United States presidential election, 1856
Encyclopedia
The United States presidential election of 1856 was an unusually heated contest that led to the election of James Buchanan
, the ambassador
to the United Kingdom
. Republican candidate John C. Frémont
condemned the Kansas–Nebraska Act and crusaded against the expansion of slavery, while Democrat Buchanan warned that the Republicans were extremists whose victory would lead to civil war. The Democrats endorsed the moderate “popular sovereignty” approach to slavery expansion utilized in the Kansas–Nebraska Act. Former President Millard Fillmore
represented a third party, the relatively new American Party or “Know Nothing Party”
. The "Know Nothings", who ignored the slavery issue in favor of anti-immigration policies, won a little over a fifth of the vote.
The incumbent president, Franklin Pierce
, was defeated in his effort to be renominated by the Democratic Party, which selected James Buchanan
of Pennsylvania instead. This was due in part to the fact that the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 had divided the Democrats into Northern Democrats and Southern Democrats. The Whig Party
had disintegrated since the last election over the issue of slavery, and new parties such as the Republican Party and the American Party competed to replace it. The Republican Party nominated John C. Frémont
of California as its first presidential candidate, beating out Senator William H. Seward
, and the Know-Nothing Party nominated the former President Millard Fillmore
of New York. The perennial candidate Daniel Pratt
also ran once again.
Frémont received fewer than 600 votes in the slave states, with all of these coming from Delaware and Maryland. The results in the Electoral College indicated that the Republican Party would probably win the next election in 1860 by winning just two more states, such as Pennsylvania and Illinois.
The American Party, formerly the Native American Party, was the vehicle of the Know Nothing
movement. The American Party absorbed most of the former Whig Party in 1854, and by 1855 it had established itself as the chief opposition party to the Democrats. In the 82 races for U.S. House in 1854, the American Party ran 76 candidates, 35 of whom won. None of the six Independents or Whigs who ran in these races was elected. The party then succeeded in electing Nathaniel P. Banks as Speaker of the House in the 34th Congress.
The American National Convention was held in National Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 22 to February 25, 1856. Following the decision by party leaders in 1855 not to press the slavery issue, the convention had to decide how to deal with the Ohio Party, which was vocally anti-slavery. The convention closed the Ohio chapter and re-opened it under more moderate leadership. The more vigorous anti-slavery delegates bolted. Former President Millard Fillmore
was nominated for president with 179 votes out of the 234 votes cast. The convention chose Andrew Jackson Donelson
of Tennessee
for vice-president with 181 votes to 30 scattered votes and 24 abstentions.
of Illinois, who had sponsored the Kansas-Nebraska Act, entered the race in opposition to President Franklin Pierce. The Pennsylvania delegation continued to sponsor its favorite son, James Buchanan
.
The 7th Democratic National Convention was held in Smith and Nixon's Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 2 to June 6, 1856. The delegates were deeply divided over slavery. For the first time in American history, a man who had been elected president was denied re-nomination after seeking it. On the first ballot, Buchanan placed first with 135.5 votes to 122.5 for Pierce, 33 for Douglas, and 5 for Lewis Cass
. With each succeeding ballot, Douglas gained at Pierce's expense. On the 15th ballot, most of Pierce's delegates shifted to Douglas in an attempt to stop Buchanan. It was too late, and on the 17th ballot, Buchanan was unanimously nominated. John C. Breckinridge
of Kentucky
was nominated for vice-president.
, just before the Republican National Convention. Party leaders hoped to nominate a joint ticket with the Republicans to defeat Buchanan. The national convention was held on June 12 to June 20, 1856 in New York. The delegates voted repeatedly on a nominee for president without a result, until it became clear that the Republican National Convention would not cooperate. Nathaniel P. Banks was nominated for president on the 10th ballot over John C. Frémont and John McLean, but Banks immediately telegraphed the convention that he did not want to run. The delegates, preparing to return home, unanimously nominated Frémont on the 11th ballot. The chairman of the convention, William F. Johnston, was nominated to run for vice-president, but he later withdrew his name.
for president and Kenneth Raynor for vice-president. The Seceders' ticket later withdrew from the contest.
