Zachary Taylor's stubborn resistance to declaring his views on the major political issues during his candidacy in the 1848 presidential campaign was a favorite theme of the opposition. Here Taylor, in uniform, fields questions from a group of "Office Seekers." The first asks, "What is your opinion of Free-Trade Sir?" A bespectacled man behind him inquires, "What do you think of the Tariff Sir?" Two other men standing in background debate: "We can't find out anything by him." "That's because he's got it in him--A still tongue makes a wise head. Didn't he lick Santa Anna at Buena Vista?" Taylor, sitting with feet propped on a chair back, declares, "Ax my ------! Do you think I sit here to answer your bothering questions? You'll find out what I think when I'm President, & then it will be my part to command & yours to obey." At left, editor Horace Greeley (in long white coat) confides to an unidentified man, "We must take up with Matty [i.e., Martin Van Buren, Free Soil candidate]." The other man states, "We must elect Hale." He refers to John P. Hale, Liberty party nominee for president in the fall of 1847. His nomination was superseded in the coalition of Liberty party and Barnburner Democrats forming the Free Soil party in August 1848 to nominate Van Buren.|Drawn by H. Bucholzer.|Published by J. Baillie 87th St. near 3d. Avenue N.Y.|The Library's impression was deposited for copyright on September 14, 1848.|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Lorant, p. 192.|Weitenkampf, p. 94.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1848-25.

While Democratic and Whig candidates debate strategies to win the presidency, or "shoot the Christmas turkey," Free Soil candidate Martin Van Buren makes off with the bird. At left Democrat Lewis Cass (facing front) and Whig Zachary Taylor (facing left), both in military uniform and holding rifles, quarrel about the turkey which is chained to a stake in the center. Taylor: "I tell you, Cass, that I prefer coming to close quarters. It will be as fair for you as for me." Cass: "But I prefer long shots. It will give more chance for the exercise of skill & ingenuity." Taylor running mate Millard Fillmore enters from the left and sighting Van Buren exclaims, "Blood and thunder! I thought that infernal fox was dead: but he has come out of his hole and carried off the prize, while we have been disputing about the preliminaries!" On the far right, Van Buren, as a fox, grasps the turkey by the neck as David Wilmot cheers, "Huzza! Huzza! Victory! Victory!" Wilmot holds up the famous and controversial Wilmot Proviso of 1846, which forbade slavery in territories acquired by the United States in the Mexican War. The measure, embraced by Van Buren but sidestepped by Cass and Taylor, was a burning issue in the 1848 campaign. On the ground in the center of the scene sits New York editor Horace Greeley with a tally sheet marked "Taylor" and "Cass" nearby. Greeley thumbs his nose at Taylor and Cass and says, "Well, Gentlemen, my place has become a sinecure. I need not keep tally for you now." An ardent and powerful Whig spokesman in the 1844 election, Greeley withheld his support for Taylor until late in the 1848 campaign. By that time his New York "Tribune" had become an established and successful newspaper.|Entered . . . 1848 by J. Baillie.|Pubd. by James Baillie, 87th St. near 3d. Avenue, N.Y.|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Weitenkampf, p. 94.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1848-53.

A humorous commentary on Barnburner Democrat Martin Van Buren's opposition to regular Democratic party nominee Lewis Cass. Van Buren and his son John were active in the Free Soil effort to prevent the extension of slavery into new American territories. In this he opposed the conservative Cass, who advocated deferring to popular sovereignty on the question. In "Smoking Him Out," Van Buren and his son (wearing smock, far right) feed an already raging fire in a dilapidated barn. (radical New York Democrats supporting Van Buren were referred to as "Barnburners" because in their zeal for social reforms and anticurrency fiscal policy they were likened to farmers burning their barns to drive out the rats). On the left, Lewis Cass prepares to leap from the roof of the flaming structure while several rats likewise escape below him. The artist seems to favor Van Buren, and his attempt to force the slavery issue in the campaign. The Free Soilers, unlike the Democrats, supported enforcement of the Wilmot Proviso, an act introduced by David Wilmot which prohibited slavery in territories acquired in the Mexican War. John Van Buren, adding another pitchfork of hay to the flames, exclaims, "That's you Dad! more 'Free Soil.' We'll rat'em out yet. Long life to Davy Wilmot." |Entered . . . 1848 by Peter Smith.|Pub. by Peter Smith [i.e., Nathaniel Currier] 2 Spruce St. N.Y.|The Library's impression of "Smoking Him Out" was deposited for copyright on August 12, 1848, just two days after Van Buren was nominated by the Free Soil party.|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Gale, no. 5963.|Weitenkampf, p. 92.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1848-49.

