 Slave owners seeking slaves only
needed sworn statement to allow
arrest of suspected runaway slave
 Slaves had no right to trial or right
to testify in court
Effect of whipping
Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854
Senator Douglas wanted
to extend popular
sovereignty concept
 Repealed Missouri
Compromise and created
Kansas and Nebraska
territories
 Opened up huge area to
popular sovereignty
1854 newspaper map showing
free states (red), slave states (gray)
And popular sovereignty areas (green)  Republican Party formed
to oppose K-N Act

Effect of K-N Act:
“Bleeding Kansas”




1854-1859 clashes between
“free-staters” and “Border
ruffians” (pro-slavery)
throughout Kansas Territory
With PS at stake, anti and
pro slavery organizations
sent 000s of settlers to
contest vote
Pro slavery Missourians
stole election, making
Kansas pro slave territory
Fifty six people were killed
in clashes; many more were
injured (John Brown)
“Bleeding Kansas” Fight
Election of 1856


Pierce thrown aside in
favor of James
Buchanan (PA) – D
John Fremont – GOP
 Anti-slavery party
 Slogan: "Free speech,
free press, free soil, free
men, Frémont and victory!"

Fillmore – “Know
Nothing” Party
 Ignored slavery issue
 Focused on anti-
immigration policies
Buchanan:
Fremont:
Fillmore:
174 ECV / 1,838,169
114 ECV / 1,341,264
8 ECV / 874,534
James Buchanan




Northerner (PA), with
sympathies for southerners
Vowed to serve one term
Pushed for admission of
Kansas as slave territory
(despite evidence of corrupt
election)
Lincoln’s election in 1860 and
secession of states
 Buchanan said secession illegal
 He also said fighting secession
illegal
 So he did nothing

Considered one of the worst
presidents ever