1. Birth of the Republican party
Ch 10 Sect 3
Pg 318

2. Slavery Divides the Whigs
General Winfield Scott became the Pres. Nominee for the Whig Party.
Scott owed this to the Northern Whigs who opposed the Fugitive Slave Act.
Southern Whigs backed the Compromise of 1850.
Whigs lost the election.
The party took opposing views on the Kansas-Nebraska Act as well.
Southern Whigs looked for a proslavery, pro-union party to join.

3. Nativism American Party
Believed in Nativism – the favoring of native born Americans over immigrants.
“I Know Nothing”
Became known as the Know-Nothing Party.
Middle class, protestants, believed there was a conspiracy to overthrow the Democracy.
Split over slavery
Southerners looked for an alternative to the Democrats.
Northerners turned to the Republican Party.

4. Liberty Party Abolitionist party, very small
Purpose- to pursue the cause of abolition by passing new laws.

5. Free-Soil Party Northerners were Free-Soilers w/o being abolitionists.
Supported laws prohibiting black settlement in white communities & denying blacks the right to vote.
Objected to slavery b/c of its impact on white labor.
Convinced that a conspiracy existed to spread slavery throughout the U.S.

6. Republican Party
Northern Whigs, antislavery Democrats, & Free-Soilers formed the new Republican Party.
Founder was Horace Greeley
Opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act
Wanted to resurrect the Missouri Compromise
Primary competition was the Know-Nothing Party b/c same target voters
Sack of Lawrence, Pottawatomie Massacre, “Bleeding Kansas” gave the Republicans ammunition to challenge the Democrats

7. Election of 1856 Republicans chose John Fremont Know-Nothings split
Mapped the Oregon trail & led troops in CA during the war w/ Mexico
Know-Nothings split
Northerners – Fremont
Southerners – nominated Millard Fillmore
Democrats nominated James Buchanan
He had been out of the country during the controversy over the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
Did not anger the north or the south.
Only truly national candidate
Won the election

8. Answer these questions
How did the slavery issue affect the Whig party?
What was nativism and how did it affect American politics?
What did the Free-Soil Party believe in?
What issue united people in the Republican Party?
What were the issues and outcome of the Election of 1856?