Most Influential Politicians in American History Term Paper

James K.Polk

He was born in 1795 in Mecklenburg, North Carolina, and was the eleventh president of the United States of America. He was from the Jackson family and often referred to as the dark horse. He graduated from the University of North Carolina with honors in 1818 in law. He once served in the Tennessee legislature and served as speaker between 1835-1839.

The Oregon treaty

This is a bilateral treaty between the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the USA that was signed on 15^th June 1846 in Washington D.C and brought an end to the Oregon boundary dispute and settled both Americans and Britons in Oregon country. This is also known as the treaty with Great Britain, the Buchanan-Pakenham treaty, or the treaty of Washington and basically deals with the limits westward of the Rocky Mountains.

The slave power

The slave power was used in the Northern United States in the periods between 1840 to 1875 to mean the political power of the slaveholding states in the south. It’s sometimes referred to as the “slaveocracy”.

The Wilmot Proviso

This provision of 1846, which provided that as an express and fundamental condition to the acquisition of any territory from the Republic of Mexico by the US, by virtue of any treaty which may be negotiated between them, and to the use by the executive of the money herein appropriated, neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist in any part of the said territory, except for crime, whereof the party shall first be duly convicted(passed by U.S house of representatives,1846 and 1847, never passed by US senate).

John c.Calhoun’s state sovereignty theory

This theory by Calhoun’s argued that the federal government is the creation and agent of sovereign states, and each state, as sovereign is the final judge of its constitutional obligations. He rejected that all men are equal phrase, saying it was a dangerous mistake. (All academic research- John C.Calhoun and the legacies of Jefferson and Madison).

Popular sovereignty

This was a political doctrine that provided the settlers of federal territorial lands to decide their status as either free or slaves under which they would join the union. in 1854, It was popularized by Stephen A Douglas who had in mind that the settlers should vote on their status early in territorial development. It was later invoked in the 1850’s compromise and the Kansas-Nebraska act in 1854. (NWtravel magazine online-politics and public service, popular sovereignty 1840s).

The Free soil party

This was a party established in August 1848 at Buffalo in New York by members of the Whig party and the liberty party.This party opposed the extension of slavery into the western Soils. The slogan was “free soil, free speech, free labor, and free men”. Martin van Buren, the party’s candidate got 10% of the votes in the 1848 presidential elections. (The slave trade by James walvin-free soil party).

The compromise of 1850

This was a compromise presented by Clay, 70 years old on 29^th January 1850. This compromise indicated that Texas would relinquish the land in dispute by compensation, but be given ten million dollars to use in paying off its debts to Mexico, and the states of Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico be organized as non-slavery. In Washington, the slave trade was to be abolished in Columbia but still permitted and California would be a free state (Resource bank- the compromise of 1850 and the fugitive slave act).

Uncle Tom’s cabin

This is an anti-slavery novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe and was published in 1852. It translates to “life among the lowly”. Mr. Harriet Beecher Stowe acknowledges Reverend Josiah’s articles on the abolishment of the slave trade as a source for this novel, thus incorporating him as a character in his novel due to Josiah’s character (Uncle Tom’s cabin historic site).

The underground railroad

This was an established network in around 1786, of people who assisted fugitive slaves to escape to Canada and the north and was run by many people mostly blacks who knew only of the local efforts to help refugees and assisted thousands of them each year especially between 1810 and 1850. (Resource bank-judgment day, people and events: the underground Railroad, C.1780-1862).

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman was born in Dorchester County, Maryland in 1820 and died in alburn New York on 10^th March 1913. He was referred to as the “mosses of her people” since he was a runaway slave. She led hundreds of slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad, which was a secret network of safe houses where the escapee slaves could stay on their way to freedom, for a period of over ten years (library of congress-Harriet Tubman).

Franklin Pierce

Was born in 1804 in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, and studied law at Bowdin College. He became the president at the time of tranquility in 1850. He was America’s 14^th president and failed a lot on the slavery issue through the policies he established. He sided with the south on the issue of slavery since he came from New Hampshire which was anti-slave. His main goal was to uphold the constitution of the USA and avoid civil war by all means. He failed to win a second term due to his policies which made him unpopular in the North. (Benjamin Franklin papers-online).

