• Party Affiliation: Whig Party
  
• Notable Positions:
  
• Biography: Zachary Taylor is a career military officer with no prior electoral experience and no political ties, increasingly valuable assets in the polarized United States. A proven war hero, nicknamed “Old Rough and Ready” for his willingness to share his troops’ hardships, Taylor’s most significant achievement is his leadership at the Battle of Buena Vista. There, Taylor decisively beat Santa Anna, despite being outnumbered 20,000 to 6,000. Multiple “victory clubs” have sprung up around the country, celebrating Taylor as a latter-day Andrew Jackson or George Washington. Before the war, Taylor was known as an Indian Fighter and led patrols through native territory to deter raids on frontier communities. He is an extremely wealthy slave owner who owns plantations across Louisiana, Kentucky, and Mississippi. He is married to Margaret Mackall Smith, a former socialite who promised God to give up all high-society luxuries if her husband survived the Battle of Buena Vista.
  
• Platform: Zachary Taylor’s campaign platform is unique within history, mainly because he doesn’t have one. Taylor has never even voted in an election before. Afraid that a clear platform might inflame sectarian tensions within the Whig Party, the leaders have instead decided to circulate pamphlets lauding Taylor for his military successes and achievements. No one is entirely sure what Taylor stands for. Still, there are rumors. Some say that Taylor is an anti-Jacksonian who despises Jackson for his decisions on the Natives and the National Bank. Many believe that President Taylor will re-establish a strong banking system and give the United States one central currency. He is also believed to oppose Jackson on the veto and has told his friends that he would only use his presidential powers to stop bills that were clearly unconstitutional. Others say that Taylor opposes tariffs and internal improvements, believing them both to be dangerous policies that artificially sustain the American economy. Most strangely of all, Taylor has given signals that he might sign the Wilmot Proviso, a controversial bill that would prohibit slavery in the west. Though a slaveowner himself, Taylor allegedly agrees with Van Buren’s assessment on the institution’s inefficiency and backwardness. He has also told friends that any man, “taken in rebellion against the Union [for Taylor’s actions against slavery].. would hang” and that he would personally oversee such hangings “with less reluctance than he had hanged deserters and spies in Mexico.”

• Party Affiliation: Whig Party
  
• Notable Positions:
  
• Biography: There have never been two running mates as different as Taylor and Fillmore. Millard Fillmore was born the second of eight children to two deeply impoverished farmers. Unable to support his children, Fillmore’s father apprenticed Millard to a clothmaker where he effectively worked as a slave until he was able to steal enough money to buy his freedom. Deeply fascinated by books and education, Fillmore fell in love with his former teacher, Abigail Powers, and was able to self-teach himself law. In 1828, Fillmore gained his first experience with politics by joining the Anti-Masonic Party, where he distinguished himself as a rising star within the movement and a fervent Anti-Jacksonian. By 1848, Fillmore has served multiple offices at the local, state, and federal level. He has been selected by the Whigs to deflect potential criticisms about Taylor’s inexperience and to balance the ticket with an anti-slavery Northerner. Personally, Fillmore and Taylor loathe one another.
  
• Platform: Fillmore is not well-known outside his home state and has largely kept in line with Taylor’s refusal to clarify his positions. Still, much can be assumed given his political history. A Northerner but close ally of Henry Clay, Fillmore has ensured the passage of palatable compromises on the slavery issue. He believes that abolitionism is a well-intentioned but radical movement that would tear apart the Union and that the Wilmot Proviso would lead to Civil War. Fillmore opposes the much more anti-slavery William Seward and was put on the ticket partially to block Taylor should he try to appoint him to the Cabinet. He personally opposes the Fugitive Slave Law but believes that it must be protected to appease the South. He has been indecisive on the annexation of Cuba. In other foreign affairs, Fillmore is known to be deeply interested in Asia and the Pacific. He personally hopes that the Taylor administration will open trade with China and Japan. Fillmore has adopted the same jingoistic pro-revolutionary stance as many of his predecessors and believes that the United States should support democratic revolutions abroad. Fillmore supports the independent Treasury system and Clay’s American System. He believes in the need to support internal improvements and protective tariffs. He deeply opposes Freemasonry and believes that all secret societies should be outlawed.

