National Historical Park National Park Service Women's Rights U.S. Department of the Interior

The Free Soil Party

The Party's Formation

NORTHAMPTON COURIER.

WiJDiNKSDAY, AUGUST 10, 1818.

FKDB SOIL NOSIISATIOKS. FOR I'UESIDENT,

The national Free Soil party was Taylor, were both in favor of the MARTIN VAN EUREN OF NKW YOKK. organized in August of 1848 at a continuation of slavery and its convention in Buffalo, New York. extension into the western FOU VICE PUESIUEiNT. The forthcoming U.S. presidential terrorities. Finding this an CHA'S FRANCIS ADAMS OF MASSACHUSETTS. election of 1848 was the immediate insupportable position, many event which spurred the creation of dissidents from both parties decided Uiiflalo Couveution. this party. The two major political to form a new political party-'the parties of the time had just Free Soil party. This new national announced their candidates at their party based its name on the laborers. At the Buffalo national conventions-in - principle that theJJnited States - constituting convention, Philadelphia and Baltimore. The should not extend slavery into the selected former President Martin Democratic candidate, Lewis Cass, western territories and that the land Van Buren as their candidate for and the Whig candidate, Zachary should be worked solely by free the 1848 presidential election.

Defining A Strategy

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UNORGANIZED HRRfTORY

Compramiaa

MISSOURI CONN AdmirtM at tUrut dat*.

FLORIDA TERRIiOKY

As a coalition of radical similiar purpose of uniting economy of the nation and its abolitionists, the Free Soil party got abolitionists but it was ineffectual. political balance of power would its members from Democrats and As its successor, the Free Soil party change if slavery was extended into Whigs who had been fighting introduced a new stance into the West. If the western territories slavery as a moral cause for years politics by making abolition a entered the Union as slave states, without much success. Salmon P. political rather than a moral cause. then the slave states would Chase, credited with making the Instead of arguing against slavery on outweigh the free ones politically, Free Soil party an influential a moral basis, the Free Soilers put and slaves would force free laborers movement, had previously forth economic and political out ofjobs and land. organized the Liberty party for a reasoning. They explained that the