The first Republican National Convention was held in the Musical Fund Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 17 to June 19, 1856. The convention approved an anti-slavery platform, calling for Congressional sovereignty in the territories, an end to polygamy
in Mormon
settlements, and federal assistance for a transcontinental railroad
. John C. Frémont was nominated for president over John McLean
, and William L. Dayton
was nominated for vice-president over Abraham Lincoln
.
The fifth (and last) Whig National Convention was held in the Hall of the Maryland Institute in Baltimore, Maryland
, on September 17 and September 18, 1856. There were 150 delegates sent from 26 states. Though the leaders of this party wanted to keep the Whig Party alive, they doomed it by deciding to endorse the American Party's national ticket of Fillmore and Donelson. The 150 Whig delegates did so unanimously.
None of the three candidates took to the stump. The Republican Party opposed the extension of slavery into the territories — in fact, its slogan was "Free speech, free press, free soil, free men, Frémont and victory!" The Republicans thus crusaded against the Slave Power, warning it was destroying republican values. Democrats counter-crusaded by warning that a Republican victory would bring a civil war
.
The Republican platform opposed the repeal of the Missouri Compromise
through the Kansas–Nebraska Act, which enacted the policy of popular sovereignty
, allowing settlers to decide whether a new state would enter the Union as free or slave. The Republicans also accused the Pierce administration of allowing a fraudulent territorial government to be imposed upon the citizens of the Kansas Territory, thus engendering the violence that had raged in Bleeding Kansas
. They advocated the immediate admittance of Kansas
as a free state. Along with opposing the spread of slavery into the continental territories of the United States, the party also opposed the Ostend Manifesto
, which advocated the annexation of Cuba
from Spain
. In sum, the campaign's true focus was against the system of slavery, which they felt was destroying the Republican values that the Union had been founded upon.
The Democratic platform supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act and popular sovereignty. The party supported the pro-slavery territorial legislature elected in Kansas, opposed the free-state elements within Kansas, and castigated the Topeka Constitution
as an illegal document written during an illegal convention. The Democrats also supported the plan to annex Cuba, advocated in the Ostend Manifesto, which Buchanan helped devise while serving as minister to Britain. The most influential aspect of the Democratic campaign was a warning that a Republican victory would lead to the secession of numerous southern states.
The campaign had a different nature in the free states and the slave states. In the free states, there was a three-way campaign, which Frémont won with 45% of the vote to 41% for Buchanan and 13% for Fillmore; Frémont received 114 electoral votes to 62 for Buchanan. In the slave states, however, the contest was strictly between Buchanan and Fillmore; Buchanan won 56% to 44%, receiving 112 electoral votes to 8 for Fillmore. Nationwide, Buchanan won 174 electoral votes, a majority, and was thus elected. Frémont received no votes in 12 of the 14 slave states with a popular vote; he got 310 in Delaware and 285 in Maryland.
Source (Electoral Vote):
(a) The popular vote figures exclude South Carolina
where the Electors were chosen by the state legislature rather than by popular vote.
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
, the ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Republican candidate John C. Frémont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
condemned the Kansas–Nebraska Act and crusaded against the expansion of slavery, while Democrat Buchanan warned that the Republicans were extremists whose victory would lead to civil war. The Democrats endorsed the moderate “popular sovereignty” approach to slavery expansion utilized in the Kansas–Nebraska Act. Former President Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
represented a third party, the relatively new American Party or “Know Nothing Party”
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
. The "Know Nothings", who ignored the slavery issue in favor of anti-immigration policies, won a little over a fifth of the vote.
The incumbent president, Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...
, was defeated in his effort to be renominated by the Democratic Party, which selected James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
of Pennsylvania instead. This was due in part to the fact that the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 had divided the Democrats into Northern Democrats and Southern Democrats. The Whig Party
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
had disintegrated since the last election over the issue of slavery, and new parties such as the Republican Party and the American Party competed to replace it. The Republican Party nominated John C. Frémont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
of California as its first presidential candidate, beating out Senator William H. Seward
William H. Seward
William Henry Seward, Sr. was the 12th Governor of New York, United States Senator and the United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson...
