Presidency of Zachary Taylor

Historical Context Note

Lucas Paul Richert (University of Saskatchewan)
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 A hero of the Mexican War, Zachary Taylor had notoriety and and a glistening record that made him an attractive presidential nomnee for the Whig Party. In 1848, Taylor won the party's nomination on the 4th ballot then went on to defeat the Democratic Party's candidate, Lewis Cass. Taylor defeated Cass by 163 electoral votes to 127 electoral votes. Taylor then died sixteen months into his administration. Prior to his death, Taylor had opposed the creation of any new slave states he called for the immediate statehood of California. However, southerners fought ardently against this, as they feared a majority of free states that could out vote slave states. Unfortunately, the Taylor administration was beset with scandal. Certain financial improprieties, it was revealed, had been committed…

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Citation: Richert, Lucas Paul. "Presidency of Zachary Taylor". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 January 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1198, accessed 28 March 2024.]

1198 Presidency of Zachary Taylor 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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