Hnau
Banned
The 'Firebrand' Presidency
Part One
Theodore Frelinghuysen was known before winning the 1848 presidential election as the "Christian Statesman", grandson of Theodorus Frelinghuysen, one of the four key leaders in the First Great Awakening. Despite taking a stand against the inhumane treatment of the Native Americans in the Indian Removal Act of 1830, he a somewhat unremarkable New Jersey Senator and Mayor of Newark until being put on the Whig presidential ticket with Henry Clay in 1844.
In June of 1848, Wisconsin was admitted as a free state in the Union after considerable wrangling. Congress could hardly dispute the fact that Wisconsin was far north of the Missouri Compromise line, and met all requirements of becoming a state. However, this upset the balance between free states and slave states in the Senate, with 15 free and 14 slave. This alarmed the South considerably, with many fearing the beginning of a free state stranglehold in Congress and the demise of slavery. The Raleigh Conference had been held earlier in March over the issue, inviting Southern politicians to come together and discuss what could be done to preserve their institutions. Though extremists did appear to throw their vote in for secession, it was determined that the best plan included the establishment of the doctrine of popular sovereignty over the western territories. By giving the people of a state the ability to determine whether a new state should be free or slave, slavery could be extended into the west, passed the Missouri Compromise line. At the Democratic National Convention, presidential hopeful Lewis Cass, who had frequently championed popular sovereignty, took the nomination with a platform on keeping the Union stable.
Anti-slavery Democrats left the Party for abolitionist former president Martin van Buren, running under the Free Soil Party. This division severely weakened the Democrats. Both parties would be running against Theodore Frelinghuysen, the anti-slavery former vice president, who made it known that he saw no reason why the slave states should have any right to trespass the Missouri Compromise line. This led pro-slavery Whigs to unite under the Union Party, with their candidate Daniel Webster.
The controversial presidential election of 1848 was between free and slave states, with Lewis Cass taking only four free states: New Hampshire, Iowa, Michigan and Illinois. The high number electoral votes of the North pushed Frelinghuysen into power regardless of the entirely unanimous decision of the South. In his inaugural address, Frelinghuysen declared the beginning of a new era of compassion, where the Republic would be strengthened through the making of a righteous agenda. Everyone knew Frelinghuysen spoke of combating slavery.
The election of a politician so determined to keep slavery contained began a firestorm immediately, but prematurely. The last lame duck session of the 30th Congress began that December, but aged President Henry Clay declared that he would veto any serious legislation that could be passed in that short amount of time, speaking pointedly of popular sovereignty. While debates raged, they were forced to realize that nothing could be done at that time. Incoming Congressmen awaited March, 1849 in order to push forward Lewis Cass’ champion idea without him and hope for the best.
However, Southern delegates once again gathered at a convention in Nashville between February 9 and 15. Many Unionists and moderates had switched to the Anti-Union faction, angry that the electoral college system had given the nation another northern President, and one that was so unconcerned with the issues of the South. A slim majority agreed to sign the Intents and Principles Manifesto, which stated that the South was committed to the Federal Union as long as the Constitution was adhered to, and stressed that the Constitution protected slavery as rights to property. It also listed greivances against the South for the last eight years and declared that states held the right to secede if they were mistreated.
In the last half-month of his term, when the aging President Henry Clay received the Intents and Principles Manifesto, the old Compromiser realized that the disturbances in the South could very well lead to a war between the states and the dissolution of the union if he knew his Vice President well enough. Therefore, he reversed his position with the lame duck Congress and declared that he would not stain his long and successful presidency with a presidential veto at the very end. Publicly, President Clay reaffirmed that the Union was neither dissolvable nor capable of being left by one or several states, and hoped that this would help somewhat against the sectional struggle. Following this announcement, Congress railroaded the thought-impossible "Western Territories Bill" into discussion. On February 24th and 26th respectively, the Senate and House of Representatives passed the Bill by a slim margin, which established popular sovereignty in the territories while conceding to Free Soilers the abolition of the slave trade in Washington D.C.
The Western Territories Act painted the picture for the rest of Frelinghuysen's term, as well as the next decade. In his inaugural address, President Frelinghuysen announced publicly his disapproval with the legislation and Henry Clay, and declared that "the whole nation and people will regret in pain and sadness the evil that was of last week planted in the Republic."