, and the Know-Nothing Party nominated the former President Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
of New York. The perennial candidate Daniel Pratt
Daniel Pratt (eccentric)
“General” Daniel Pratt, Jr. was an American itinerant speaker, author, performance-artist, eccentric, and poet.-Life and work:...
also ran once again.
Frémont received fewer than 600 votes in the slave states, with all of these coming from Delaware and Maryland. The results in the Electoral College indicated that the Republican Party would probably win the next election in 1860 by winning just two more states, such as Pennsylvania and Illinois.
Nominations
The 1856 presidential election was primarily waged among three political parties, though other parties had been active in the spring of the year. The conventions of these parties are considered below in chronological order.American Party nomination
American Party candidates- John BellJohn Bell (Tennessee politician)John Bell was a U.S. politician, attorney, and plantation owner. A wealthy slaveholder from Tennessee, Bell served in the United States Congress in both the House of Representatives and Senate. He began his career as a Democrat, he eventually fell out with Andrew Jackson and became a Whig...
, U.S. senator from TennesseeTennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area... - Lewis D. CampbellLewis D. CampbellLewis Davis Campbell was a U.S. Representative for Ohio. Over his successful political career he was elected as a Whig, Know-Nothing, Republican and Democrat.-Early life and career:...
, U.S. Representative from OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... - John M. ClaytonJohn M. ClaytonJohn Middleton Clayton was an American lawyer and politician from Delaware. He was a member of the Whig Party who served in the Delaware General Assembly, and as U.S. Senator from Delaware and U.S. Secretary of State....
, U.S. Senator from DelawareDelawareDelaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania... - Garrett DavisGarrett DavisGarrett Davis was a U.S. Senator and Representative from Kentucky.Born in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, Garrett Davis was the brother of Amos Davis. After completing preparatory studies, Davis was employed in the office of the county clerk of Montgomery County, Kentucky, and afterward of Bourbon...
, former U.S. Representative from KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth... - Millard FillmoreMillard FillmoreMillard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
, former President of the United States from New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... - Sam HoustonSam HoustonSamuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
, U.S. Senator from TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... - George LawGeorge Law (financier)George Law an American financier, b. in Jackson, Washington Co., N.Y., 25 October 1806; d. in New York city, 18 November 1881.- Early life :George Law was born in Jackson, New York and his only early education had been obtained in a winter night school. At age of eighteen he left his father's farm...
, steamboat entrepreneur from New York - Kenneth RaynerKenneth RaynerKenneth Rayner was a whig U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1839 and 1845.Born in Bertie County, North Carolina, Rayner attended Tarborough Academy, then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1829...
, U.S. Representative from North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte... - Robert F. StocktonRobert F. StocktonRobert Field Stockton was a United States naval commodore, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican-American War. He was a naval innovator and an early advocate for a propeller-driven, steam-powered navy. Stockton was from a notable political family and also served as a U.S...
, former U.S. Senator from New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
American Party candidates gallery
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
movement. The American Party absorbed most of the former Whig Party in 1854, and by 1855 it had established itself as the chief opposition party to the Democrats. In the 82 races for U.S. House in 1854, the American Party ran 76 candidates, 35 of whom won. None of the six Independents or Whigs who ran in these races was elected. The party then succeeded in electing Nathaniel P. Banks as Speaker of the House in the 34th Congress.
The American National Convention was held in National Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 22 to February 25, 1856. Following the decision by party leaders in 1855 not to press the slavery issue, the convention had to decide how to deal with the Ohio Party, which was vocally anti-slavery. The convention closed the Ohio chapter and re-opened it under more moderate leadership. The more vigorous anti-slavery delegates bolted. Former President Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
was nominated for president with 179 votes out of the 234 votes cast. The convention chose Andrew Jackson Donelson
Andrew Jackson Donelson
Andrew Jackson Donelson was an American diplomat and a candidate for Vice President of the United States.-Biography:...
of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
for vice-president with 181 votes to 30 scattered votes and 24 abstentions.
