impact of mexican war 1846-50

what was the Wilmot Proviso

1846 David Wilmot, Democrat, added this amendment to a finance bill in the House of Representatives

Proviso said that slavery would be excluded from any territory gained from Mexico

who was Wilmot

Democrat from Pennsylvania, not an abolitionist

like many northerners, didn’t like Polk seeming to pursue pro-southern policies

what was the voting for the Wilmot Proviso

passed the House of Representatives by 83 votes to 64

voting was sectional

• most notherners voted for it

• every southern democrat and all but 2 southern whigs voted against it

didn’t pass Senate meaning it didn’t become law

the Calhoun Doctrine

supported by northerners who believed congress had the power to exclude slavery from the territories

south challenged the doctrine

late 1820s he changed his mind and developed doctrine of nullification which said the right of any state to overrule or modify any federal law was unconstitutional

when was the nullification crisis

1832-33

creation of Popular Sovereignty

compromise idea suggested by democratic senators

• Lewis Cass

• Stephen Douglas

what did popular sovereignty offer for north/south

south

- met wish for federal non-intervention and held out prospect that slavery could possible extend to some mexican territories

north

- presented as an exclusion scheme as it seemed unlikely settlers in new territories would vote for introduction of slavery

reactions to popular sovereignty

supported by many Democrats

opposed by a few southerners who wanted the right to take their ‘property’ wherever they wanted

opposed by a few northerners who thought slavery should not be able to expand even if more settlers wanted it to

Polk as president

although president when winning the greatest area of territory in us history - did not receive as much credit for the mexican war

did not run for second term

1848 election - who did democrats nominate as presidential candidate

Lewis Cass

1848 election - who did whigs nominate as presidential candidate

Zachary Taylor - who had no previous political experience

whigs avoided split between north and southern whigs by having no national platform on slavery expansion. that way they could run a two-faced campaign:

• ran as an anti-slavery party in north

• ran as a pro-southern rights party in the south

1848 election - Free Soil Party

newly formed for the election including

• northern democrats alarmed at southern dominance of democrat party

• ‘conscience’ whigs who didn’t want to campaign for southern slave owner

• liberty party supporters

the party supported Wilmot Proviso and nominated Martin Van Buren as presidential candidate

how many votes did Taylor win in 1848 election

he won overall

1,360,000 votes (47.5% total)

163 electoral collage votes

not sectional - 8/15 slave states and 7/15 free states

how many votes did Cass and Van Buren get - 1848 election

Cass

• 1,220,000 (42.5%)

• 127 electoral collage votes

Van Buren

• 291,000 (10%)

• no electoral collage votes

California gold rush

1848-49

100,000 people moved there within months

meant it could apply for statehood

who had most influence over president Taylor

William Seward

over henry clay and daniel webster