Political Landscape From 1850 To 1860

2 Pages 394 Words

Leading up to and even during the 1850’s, political parties within the union grew tense on the issue of slavery. In the text the author quotes Calhoun as saying “the cords holding the Union together had already begun to fray.” This is a great description of the growing animosity between the numerous party members.
The most devastating blow to the Whig party was brought by the Kansas-Nebraska Act which was put forward by Stephen Douglas and repealed the Missouri Compromise and allowed popular sovereignty in the new territory of Kansas. With the split of the Whig party, some Northern Whigs joined the new American party which stood for serving the “patriotic cause of the Union.” Other Northern Whigs joined independent Democrats and Free Soilers arguing in opposition to slavery and forming what is later known as the Republican party in 1854. In 1854, at their first national convention, Republicans sought out John C. Fremont and took the first political party stance against slavery with the slogan “Free soil, free speech, and Fremont.” Republicans later named Abraham Lincoln as their 1860 presidential nominee.
The Democratic party nominated James Buchanan for the 1856 election to run against Fremont. Contrary to the reaction of the Whig party, the Democratic platform endorsed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, plead with congress not to interfere with slavery issues, condemned nativism, and endorsed religious liberty. Buchanan won the election of 1856. Nearing the 1860 election, Democrats held their convention in Charleston, South Carolina. Here the party saw its split. Douglas supporters promised congressional noninterference with slavery while some southerners demanded protection of slavery. The climax of this party debate came when William L. Yancey informed Northern Democrats that they had “failed to defend slavery as a positive good.” In reply to this, a northern senator is claims that they had been mistaken and “We will no...