| Presidential Ballots | Informal 1 | Formal 2 | Vice Presidential Ballot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president... |
139 | 179 | Andrew Jackson Donelson Andrew Jackson Donelson Andrew Jackson Donelson was an American diplomat and a candidate for Vice President of the United States.-Biography:... |
181 |
| George Law George Law (financier) George Law an American financier, b. in Jackson, Washington Co., N.Y., 25 October 1806; d. in New York city, 18 November 1881.- Early life :George Law was born in Jackson, New York and his only early education had been obtained in a winter night school. At age of eighteen he left his father's farm... |
27 | 35 | Scattering | 18 |
| Garrett Davis Garrett Davis Garrett Davis was a U.S. Senator and Representative from Kentucky.Born in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, Garrett Davis was the brother of Amos Davis. After completing preparatory studies, Davis was employed in the office of the county clerk of Montgomery County, Kentucky, and afterward of Bourbon... |
18 | 8 | Henry J. Gardiner | 12 |
| Kenneth Rayner Kenneth Rayner Kenneth Rayner was a whig U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1839 and 1845.Born in Bertie County, North Carolina, Rayner attended Tarborough Academy, then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1829... |
14 | 2 | ||
| John McLean John McLean John McLean was an American jurist and politician who served in the United States Congress, as U.S. Postmaster General, and as a justice on the Ohio and U.S... |
13 | 1 | ||
| Robert F. Stockton Robert F. Stockton Robert Field Stockton was a United States naval commodore, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican-American War. He was a naval innovator and an early advocate for a propeller-driven, steam-powered navy. Stockton was from a notable political family and also served as a U.S... |
8 | 2 | ||
| Sam Houston Sam Houston Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of... |
6 | 4 | ||
| John Bell John Bell (Tennessee politician) John Bell was a U.S. politician, attorney, and plantation owner. A wealthy slaveholder from Tennessee, Bell served in the United States Congress in both the House of Representatives and Senate. He began his career as a Democrat, he eventually fell out with Andrew Jackson and became a Whig... |
5 | 2 | ||
| Erastus Brooks | 2 | 1 | ||
| Lewis D. Campbell Lewis D. Campbell Lewis Davis Campbell was a U.S. Representative for Ohio. Over his successful political career he was elected as a Whig, Know-Nothing, Republican and Democrat.-Early life and career:... |
1 | 0 | ||
| John Middleton Clayton | 1 | 0 |
Democratic Party nomination
Democratic candidates:- James BuchananJames BuchananJames Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
, Minister to Great Britain from PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to... - Franklin PierceFranklin PierceFranklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...
, President of the United States from New HampshireNew HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian... - Stephen Douglas, U.S. Senator from IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
- Lewis CassLewis CassLewis Cass was an American military officer and politician. During his long political career, Cass served as a governor of the Michigan Territory, an American ambassador, a U.S. Senator representing Michigan, and co-founder as well as first Masonic Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Michigan...
, U.S. Senator from MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
Democratic candidates gallery
The Democratic Party was wounded from its devastating losses in the 1854-1855 midterm elections. U.S. Senator Stephen A. DouglasStephen A. Douglas
Stephen Arnold Douglas was an American politician from the western state of Illinois, and was the Northern Democratic Party nominee for President in 1860. He lost to the Republican Party's candidate, Abraham Lincoln, whom he had defeated two years earlier in a Senate contest following a famed...
of Illinois, who had sponsored the Kansas-Nebraska Act, entered the race in opposition to President Franklin Pierce. The Pennsylvania delegation continued to sponsor its favorite son, James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
.
The 7th Democratic National Convention was held in Smith and Nixon's Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 2 to June 6, 1856. The delegates were deeply divided over slavery. For the first time in American history, a man who had been elected president was denied re-nomination after seeking it. On the first ballot, Buchanan placed first with 135.5 votes to 122.5 for Pierce, 33 for Douglas, and 5 for Lewis Cass
Lewis Cass
Lewis Cass was an American military officer and politician. During his long political career, Cass served as a governor of the Michigan Territory, an American ambassador, a U.S. Senator representing Michigan, and co-founder as well as first Masonic Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Michigan...
