Question

How did the free-soil party influence the election of whig zachary taylor in 1848? free-soil party support of the democratic candidate caused a backlash vote for taylor. the free-soil candidate drew votes away from the democratic candidate. the free-soil party agreed not to enter a candidate into the presidential race that year. the free-soil party enthusiastically supported zachary taylor.

Answer 1

The Free-Soil Party influenced the 1848 presidential election by splitting the Democratic vote, effectively aiding Zachary Taylor's Whig Party to reach victory. Their promotion of abolitionist decided to repel potential votes for the Democratic candidate, particularly within the North. Taylor, a silent advocate for slavery, benefited from this divided voter base.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Free-Soil Party affected the 1848 election of Whig Zachary Taylor by siphoning off votes from the Democratic candidate, Lewis Cass. The Free-Soil Party, led by former president Martin Van Buren, consisted of various anti-slavery and abolitionist groups, including the northern Democrats who supported the Wilmot Proviso, northern Whigs who rejected Zachary Taylor because of his support for slavery, and the former members of the Liberty Party. This created a split in the voter base that ultimately played a part in Taylor's successful election.

The Free-Soil Party and their candidate, Van Buren, mainly drew voters from the North who were against the expansion of slavery into areas which were newly acquired from Mexico. This stood in contrast to Zachary Taylor's position on slavery, as he was a slaveholder and was silent on his views regarding the expansion of slavery during the campaign.

Thus, the voter base of the Free-Soil party overlapped considerably with that of the Democrats, and the presence of a strong third party candidate in the frame split the anti-slavery vote. This took crucial votes away from Lewis Cass, making it easier for Taylor and the Whigs to secure victory.

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