University:
Arizona State University
Course:
HST 200 | Historical Themes
Academic year:

2024
Views:

84

Pages:

2
Author:

Thuyoul US

THE 1848 ELECTION AND THE FREE-SOIL PARTY The Democrats placed a lot of weight on the Wilmot Proviso. Would they promise to back it? Martin Van Buren's opponents of slavery, known as Barnburners because they were compared to farmers who would burn down their own barn to get rid of a rat infestation, testified in favor of the proviso at the party's New York State convention in Buffalo. Hunkers, their opponents, declined to back it. Enraged, the Barnburners called their own convention and selected pro-Wilmot Proviso and anti-slavery delegates to send to the national Democratic convention in Baltimore. The debate over the spread of slavery therefore caused division within the Democratic Party. Both sets of delegates-the pro-proviso delegates selected by the Barnburners and the anti-proviso delegates selected by the Hunkers-were seated at the national convention. Lewis Cass, a supporter of popular sovereignty, received the majority of votes when it came time to choose the party's presidential contender. The idea of popular sovereignty held that people ought to have the power to make decisions based on the idea of majority rule; in this example, people ought to have the authority to determine whether or not slavery is permitted in a certain area. In theory, this idea would let slavery to spread throughout any United States territory, including those where it had previously been outlawed. Disturbed by the outcome, the Bamburners banded together with antislavery Whigs and ex-Liberty Party members to found the Free-Soil Party, a new political organization with the slogan "Free Soil, Free Speech, Free Labor, and Free Men." The party's primary objective was to prevent the spread of slavery into new territory. Its members, as with many other northerners of the day, believed that southern slaveholders had used their riches and influence to influence national politics in order to preserve the institution of slavery and expand it into new territory. A significant portion of the Free-Soil Party subscribed to this extensive plot by the elite that owned slaves to manipulate international and domestic policy for their own benefit, this group became known as the Slave Power. Following the Mexican War, anti-slavery sentiment found its way into American politics when the newly formed Free-Soil party quickly chose Martin Van Buren to be its nominee for president. It was the first time a national political party made the commitment to halt the spread of slavery. As Polk had anticipated, the Whigs picked General Zachary Taylor, while the Democrats selected Lewis Cass. Democrats divided their ballots between Van Buren and Cass on election. day. Taylor prevailed because the Democratic vote was not as strong. He benefited greatly from the public's affection for him in America, and his own of slaves contributed to his victory in the South.