The American Presidential Election of 1856

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The 18th episode in a very long series about the American presidential elections from 1788 to the present. In 1856, the birth of the Republican Party, and a three-way race that demonstrated the country's growing sectionalism.

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The 18th Presidential election in American history took place on November 4th, 1856.

Franklin Pierce had a rough going over the previous four years, and now struggled to get his own party’s renomination. At the Democratic Party’s convention, 4 main candidates were in the running: Pierce, James Buchanan, Little Giant himself Stephen Douglas, and the beautiful Lewis Cass. It was a tight race between four well established and qualified candidates. In the end, Buchanan won the nomination. His running mate was John C. Breckinridge, a former U.S. Representative from Kentucky.

By this time, the Whig Party had mostly collapsed. Most former Whigs had joined the either the Know Nothing Party or a brand new political party called the Republican Party.

The Republican Party was formed in 1854 to oppose the extremely controversial Kansas Nebraska Act. At the first Republican National Convention in June of 1856, they met to approve an anti-slavery platform, an end to polygamy in Mormon settlements, and federal aid for a transcontinental railroad. Their nominee for President was John C. Fremont, a former Senator from California, although Supreme Court justice John McClean from Ohio was in the running. Fremont’s running mate was William L. Dayton, a former Senator from New Jersey.

The American Party, formerly the Native American Party and nicknamed the “Know Nothing Party,” by this time had gained much support for their nativist platform. Nativism is the policy of protecting the interests native citizens against foreigners, and the American Party mostly targeted Irish Catholics, who they complained were hurting the country. Even though former President Millard Fillmore was not a member of the American Party, nor was he a nativist, and he never attended an American Party function, the party nominated him to be President again. He was actually out of the country at the time of the nomination, and had not been consulted beforehand. Still, he just sort of went with it. The Know-Nothings nominated Andrew Jackson Donelson, the nephew of Andrew Jackson.

There were two other political parties that ran candidates for President, the deceptively named North American party and the North American Seceders Party, but they were pretty insignificant so we won’t go into who they endorsed.

Slavery was the inescapable issue of the day, and it would be quite an understatement to say the country was divided on the issue. The Republican Party unapologetically opposed expanding slavery out west. It’s slogan was “Free speech, free press, free soil, free men, Fremont, and victory!” The Democrats warned that a Fremont victory would bring a civil war.

The American Party attacked Fremont also, call him a….gasp...a Catholic, even though it wasn’t true.

The fact is, despite their xenophobia, the American Party attracted many who were scared at how divided the country had become. Their candidate, Fillmore, promised a return to unity.