Free-Soil Party
The Free-Soil Party was a political faction that emerged in the United States during the mid-19th century, primarily in response to the growing tensions surrounding the issue of slavery. Formed in 1848 by antislavery Democrats, former members of the Liberty Party, and disenchanted Whigs, the party aimed to prevent the expansion of slavery into the territories acquired from the Mexican-American War. Its most notable candidate, Martin Van Buren, ran for president but did not secure any electoral votes, although he garnered significant popular support, particularly in the North and Midwest.
The Free-Soil Party championed principles encapsulated in their slogan "Free Soil, Free Speech, Free Labor, and Free Men," reflecting their commitment to opposing slavery and promoting free labor. Despite their efforts, the party's influence waned after the 1852 election, where they received reduced support. However, the escalating sectional conflicts ultimately led to the formation of the Republican Party in 1854, which absorbed many Free-Soil members. The Free-Soil Party thus played a crucial role in shaping the political landscape of the time, contributing to the eventual emergence of a more unified antislavery movement.
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Free-Soil Party
As the Whig Party disintegrated, the Free-Soil Party was one of the factions that filled the political vacuum; in time Free-Soil Party members helped to form the Republican Party. In 1846, Representative David Wilmot introduced a measure to prohibit slavery in territories obtained as a result of the Mexican-American War, and almost immediately the political parties divided on the matter. Uniting with the Liberty Party and antislavery Whigs, the antislavery “barnburners” formed the Free-Soil Party, which nominated Martin Van Buren for the presidency in 1848. He did not obtain a single electoral vote, but he won 291,000 popular votes in the North and Midwest. The election was won by Zachary Taylor, a hero of the Mexican-American War who refused to state his political positions.
The Free-Soilers next formed the “Free Democracy of the United States,” which held a convention in 1852 during which it nominated John Hale for the presidency on the platform of “Free Soil, Free Speech, Free Labor, and Free Men.” The Democratic nominee, Franklin Pierce, who favored the Compromise of 1850, won the election.
The nation seemed to want compromise and avoidance of war. This time the Free-Soil candidate received only 156,000 presidential votes, and the party seemed to have lost influence.
Even so, the antislavery forces recovered, as antagonisms between the sections intensified. Eventually, violence erupted in Kansas, as the two groups contested for control of the territory. In July, 1854, antislavery elements came together to form the Republican Party. Free-Soilers filtered into the Republican ranks and were very much in evidence at the party’s 1856 convention, which nominated John C. Frémont for the presidency. With this, the Free-Soil Party dissolved.
Bibliography
Cumbler, John T. From Abolition to Rights for All: The Making of a Reform Community in the Nineteenth Century. Philadelphia: U of Pennsylvania P, 2008. Print.
Earle, Jonathan Halperin. Jacksonian Antislavery and the Politics of Free Soil, 1824-1854. Chapel Hill: U of North Carolina P, 2004. Digital file.
Green, Donald J. "Antebellum Third Parties: Liberty, Free Soil, American (Know-Nothings), Constitutional Union." Third-Party Matters : Politics, Presidents, and Third Parties in American History. Santa Barbara: Praeger, 2010. 5–26. Digital file.
Rayback, Joseph G. Free Soil: The Election of 1848. Lexington: UP of Kentucky, 1970. Print.
Roberts, Robert North, Valerie A. Sulfaro, and Scott J. Hammond. Presidential Campaigns, Slogans, Issues, and Platforms : The Complete Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: Greenwood, 2012. Digital file.