Part One
Theodore Frelinghuysen was known before winning the 1848 presidential election as the "Christian Statesman", grandson of Theodorus Frelinghuysen, one of the four key leaders in the First Great Awakening. Despite taking a stand against the inhumane treatment of the Native Americans in the Indian Removal Act of 1830, he a somewhat unremarkable New Jersey Senator and Mayor of Newark until being put on the Whig presidential ticket with Henry Clay in 1844.
In June of 1848, Wisconsin was admitted as a free state in the Union after considerable wrangling. Congress could hardly dispute the fact that Wisconsin was far north of the Missouri Compromise line, and met all requirements of becoming a state. However, this upset the balance between free states and slave states in the Senate, with 15 free and 14 slave. This alarmed the South considerably, with many fearing the beginning of a free state stranglehold in Congress and the demise of slavery. The Raleigh Conference had been held earlier in March over the issue, inviting Southern politicians to come together and discuss what could be done to preserve their institutions. Though extremists did appear to throw their vote in for secession, it was determined that the best plan included the establishment of the doctrine of popular sovereignty over the western territories. By giving the people of a state the ability to determine whether a new state should be free or slave, slavery could be extended into the west, passed the Missouri Compromise line. At the Democratic National Convention, presidential hopeful Lewis Cass, who had frequently championed popular sovereignty, took the nomination with a platform on keeping the Union stable.
Anti-slavery Democrats left the Party for abolitionist former president Martin van Buren, running under the Free Soil Party. This division severely weakened the Democrats. Both parties would be running against Theodore Frelinghuysen, the anti-slavery former vice president, who made it known that he saw no reason why the slave states should have any right to trespass the Missouri Compromise line. This led pro-slavery Whigs to unite under the Union Party, with their candidate Daniel Webster.
The controversial presidential election of 1848 was between free and slave states, with Lewis Cass taking only four free states: New Hampshire, Iowa, Michigan and Illinois. The high number electoral votes of the North pushed Frelinghuysen into power regardless of the entirely unanimous decision of the South. In his inaugural address, Frelinghuysen declared the beginning of a new era of compassion, where the Republic would be strengthened through the making of a righteous agenda. Everyone knew Frelinghuysen spoke of combating slavery.
The election of a politician so determined to keep slavery contained began a firestorm immediately, but prematurely. The last lame duck session of the 30th Congress began that December, but aged President Henry Clay declared that he would veto any serious legislation that could be passed in that short amount of time, speaking pointedly of popular sovereignty. While debates raged, they were forced to realize that nothing could be done at that time. Incoming Congressmen awaited March, 1849 in order to push forward Lewis Cass’ champion idea without him and hope for the best.
However, Southern delegates once again gathered at a convention in Nashville between February 9 and 15. Many Unionists and moderates had switched to the Anti-Union faction, angry that the electoral college system had given the nation another northern President, and one that was so unconcerned with the issues of the South. A slim majority agreed to sign the Intents and Principles Manifesto, which stated that the South was committed to the Federal Union as long as the Constitution was adhered to, and stressed that the Constitution protected slavery as rights to property. It also listed greivances against the South for the last eight years and declared that states held the right to secede if they were mistreated.
In the last half-month of his term, when the aging President Henry Clay received the Intents and Principles Manifesto, the old Compromiser realized that the disturbances in the South could very well lead to a war between the states and the dissolution of the union if he knew his Vice President well enough. Therefore, he reversed his position with the lame duck Congress and declared that he would not stain his long and successful presidency with a presidential veto at the very end. Publicly, President Clay reaffirmed that the Union was neither dissolvable nor capable of being left by one or several states, and hoped that this would help somewhat against the sectional struggle. Following this announcement, Congress railroaded the thought-impossible "Western Territories Bill" into discussion. On February 24th and 26th respectively, the Senate and House of Representatives passed the Bill by a slim margin, which established popular sovereignty in the territories while conceding to Free Soilers the abolition of the slave trade in Washington D.C.
The Western Territories Act painted the picture for the rest of Frelinghuysen's term, as well as the next decade. In his inaugural address, President Frelinghuysen announced publicly his disapproval with the legislation and Henry Clay, and declared that "the whole nation and people will regret in pain and sadness the evil that was of last week planted in the Republic."
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