• Party Affiliation: Democratic Party
  
• Notable Positions:
  
• Biography: Lewis Cass is a towering figure within the Democratic Party, particularly following the death of Andrew Jackson. After settling in Zanesville, Ohio, Cass distinguished himself within the local community as a county prosecutor and a leader of the rapidly growing Freemasons, for whom he founded the Grand Lodge of Ohio. After serving in the War of 1812, Cass was named Territorial Governor of Michigan, a position which allowed him to oversee the rapid expansion of European settlers into Indian territories. For his steadfast loyalty to the Democratic Party (and because Jackson could find no alternative candidates after the Eaton Affair), Cass was appointed Secretary of War by Andrew Jackson in 1831. This position allowed him to make use of his experiences in Michigan and Cass became the central figure of Jackson’s Indian removal policy. He has most recently distinguished himself as a Northern spokesman of the Doctrine of Popular Sovereignty, a compromise on the slavery issue that allows each state to pick their slave policy.
  
• Platform: Lewis Cass has made a name for himself advocating the doctrine of popular sovereignty, a proposed system whereby the people residing in a territory decide whether to allow slavery. Cass is sympathetic towards, but opposed to the Wilmot Proviso, which would bar slavery in all territory seized during the Mexican-American War. He has also been a prominent advocate of “Manifest Destiny,” and has spoken at length about purchasing Cuba as well as more territory from Mexico. He also believes that the natives are a threat to European Americans and has personally overseen efforts to ensure their removal from the frontier. Like Polk, he is willing to use military force to achieve both these objectives. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Cass is a Jeffersonian Democrat more than a Jacksonian Democrat. He agrees with Jefferson’s vision of an “agrarian republic,” and sees expansion as the best way to guarantee every citizen a farmstead. Cass opposes internal improvements and expansive tariff policies, as they both interfere with free trade. He would maintain the Treasury system. Cass is a Freemason.

• Party Affiliation: Democratic Party
  
• Notable Positions:
  
• Biography: Butler is the Democratic Party’s answer to Zachary Taylor, a hero of both the War of 1812 and Mexican-American War. Born in Kentucky, Butler was able to graduate from Transylvania University just before enlisting in the Kentucky militia. He then served under Andrew Jackson’s command in the Battle of New Orleans, eventually receiving a promotion to Major. During the Mexican-American War, Butler again served a prominent position as General Zachary Taylor’s second-in-command and led the Battle of Monterrey after the General was wounded. These distinctions have allowed Butler to achieve significant personal success. He has served both the Kentucky House of Representatives and Congress. In 1844, Butler was unanimously nominated to be the Democratic nominee for the Governor of Kentucky. He operates a successful law firm near Carrollton, Kentucky. He has written a small collection of poetry.
  
• Platform: Much like Zachary Taylor, very little is known about Butler’s political views because the party has refused to clarify them. Instead, they have used Butler’s military successes to raise Cass’s profile and hopefully avoid complaints over slavery. Still, Butler is known within the party as a moderate on most issues. He is a slaveowner but supports gradual emancipation, even if that policy causes tensions within the South. He supports the Independent Treasury System and would not abolish it, like his more radical comrades. He believes strongly in “Manifest Destiny” but would prefer that diplomacy be the option of first resort over military arms.

• Party Affiliation: Free Soil Party
  
• Notable Positions: United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, United States Secretary of State, Governor of New York, United States Senator from New York
  
• Biography: A member of America’s insular Dutch community, Van Buren gained fame for his ability to interact with people from multiple, ethnic, income, and societal groups. An accomplished lawyer, political organizer, and multi-linguist, Van Buren first came to public attention at the age of 18, when he was selected as a delegate for the Democratic-Republican Party convention in Troy, New York. Afterward, Van Buren made a name for himself by leading the “Bucktails,” a faction dedicated to thwarting the corrupt Governor of New York, DeWitt Clinton, and his Erie Canal Project. In 1821, Van Buren joined the United States Senate, where he supported Andrew Jackson and avoided involving himself in the Corrupt Bargain. As a result, Jackson considered Van Buren a close friend, despite Calhoun’s attempts to destroy Van Buren’s career only strengthened their partnership. After Jackson’s death, Van Buren has found himself shut out of the Democratic Party and outright ostracized for his increasingly anti-slavery views.
  