. With each succeeding ballot, Douglas gained at Pierce's expense. On the 15th ballot, most of Pierce's delegates shifted to Douglas in an attempt to stop Buchanan. It was too late, and on the 17th ballot, Buchanan was unanimously nominated. John C. Breckinridge
John C. Breckinridge
John Cabell Breckinridge was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Kentucky and was the 14th Vice President of the United States , to date the youngest vice president in U.S...
of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
was nominated for vice-president.
| Presidential Ballot | |||||||||||||||||
| Ballot | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Buchanan James Buchanan James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century.... | 135.5 | 139 | 139.5 | 141.5 | 140 | 155 | 143.5 | 147.5 | 146 | 147.5 | 147.5 | 148 | 150 | 152.5 | 168.5 | 168 | 296 |
| Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army... | 122.5 | 119.5 | 119 | 119 | 119.5 | 107.5 | 89 | 87 | 87 | 80.5 | 80 | 79 | 77.5 | 75 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Stephen Douglas | 33 | 31.5 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 28 | 58 | 56 | 56 | 62.5 | 63 | 63.5 | 63 | 63 | 118.5 | 122 | 0 |
| Lewis Cass Lewis Cass Lewis Cass was an American military officer and politician. During his long political career, Cass served as a governor of the Michigan Territory, an American ambassador, a U.S. Senator representing Michigan, and co-founder as well as first Masonic Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Michigan... | 5 | 6 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 7 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 6 | 0 |
| Vice Presidential Ballot | ||
| Ballot | 1st | 2nd |
|---|---|---|
| John C. Breckinridge John C. Breckinridge John Cabell Breckinridge was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Kentucky and was the 14th Vice President of the United States , to date the youngest vice president in U.S... | 51 | 296 |
| John A. Quitman John A. Quitman John Anthony Quitman was an American politician and soldier. He served as Governor of Mississippi from 1835 to 1836 as a Whig and again from 1850 to 1851 as a Democrat and one of the leading Fire-Eaters.-Early life:John A. Quitman studied Classics at Hartwick Seminary, graduating in 1816... | 59 | 0 |
| Linn Boyd Linn Boyd Linn Boyd was a prominent U.S. politician of the 1840s and 1850s, and served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1851 to 1855. Boyd was elected to the House as a Democrat from Kentucky from 1835 to 1837 and again from 1839 to 1855, serving seven terms in the House... | 33 | 0 |
| James Bayard James A. Bayard, Jr. James Asheton Bayard, Jr. was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served as U.S. Senator from Delaware.-Early life and family:... | 31 | 0 |
| Herschel V. Johnson | 31 | 0 |
| Aaron V. Brown Aaron V. Brown Aaron Venable Brown was a Governor of Tennessee and Postmaster General in the Buchanan administration. He was also the law partner of James K. Polk.-Biography:... | 29 | 0 |
| Benjamin Butler Benjamin Franklin Butler (politician) Benjamin Franklin Butler was an American lawyer and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives and later served as the 33rd Governor of Massachusetts.... | 27 | 0 |
| James C. Dobbin James C. Dobbin James Cochran Dobbin was a nineteenth century politician and lawyer who served as United States Secretary of the Navy from 1853 to 1857.... | 13 | 0 |
| Benjamin Fitzpatrick Benjamin Fitzpatrick Benjamin Fitzpatrick was an American politician, who served as the 11th Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama and as United States Senator from Alabama as a Democrat.... | 11 | 0 |
| Thomas J. Rusk | 7 | 0 |
| Trusten Polk Trusten Polk Trusten Polk served as both the 12th Governor of Missouri in 1857 and U.S. Senator from 1857 to 1862.-Biography:... | 5 | 0 |
North American Party nomination
The anti-slavery "Americans" from the North formed their own party after the nomination of Fillmore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This party called for its national convention to be held in New York, New YorkNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, just before the Republican National Convention. Party leaders hoped to nominate a joint ticket with the Republicans to defeat Buchanan. The national convention was held on June 12 to June 20, 1856 in New York. The delegates voted repeatedly on a nominee for president without a result, until it became clear that the Republican National Convention would not cooperate. Nathaniel P. Banks was nominated for president on the 10th ballot over John C. Frémont and John McLean, but Banks immediately telegraphed the convention that he did not want to run. The delegates, preparing to return home, unanimously nominated Frémont on the 11th ballot. The chairman of the convention, William F. Johnston, was nominated to run for vice-president, but he later withdrew his name.