Personal liberty laws

These were laws passed by the US in the North to take care of the fugitive slave acts. Indiana (1824) and Connecticut (1828) laid laws that gave escapee slaves the right to jury trials on appeal. The fugitives have assured the right of jury trial and attorneys by Vermont and New York (1840) while other states disallowed state authorities to capture and return fugitives.

Stephen A. Douglas

He was a political leader, orator band lawyer. He was born in Brandon, Vermont on 23^rd April 18133 and died in June 1861 in Chicago. His nickname was “the little giant” for he was short. He became a lawyer at Jacksonville, Illinois, and was also a democrat and also a wealthy land speculator. Elected to Illinois legislature in 1836, He supported compromise of 1850 while in the senate and Kansas-Nebraska act of 1854-popular sovereignty (world book Encyclopedia, v.4, 1970, field enterprises Educational corp.).

The Republican Party

This can refer to numerous parties in the ancient United States. It started as the Democratic-Republic party in 1792-1824, then it changed to National Republican Party in 1825-1833. It also emerged as American Republican Party from 1843 to 1856 and then to Liberal Republican Party (US) in 1872. Now its called Republican Party (united states).

The American (know-Nothing) Party

This party originated in 1843 in New York as the American Republican Party. It became a national party in 1855 as the Native American Party. “Know-nothing originated from inner secret of the party” This is because when a member was asked about its activities, he was supposed to say “I know nothing”.

John Brown

He was born in 1800 in Torrington, Connecticut in a religious family which was anti-slavery. On 16^th October 1859, he led twenty-one men on a raid federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia to arm slaves with the weapons, however he didn’t succeed. In 1855 in Kansas he led a guerilla to fight a proslavery attack against the antislavery town of Lawrence (research bank-judgment day, John Brown, 1800-1859).

James Buchanan

He was born in 1791 and attended Dickson College where he studied law but was also a good debater. He is the only US president who did not marry. During his tenure in office, the democrats split, Whigs were destroyed and republicans rose due to the fact that the North could not accept constitutional proposes of the south over slavery.

The Dred Scott Case

This happened in 1857 march when the US supreme court led by chief justice Roger B.Taney declared that all black whether free or slaves were not and could never become citizens of US. The 1820 Missouri compromise was declared unconstitutional by the court and thus permitted slavery in all the US territories. (Resource bank-judgment day, Dred Scott Case: The supreme court decision, 1857)

The Lecompton constitution

This was a pro-slavery constitution made in September 1857 and ratified in December the same year as a result of an election in which voters were given a choice only between limited and unlimited slavery, the free statesmen refused to vote. It was rejected in 1858 August and Kansas became a free state in 1861.

John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry

This raid happened on 16^th October 1859 when John Brown and twenty one other men attacked the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry in a plan to destroy the slavery in the south of US by supplying the slaves with the weapons. They succeeded in capturing the arsenal but lost their position and John Brown and his men were captured and later hanged. (Re-evaluating John Browns Raid at Harpers Ferry, by Karen Whitman, from West Virginia history vol. 34, no.1).

The Crittenden compromise

This was a an unsuccessful proposal by John J.Crittenden in 18^th December 1860 to resolve the US secession crisis of 1860 to 1861 by resolving the concerns that led to contemplation of secession by the southern states of United states (congressional Globe,36^th congress.,1^st session., page 114;Rhodes,history,3:150n-51n).

The confederate states of America

This is also called confederacy, confederate states, and CSA was formed as the government setup in 1861-1865 by eleven southern sates of USA that had declared their secession from the US. The USA termed secession illegal and failed to recognize the confederacy, it collapsed in 1865.

The attack on Fort Sumter

This occurred from 10^th -13th April 1861 when brigadier general Beauregard in command of the provisional confederate forces at Charleston, South Carolina demanded the surrender of the union Garrison of Fort Sumter in Charleston. On April 13^th, Major Anderson surrendered fort Sumter. This marked the beginning of engagement to the American Civil war. (Abner Doubleday, the attack on fort Sumter, April 12-13, 1861).