The 12th President of The United States, Zachary Taylor,

Zachary Taylor: Northerners and Southerners disputed whether to steadily territories seized in Mexico establish slavery, and some Southerners even threatened with division. Zachary Taylor was firmly prepared to maintain the Union by armed force rather than by compromise. Born in Virginia in 1784, he was taken as an infant to Kentucky and was raised on a cotton plantation. official career was in the army, but his vocation was closer to harvested cotton. His home was in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and

he owned a plantation in Mississippi. But Taylor did not defend slavery or southern sectionalism the; 40 years in the Army made him a strong nationalist. He spent a quarter century patrolling the borders against Indians. In the Mexican War, he won important victories at Monterrey and Buena Vista. President Polk, disturbed with the habits of informal command of General Taylor and perhaps their attitude Whig also kept in northern Mexico and sent an expedition under the command of Gen. Winfield Scott to capture Mexico City. Taylor thought the battle of Buena Vista opened the way in the city of Mexico and the Halls of Montezuma to which others could relieve them. The old ways were political assets. His long military record would appeal to northerners; owned 100 slaves would beat Southern votes.

He had not proposed himself in problem areas. The Whigs nominated him to compete against the Democratic candidate, Lewis Cass, who favored letting the residents of territories decide for themselves if they would allow slavery. In protest against Taylor, the "enslaving" and Cass, the lawyer of "sovereignty of the invading" the norterños who opposed the expansion of slavery into territories formed the Free Soil Party and nominated Martin Van Buren. In an upcoming election, party members Free Soil, they downplayed enough votes away from Cass to elect Taylor. Although Taylor had subscribed to Whig principles of legislative leadership, he was not inclined to be a puppet of Whig leaders in Congress. The sometimes he acted on as if he were about parties and politics. As divided as always, Taylor tried to take his

administration under the same rules with which he fought against the Indians. Traditionally, people could decide to allow slavery when state constitutions drafted. Therefore, to end the conflict over slavery in new areas, Taylor urged settlers in New Mexico and California to draft constitutions and apply for statehood, bypassing the territorial stage.

The Southerners were furious because in either state constitutions, was likely allow slavery; members of Congress, were dismayed, since they felt the President was usurping their prerogatives to make policy. In addition, Taylor's solution ignored several acute side issues: the northern discomfort slave market operating in the District of Columbia; and the southern demands for a more stringent fugitive slave law. In February 1850, President Taylor had held a stormy conference with southern leaders who threatened with division. He told them that in case of the need to enforce the laws, he personally would lead the army. "People who take rebellion against the union, he would hang ... with less reluctance than when hanged deserters and spies in Mexico". He never forgave. Then events took an unexpected turn. After participating in ceremonies at the Washington Monument on a hot day of July 4, Taylor fell ill; within five days he was dead. After his death, Commitment forces triumphed, but the war that Taylor had been willing to deal came 11 years later. Here his only son, Richard, served as a general in the Confederate Army.