| Presidential Ballots | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Vice Presidential Ballot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nathaniel P. Banks | 43 | 48 | 46 | 47 | 46 | 45 | 51 | 50 | 50 | 53 | 0 | William F. Johnston William F. Johnston William Freame Johnston was the 11th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1848 to 1852. A lawyer by training, Johnston became district attorney of Westmoreland County at the age of 21 in 1829... |
59 |
| John C. Fremont John C. Frémont John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder... |
34 | 36 | 37 | 37 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 18 | 92 | Thomas Ford | 16 |
| John McLean John McLean John McLean was an American jurist and politician who served in the United States Congress, as U.S. Postmaster General, and as a justice on the Ohio and U.S... |
19 | 10 | 2 | 29 | 33 | 40 | 41 | 40 | 30 | 24 | 0 | John C. Fremont John C. Frémont John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder... |
12 |
| Robert F. Stockton Robert F. Stockton Robert Field Stockton was a United States naval commodore, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican-American War. He was a naval innovator and an early advocate for a propeller-driven, steam-powered navy. Stockton was from a notable political family and also served as a U.S... |
14 | 20 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Scattering | 21 |
| William F. Johnston William F. Johnston William Freame Johnston was the 11th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1848 to 1852. A lawyer by training, Johnston became district attorney of Westmoreland County at the age of 21 in 1829... |
6 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Scarttering | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
North American Seceders Party nomination
A group of North American delegates called the North American Seceders withdrew from the convention and met separately. They objected to the attempt to work with the Republican Party. The Seceders held their own national convention on 6/16-17/1856. 19 delegates unanimously nominated Robert F. StocktonRobert F. Stockton
Robert Field Stockton was a United States naval commodore, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican-American War. He was a naval innovator and an early advocate for a propeller-driven, steam-powered navy. Stockton was from a notable political family and also served as a U.S...
for president and Kenneth Raynor for vice-president. The Seceders' ticket later withdrew from the contest.
Republican Party nomination
Republican candidates:- John C. FremontJohn C. FrémontJohn Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
, former U.S. senator from CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... - John McLeanJohn McLeanJohn McLean was an American jurist and politician who served in the United States Congress, as U.S. Postmaster General, and as a justice on the Ohio and U.S...
, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice from OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... - Charles SumnerCharles SumnerCharles Sumner was an American politician and senator from Massachusetts. An academic lawyer and a powerful orator, Sumner was the leader of the antislavery forces in Massachusetts and a leader of the Radical Republicans in the United States Senate during the American Civil War and Reconstruction,...
, U.S. Senator from MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010... - Nathaniel P. Banks, U.S. Representative from MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
- William H. SewardWilliam H. SewardWilliam Henry Seward, Sr. was the 12th Governor of New York, United States Senator and the United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson...
, U.S. Senator from New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Republican candidates gallery
The Republican Party was formed in early 1854 to oppose the Kansas-Nebraska Act. During the midterm elections of 1854-1855, the Republican Party was one of the patchwork of anti-administration parties contesting the election. Overall, the Republicans won only 13 seats in the U.S. House for the 34th Congress. However, the party networked with other disaffected groups and gradually absorbed them. In the elections of 1855, the Republican Party won three governorships.The first Republican National Convention was held in the Musical Fund Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 17 to June 19, 1856. The convention approved an anti-slavery platform, calling for Congressional sovereignty in the territories, an end to polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
in Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
settlements, and federal assistance for a transcontinental railroad
Transcontinental railroad
A transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies...
. John C. Frémont was nominated for president over John McLean
John McLean
John McLean was an American jurist and politician who served in the United States Congress, as U.S. Postmaster General, and as a justice on the Ohio and U.S...
, and William L. Dayton
William L. Dayton
William Lewis Dayton was an American politician.A distant relation of U.S. House Speaker and U.S. Constitution signatory Jonathan Dayton, he was born in Basking Ridge, New Jersey to farmer Joel Dayton and his wife...
was nominated for vice-president over Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
.
