Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor triumphed as a military leader in the Mexican-American War (1846–48), making him a popular hero. A Southern slave owner and a believer in a strong national government, he was one of the few politicians who appealed to both South and North during the bitterly divided years before the American Civil War (1861–65).

Taylor was born on November 24, 1784, and grew up on a large slaveholding plantation in Kentucky . He spent much of his youth tending the plantation and received only a modest education. Always interested in the military, he joined the U.S. Army in 1808. By 1810 he was promoted to the rank of captain. That same year he married and his father gave him 364 acres of land as a wedding gift. Over the years, Taylor acquired more plantations around the South and hundreds of slaves.

Military leader

Taylor first won prominence during the War of 1812 (1812–15; a conflict over trade between England and the United States) when his command withstood an attack by a large force of Indians led by Shawnee leader Tecumseh (1768–1813). In 1816 Taylor began a fifteen-year tour of duty as commander of garrisons (fortified military posts) in Wisconsin Territory, Louisiana , and Minnesota . He later won battle distinction in Indian conflicts. Muscular and stocky, rarely in full uniform, he was called “Old Rough and Ready” by his troops.

War with Mexico

In 1845 the independent Republic of Texas was negotiating annexation, or becoming part of, the United States. Mexico, which still considered Texas to be Mexican territory, threatened war. Taylor and his large command were sent to the disputed border area, and soon Mexican forces attacked. Taylor did not wait for Congress to declare war. On May 8, 1846, he defeated a Mexican army three times the size of his own forces. A grateful Congress awarded him two gold medals. He went on to more battle triumphs.

A national hero, Taylor's name was soon being mentioned as the Whig Party nominee for president. President James K. Polk (1795–1849; served 1845–49), a Democrat, reassigned half Taylor's troops to General Winfield Scott (1786–1866), with orders to invade Mexico at Veracruz, leaving Taylor in the background. Ignoring orders, Taylor advanced southward until he came into contact with the Mexican army of fifteen to twenty thousand men. The two-day Battle of Buena Vista followed. Taylor's artillery (large guns and cannons) proved so effective that the Mexicans were forced to retreat. Congress voted him another gold medal.

Whig nomination

In 1848 the Whigs nominated Taylor as their presidential candidate, even though he had little political experience and his positions differed from the party's. A split in the Democratic Party resulted in his winning the election. People in the North voted for him because he was a war hero; in the South he was admired as a slave owner. Few knew where he stood on the issues.

The President: 1849–50

From the start, Taylor's presidency was ineffective. The men he chose for his cabinet (high-ranking members of his administration) had little political skill or influence in Washington. His short time in office was overshadowed by the conflicts that arose from the acquisition of New Mexico Territory (including parts of present-day New Mexico , Arizona , Colorado , and Nevada ) and California in the Mexican War. The South was worried that the new lands would be admitted to the Union as free (non-slave holding) states and thereby disrupt the fragile balance between slaveholding states and free states in the Senate. The Union was in grave danger of splitting and the American public looked to the president to unify the divided Congress.

Taylor failed to work with Congressional leaders. Instead, the debate played itself out entirely among leaders such as senators Henry Clay (1777–1852), who fought for compromise, and John C. Calhoun (1782–1850), who fought for upholding the rights of slave owners and states' rights. The result was the Compromise of 1850 , a set of laws in which California was to be admitted to the Union as a free state and no federal laws would limit slavery in the territory of New Mexico. Part of the compromise was the controversial Fugitive Slave Law , which demanded all Americans to help slave owners recover their runaway slaves, even in the Northern states where slavery was prohibited. The Compromise pleased few but provided a temporary, uneasy peace.

Though a Southerner and slaveholder, Taylor did not sympathize with the South's threats of secession (withdrawing from the Union). As a military man, he was bound by oath to uphold the Constitution; a rupture of the Union was to him unthinkable. But many historians believe that he lacked the skills to prevent it.

Zachary Taylor died of suspected food poisoning on July 9, 1850, before the Compromise of 1850 was finalized.