Free-Soil Party

Politics and Public Service

The Free-Soil Party developed in part from a political rivalry in New York State. The Democratic Party there consisted of contending factions: the Barnburners, who were strongly opposed to slavery, and the Hunkers, who were neutral or supportive of slavery.

In the Election of 1844, both national parties were impacted by the nagging slavery issue. Southern Democratic forces managed to engineer the nomination of proslavery James K. Polk, denying the nod to former president Martin Van Buren, who was moderately antislavery. The Whigs nominated Henry Clay, who changed his stand on supporting the annexation of Texas during the campaign. James G. Birney headed the third party ticket for the Liberty Party and took enough votes from Clay-especially in New York State-to enable a Polk victory.

In the Election of 1848, Van Buren was passed over again by the Democrats, so he and antislavery forces from the Democratic (such as the Barnburners), Whig and Liberty parties formed the Free-Soil Party. The party platform, written at the convention in Buffalo, New York in August 1848 called for:

• Opposition to the extension of slavery into the territories
• Support for national internal improvement programs
• Support for moderate tariffs designed for revenue only
• Support for the enactment of a homestead law.

In the Election of 1852 the Free-Soilers nominated the abolitionist John Parker Hale of New Hampshire. It was believed at the time that the slavery issue had been settled by the Compromise of 1850, so many elements of the party had reverted to their previous allegiances. The ticket drew only about five percent of the popular vote nationwide and no electoral votes.

The failure to ever win a single electoral vote, plus the deepening crisis highlighted by the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), ended the Free-Soilers' hopes. Many of its members moved on to the new Republican Party.