| Presidential Ballots | Informal 1 | Formal 1 | Vice Presidential Ballots | Informal 1 | Formal 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John C. Fremont John C. Frémont John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder... |
359 | 520 | William L. Dayton William L. Dayton William Lewis Dayton was an American politician.A distant relation of U.S. House Speaker and U.S. Constitution signatory Jonathan Dayton, he was born in Basking Ridge, New Jersey to farmer Joel Dayton and his wife... |
253 | 523 |
| John McLean John McLean John McLean was an American jurist and politician who served in the United States Congress, as U.S. Postmaster General, and as a justice on the Ohio and U.S... |
190 | 37 | Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and... |
110 | 20 |
| Charles Sumner Charles Sumner Charles Sumner was an American politician and senator from Massachusetts. An academic lawyer and a powerful orator, Sumner was the leader of the antislavery forces in Massachusetts and a leader of the Radical Republicans in the United States Senate during the American Civil War and Reconstruction,... |
2 | 0 | Nathaniel P. Banks | 46 | 6 |
| Nathaniel P. Banks | 1 | 0 | David Wilmot David Wilmot David Wilmot was a U.S. political figure. He was a sponsor and eponym of the Wilmot Proviso which aimed to ban slavery in land gained from Mexico in the Mexican-American War of 1846–1848. Wilmot was a Democrat, a Free Soiler, and a Republican during his political career... |
43 | 0 |
| William H. Seward William H. Seward William Henry Seward, Sr. was the 12th Governor of New York, United States Senator and the United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson... |
1 | 0 | Charles Sumner Charles Sumner Charles Sumner was an American politician and senator from Massachusetts. An academic lawyer and a powerful orator, Sumner was the leader of the antislavery forces in Massachusetts and a leader of the Radical Republicans in the United States Senate during the American Civil War and Reconstruction,... |
35 | 3 |
| Abstaining | 14 | 9 | Jacob Collamer Jacob Collamer Jacob Collamer was an American politician from Vermont.-Biography:Jacob Collamer was born in Troy, New York. He graduated from the University of Vermont at Burlington, served in the War of 1812, studied law in St. Albans, Vermont, was admitted to the bar in 1813, and served as an officer in a... |
15 | 2 |
| John Alsop King John Alsop King John Alsop King was an American politician who served as governor of New York.He was born in the area now encompassed by New York City on 3 January 1788 and was educated at Harrow School in England... |
9 | 2 | |||
| Samuel C. Pomeroy Samuel C. Pomeroy Samuel Clarke Pomeroy was an American Republican Senator from Kansas in the mid-19th century, serving in the United States Senate during the American Civil War. Pomeroy served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives... |
8 | 1 | |||
| Thomas H. Ford Thomas H. Ford Thomas H. Ford was an American Republican politician who served as the third Lieutenant Governor of Ohio from 1856 to 1858.... |
7 | 5 | |||
| Henry Charles Carey Henry Charles Carey Henry Charles Carey , a leading 19th century economist of the American School of capitalism. He is now best known for the book The Harmony of Interests, to compare and contrast what he called the "British System" of laissez faire free trade capitalism with the "American System" of developmental... |
3 | 0 | |||
| Cassius Clay | 3 | 1 | |||
| Joshua Reed Giddings Joshua Reed Giddings Joshua Reed Giddings was an American statesman and a prominent opponent of slavery. He represented Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1838-59. He was at first a member of the Whig Party and was later a Republican.-Life:He was born at Tioga Point, now Athens, Bradford County,... |
2 | 0 | |||
| Whitfield Johnson | 2 | 1 | |||
| Aaron Pennington | 1 | 0 | |||
| Henry Wilson Henry Wilson Henry Wilson was the 18th Vice President of the United States and a Senator from Massachusetts... |
1 | 0 | |||
| Scatering | 29 | 3 |
Whig Party nomination
The Whig Party was reeling from electoral losses since 1852. Half of its leaders in the South bolted to the Southern Democratic Party, whereas in the North the Whig Party was moribund. This party remained somewhat alive in states like New York and Pennsylvania by joining the anti-slavery movement.The fifth (and last) Whig National Convention was held in the Hall of the Maryland Institute in Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, on September 17 and September 18, 1856. There were 150 delegates sent from 26 states. Though the leaders of this party wanted to keep the Whig Party alive, they doomed it by deciding to endorse the American Party's national ticket of Fillmore and Donelson. The 150 Whig delegates did so unanimously.
Campaign
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
.
