The Election of 1848
Essential Question: Why did Lincoln set aside his opposition to slavery to campaign for Zachary Taylor?
The election of 1848 proved to be a crucial one. The Whigs had elected William Henry Harrison in 1840, only to have him die one month into his term. The 1844 election went to the Democrat, James K. Polk when the anti-slavery Liberty party took votes away from the Whig, Henry Clay, in New York. Lincoln was upset by voters who decided that losing on principle was better than winning, as evidenced by this letter to Williamson Durley. He and other Whigs decided that Zachary Taylor was the right choice for their nomination in 1848, even though Taylor's political leanings were unknown. This close reading focuses on the election through the lens of a letter Lincoln wrote to his law partner in Springfield. Watch the video then answer the following questions. You may need to conduct some research to answer them.
1. Read Lincoln's letter to Durley. What was is feeling towards the annexation of Texas?
2. What is pragmatism? How does the definition apply here?
3. How did the platforms of the Whigs and Democrats differ in 1848? Which groups tended to vote for them?
4. What role did slavery play in the election?
5. What were the long term effects of the Whigs nominating Zachary Taylor?
Essential Question: Why did Lincoln set aside his opposition to slavery to campaign for Zachary Taylor?
The election of 1848 proved to be a crucial one. The Whigs had elected William Henry Harrison in 1840, only to have him die one month into his term. The 1844 election went to the Democrat, James K. Polk when the anti-slavery Liberty party took votes away from the Whig, Henry Clay, in New York. Lincoln was upset by voters who decided that losing on principle was better than winning, as evidenced by this letter to Williamson Durley. He and other Whigs decided that Zachary Taylor was the right choice for their nomination in 1848, even though Taylor's political leanings were unknown. This close reading focuses on the election through the lens of a letter Lincoln wrote to his law partner in Springfield. Watch the video then answer the following questions. You may need to conduct some research to answer them.
1. Read Lincoln's letter to Durley. What was is feeling towards the annexation of Texas?
2. What is pragmatism? How does the definition apply here?
3. How did the platforms of the Whigs and Democrats differ in 1848? Which groups tended to vote for them?
4. What role did slavery play in the election?
5. What were the long term effects of the Whigs nominating Zachary Taylor?