Final answer:
The 1848 presidential election campaign generally skirted around the slavery issue, with Democrats endorsing popular sovereignty and Whigs nominating General Zachary Taylor, who avoided a clear stance. The success of the Free Soil Party, however, indicated the importance of the slavery debate despite its peripheral role in the campaigns. The correct answer is option B.
Step-by-step explanation:
The focus of the 1848 presidential election campaign largely avoided the contentious issue of slavery, despite it being a central concern following the Mexican Cession. Instead, the major parties concentrated on various strategies. The Democrats, with Lewis Cass as their nominee, promoted the idea of popular sovereignty, allowing settlers in new territories to decide the status of slavery themselves. This aligned with Cass's advocacy for ambiguity in the timing of when settlers should make this determination, aiming to appeal to both pro- and anti-slavery advocates. The Whig party nominated General Zachary Taylor, a war hero and slaveholder, who refrained from taking a personal stand on the issue. The presence of the Free Soil Party and their candidate, Martin Van Buren, however, forced the slavery issue into the conversation to some extent, as they captured the attention of voters concerned with preventing the expansion of slavery.
Ultimately, Taylor triumphed in the election, with a war hero image in the South and an ambiguous stance on slavery. Despite avoiding the issue during the campaign, Taylor's subsequent actions as president suggested he sympathized with the Free Soil objective to limit the spread of slavery. The impact of the Free Soil Party was reflected in their success at the polls, where they secured a significant percentage of the popular vote and won seats in Congress, suggesting that while slavery was not the overt campaign focus, it was indeed a defining undercurrent of the election.