A particularly well-drawn satire on the three major presidential contenders for 1848, (left to right) Zachary Taylor, Martin Van Buren and Lewis Cass. Of the three the artist seems to favor Van Buren, the "Barnburner" candidate, who sits on a stool milking the cow which the others try in vain to move in opposite directions. Taylor, who tugs at the tail of the animal, is called a "No Party Man" because of his continued refusal to commit to a party ideology. Cass, the "Hunker" or conservative Democrat, strains at the cow's horns. Van Buren: "I go in for the free soil. Hold on Cass, dont let go Taylor, (That's the cream of the Joke)." Van Buren was the candidate of a coalition, between Barnburner Democrats and Liberty and Whig party abolitionists, called the Free Soil party. Zachary Taylor: "I don't Stand on the whig Platform 'I ask no favor and shrink from no Responsibility.'" Lewis Cass: "Matty is at his old tricks again, and going in for the Spoils old Zack, and myself will get nothing but skim milk."|Entered . . . 1848 by H.R. Robinson.|Printed & published by H.R. Robinson, 31 Park Row directly opposite the Park fountain adjoining Lovejoys Hotel|Probably drawn by "W.J.C.".|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Weitenkampf, p. 90.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1848-39.

The 1852 Democratic victory under the standard of Franklin Pierce is foreseen as a debacle for the Whig party, led by Winfield Scott. Pierce (center) sits on his horse, holding aloft a banner bearing his and running mate William R. King's names. His troops rally around him--the party rank and file. Scott's forces are in chaos, routed into Salt River, the figurative stream of political disaster. Holding aloft a shredded banner, Scott (center) rides into the water with supporter William Seward holding tight to his horse's neck. Scott says, "Just as I expected, we relied too much on fuss and smoke, and have lost the battle, yet bravely hand in hand together, Seaward (Seward) we go, my Friend, my Brother." To the left, a uniformed man, either William R. King or Illinois Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, boots Whig incumbent president Millard Fillmore into the river, saying, "I like consistency & have ever been in favor of the improvement of Rivers and Harbours. Slide in!" Fillmore laments, "I dont know why they kick me. I'm sure I'm nobody!" In the lower left corner, the feet of abolitionist editor Horace Greeley protrude from the water. In the center, Lewis Cass fires a pistol at Daniel Webster, whose rump, labeled "Chowder" for his New England background, is just disappearing into the water. "Ah what glorious sport," cries Cass, taunting Webster about his diplomatic record, "how now Webster! backing down on guano. fishing for Cod! eh! feel dry! take mine warm. want any powder, give you some ball!" A man to the right of Cass prods at a floating body with a bayonet. Another man, further right, has just forced an unidentified Whig into the water, saying, "There's nothing like water to wash out Stains!" The comic characterizations and style of draftsmanship are unquestionably John L. Magee's, comparing closely with signed works such as "The Game Cock and the Goose" and "A Magnificent Offer to a Magnificent Officer" (nos. 1852-18 and 1852-27).|Drawn by John L. Magee.|For sale at 124 Nassau St., New York.|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Weitenkampf, p. 109-110.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1852-26.

An illustrated cover for a collection of Democratic campaign songs. Liberal Republican presidential candidate Horace Greeley and running mate Benjamin Gratz Brown appear in oval bust portraits framed by ivy. Above them an American eagle rests on two crossed American flags. The songs are "Greeley & Brown's Galop to the White House," "Greeley's Grand March," "Greeley's Favorite Polka," "Good Bye Ulysses, or We're Falling into Line," "The Farmer Goes Chopping on His Way," and "He Always Wears an Old White Hat."|Entered . . . 1872 by J.L. Peters . . . Washington.|Published by J.L. Peters. New York.|Snyder, Black & Sturn, 92 William St. N.Y.|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1872-2.

 U.S. History is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of most introductory courses. The text provides a balanced approach to U.S. history, considering the people, events, and ideas that have shaped the United States from both the top down (politics, economics, diplomacy) and bottom up (eyewitness accounts, lived experience). U.S. History covers key forces that form the American experience, with particular attention to issues of race, class, and gender.Senior Contributing AuthorsP. Scott Corbett, Ventura CollegeVolker Janssen, California State University, FullertonJohn M. Lund, Keene State CollegeTodd Pfannestiel, Clarion UniversityPaul Vickery, Oral Roberts UniversitySylvie Waskiewicz

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the terms of the Wilmot ProvisoDiscuss why the Free-Soil Party objected to the westward expansion of slaveryExplain why sectional and political divisions in the United States grewDescribe the terms of the Compromise of 1850