The Republican platform opposed the repeal of the Missouri Compromise
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, involving primarily the regulation of slavery in the western territories. It prohibited slavery in the former Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36°30'...
through the Kansas–Nebraska Act, which enacted the policy of popular sovereignty
Popular sovereignty
Popular sovereignty or the sovereignty of the people is the political principle that the legitimacy of the state is created and sustained by the will or consent of its people, who are the source of all political power. It is closely associated with Republicanism and the social contract...
, allowing settlers to decide whether a new state would enter the Union as free or slave. The Republicans also accused the Pierce administration of allowing a fraudulent territorial government to be imposed upon the citizens of the Kansas Territory, thus engendering the violence that had raged in Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858...
. They advocated the immediate admittance of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
as a free state. Along with opposing the spread of slavery into the continental territories of the United States, the party also opposed the Ostend Manifesto
Ostend Manifesto
The Ostend Manifesto was a document written in 1854 that described the rationale for the United States to purchase Cuba from Spain and implied the U.S. should declare war if Spain refused. Cuba's annexation had long been a goal of U.S. expansionists, particularly as the U.S. set its sights...
, which advocated the annexation of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. In sum, the campaign's true focus was against the system of slavery, which they felt was destroying the Republican values that the Union had been founded upon.
The Democratic platform supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act and popular sovereignty. The party supported the pro-slavery territorial legislature elected in Kansas, opposed the free-state elements within Kansas, and castigated the Topeka Constitution
Topeka Constitution
The Topeka Constitutional Convention was held in October 1855 in the town of Topeka, Kansas Territory. The convention was held in the town's Constitution Hall...
as an illegal document written during an illegal convention. The Democrats also supported the plan to annex Cuba, advocated in the Ostend Manifesto, which Buchanan helped devise while serving as minister to Britain. The most influential aspect of the Democratic campaign was a warning that a Republican victory would lead to the secession of numerous southern states.
The campaign had a different nature in the free states and the slave states. In the free states, there was a three-way campaign, which Frémont won with 45% of the vote to 41% for Buchanan and 13% for Fillmore; Frémont received 114 electoral votes to 62 for Buchanan. In the slave states, however, the contest was strictly between Buchanan and Fillmore; Buchanan won 56% to 44%, receiving 112 electoral votes to 8 for Fillmore. Nationwide, Buchanan won 174 electoral votes, a majority, and was thus elected. Frémont received no votes in 12 of the 14 slave states with a popular vote; he got 310 in Delaware and 285 in Maryland.
Results
Source (Popular Vote):Source (Electoral Vote):
(a) The popular vote figures exclude South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
where the Electors were chosen by the state legislature rather than by popular vote.
See also
- American election campaigns in the 19th centuryAmerican election campaigns in the 19th CenturyIn the 19th century, a number of new methods for conducting American Election Campaigns developed in the United States. For the most part the techniques were original, not copied from Europe or anywhere else...
- History of the United States (1849–1865)History of the United States (1849–1865)Industrialization went forward in the Northeast and a rail network linked the nation economically, opening up new markets. Immigration brought millions of European workers and farmers to the North...
- History of the United States Democratic PartyHistory of the United States Democratic PartyThe history of the Democratic Party of the United States is an account of the oldest political party in the United States and arguably the oldest democratic party in the world....
- History of the United States Republican PartyHistory of the United States Republican PartyThe United States Republican Party is the second oldest currently existing political party in the United States after its great rival, the Democratic Party. It emerged in 1854 to combat the Kansas Nebraska Act which threatened to extend slavery into the territories, and to promote more vigorous...
- Origins of the American Civil WarOrigins of the American Civil WarThe main explanation for the origins of the American Civil War is slavery, especially Southern anger at the attempts by Northern antislavery political forces to block the expansion of slavery into the western territories...
- Third Party SystemThird Party SystemThe Third Party System is a term of periodization used by historians and political scientists to describe a period in American political history from about 1854 to the mid-1890s that featured profound developments in issues of nationalism, modernization, and race...
- United States House elections, 1856
External links
- Nativism in the 1856 Presidential Election
- 1856 popular vote by counties
- 1856 state-by-state popular voting results
- James Buchanan and the Election of 1856
- How close was the 1856 election? — Michael Sheppard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- 1856 Republican Platform