HIST 103A Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: In Private, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Involuntary Servitude
17 Apr 2018
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Early front runners of the election, henry clay (middle state whigs) and martin. Van buren (northern democrats), agreed to keep expansion out of the election. Not because they wanted to deprive of themselves of the issue or were keen on hearing the other side. They feared that opening the election open to the issue of the expansion of slavery would make it the center of debate. Would create a regional and sectional divide in the polls. Robbed both parties of the chance at the presidency. Hurt the whigs more than it hurt the democrats. Clay was nominated as the whig party presidential candidate, but van buren failed to be nominated as the democratic candidate. A late entrant, james k. polk, won the democratic nomination ( dark horse candidate ) and presidency. Polk embraced expansion more tightly and with more fervor than any candidate had before, and adopts an aggressive pro-expansion policy.