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Explain the contested issues that led to the Compromise of 1850Describe and analyze the reactions to the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act

Horace Greeley's famous and widely ridiculed 1871 pamphlet "What I Know of Farming" provided the pretext for the title here. With the tail and cloven hoof of a devil Greeley (center) leads a small band of Liberal Republicans in pursuit of incumbent President Ulysses S. Grant and his supporters. Greeley heralds "General Amnesty," echoing his campaign pledge of amnesty for former Confederates. He is followed by his running mate Benjamin Gratz Brown (with a long beard) who calls for "Reduction of Taxes." Next follows bespectacled Missouri Republican leader Carl Schurz, who carries a flag "Reconciliation," and Massachusetts senator and civil rights advocate Charles Sumner who demands "Equal Rights to All." Grant, holding a liquor bottle, and his three companions flee to the left. One of them is Benjamin F. Butler, who grasps three silver spoons. (For the significance of Butler's spoons, see "The Radical Party on a Heavy Grade," no. 1868-14.) The man at far left is probably former New York senator Roscoe Conkling, a zealous supporter of Grant's administration and programs. Grant cries, "Let us have Peace," an 1868 campaign slogan.|Entered . . . 1872 by Morton Toulmin.|Signed: "M.T." and "Fizzle Gig."|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1872-9.

A severe split within the Whig ranks, between partisans of Henry Clay and those of Zachary Taylor, preceded the party's convention in June 1848. Here Horace Greeley, one of Clay's most influential northern supporters, tries to drive the party wagon downhill toward "Salt River" (a contemporary idiom for political doom). At the same time, a Brother Jonathan or Uncle Sam figure steers in the opposite direction, toward the White House. Greeley whips his horse, a scrawny nag with the head of Henry Clay, with a switch or small branch; the uphill-bound horse has Taylor's head, and its driver wields a carriage whip. The cart is laden with papers marked "Tariff," "Bank," and "Internal Improvements," traditional catchwords of Whig politics. Greeley: "It's of no use to talk to me, for Mr. Clay says he would rather be right than to be President, and that is the policy I am adopting now." Brother Jonathan: "Do slack up a little there, Horace, till we get over a chock that some one has put before the wheel." The "chock" that the cart has run into is a rock marked "Wilmot Proviso," placed in the road by Congressman David Wilmot. The question of the validity of the proviso, an 1846 proposal to prohibit slavery in territories acquired during the Mexican War, became an important issue in the 1848 campaign, and a stumbling block to candidates like Taylor who courted Southern support. The proviso was never passed by the Senate.|Entered . . . 1848 by J. Baillie.|Published by James Baillie, 87th St. near 3rd Avenue, New York.|Signed in reverse: H.B. (H. Bucholzer).|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Lorant, p. 189.|Weitenkampf, p. 95.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1848-21.

The abolitionist Republican presidential ticket and its supporters in the press are the targets of the cartoon. Candidate Fremont, wearing an emigrant's smock and carrying a cross (an allusion to his rumored Catholicism), is in the driver's seat of a wagon drawn by the "wooly nag" of abolitionism. On the nag's back sit (left to right): New York "Tribune" editor Horace Greeley, James Gordon Bennett of the "Herald," and Henry J. Raymond of the "New York Times." Holding onto the back of the wagon is "Courier & Enquirer" editor James Watson Webb. The wagon also carries Fremont's wife Jessie, who holds a parasol and leans on a sack marked "Bleeding Kansas Fund," a reference to hostilities in Kansas between antislavery and proslavery advocates. The wagon has reached the "Union Tollgate" (left), which is tended by Brother Jonathan and an unidentified man. Jonathan warns, "No Sir-ee! you cant come any such load over us." Greeley: "Come my good People open the Gate its all right! We are the true 'Union' Party because we all ride on the wooly Horse." Bennett: "Ever since I mounted behind the old white Coated Philosopher [i.e., Greeley] I find that everything he says can be re-lied on." Raymond: "Except when he calls me "'little Villain'" and then he can't be re-lied on." Fremont laments: "There seems to be something in the road, but those fellows on the Horse, will swear me through anything; so I'll keep mum." Webb: "Hurry up there Horace! or [Southern Democratic Preston S.?] Brooks will be running his Express Train into us; I've had one ride on his Cowcatcher lately, and I don't want another." A ragged boy shouts to the driver, "Cut behind!"|For sale by Nathaniel Currier at No. 2 Spruce St. N.Y.|Probably drawn by Louis Maurer.|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Gale, no. 4643.|Murrell, p. 185.|Weitenkampf, p. 117.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1856-21.