• Platform: In the 1848 Democratic National Convention, Martin Van Buren once again sought his party’s nomination. When he was denied and replaced with a pro-slavery Democrat, Martin Van established the Free Soil Party with the intent of stopping the further expansion of slavery. Using the Wilmot Proviso as a rallying cry, Martin Van Buren has argued for a ban on slavery in any territory conquered during the Mexican-American War. He has further called the federal government to contain and isolate the South, contending that slavery is inherently undemocratic and inhumane. While he does not support immediate abolition, believing that it would cause an uprising in the South, Martin Van Buren believes that by isolating the slaveholders he can make them realize that their institution is inefficient and obsolete. This realization, in turn, will abolish slavery without causing a civil war. Van Buren has also called for the elimination of all protective tariffs and has promised to only use tariffs for revenue if elected. He has also called for a Homestead Act to make cheap land available in the West, encouraging settlement. Van Buren is anti-war and hopes that future presidents only use peaceful means to gain new territory. On all other affairs, Van Buren is a Jacksonian Democrat. He supports the expansion of suffrage and is in favor of an independent Treasury capable of guiding, but not controlling, the economy. He does not support expansive internal improvement projects.

• Party Affiliation: Free Soil Party
  
• Notable Positions: Representative in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
  
• Biography: Charles Francis Adams has been in the public spotlight since he was born. The son of President John Quincy Adams and grandson of President John Adams, Charles is expected to one day run for major office. Rather, the younger Adams finds himself more drawn to history than politics. Though a close friend of Daniel Webster, Charles Francis Adams’s sole political achievement to date is a single term in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Instead of public office, Charles Adams has written extensively on American and British history. He is known as one of the country’s finest historical editors and is currently working on a biography of his grandmother, Abigail Adams. Many suspect that he only joined Martin Van Buren on the Free Soil Party ticket because he does not expect to win.
  
• Platform: Charles Francis Adams, like his father, is a committed abolitionist who broke with the Whigs for nominating a pro-slavery candidate for President. Like Martin Van Buren, Adams has embraced the Wilmot Proviso, which would prohibit any further states from having slaves. He has been active in opposing the Fugitive Slave Act and has worked to legally isolate the South so that their laws have minimal effect in the North. Unlike Van Buren, Adams hopes to take a more active role in ending slavery and would use his position to negotiate binding compromises that slowly abolished the institution. He does not take Southern threats of secession seriously. On most other issues, Adams is a Whig. He supports Clay’s American System and internal improvements more generally. While he supports the independent Treasury, he would prefer to have a national bank in line with the Second National Bank of the United States. He considers tariffs a necessary measure to help develop the country’s infrastructure.

• Party Affiliation: Liberty Party
  
• Notable Positions: Co-Founder of the Liberty Party
  
• Biography: Gerrit Smith is one of the country’s best-known abolitionists and philanthropists and he is the main financial backer of the Liberty Party. Born in Utica, New York to the wealthy daughter of a Revolutionary War veteran, Smith connected America’s own revolutionary establishment with the revolutionary cause of abolitionism. He became an official sponsor of the movement after witnessing an angry pro-slavery mob attack anti-slavery activists near his hometown. In 1840, Smith helped establish the Liberty Party and ensured that his brother-in-law, James Birney, was on the ticket. In 1846, he made national headlines when he donated approximately 120,000 acres of land to freed African-Americans in the hopes that they would become self-sufficient. The project rapidly failed and Smith gained a reputation as an eccentric. Smith is a close friend of Lysander Spooner and maintains ties to activists across the United States.
  
• Platform: Gerrit Smith controls the rump Liberty Party, an organization that almost disappeared after Martin Van Buren announced that he would also be running an abolitionist party. As such, Smith has used the party as a vehicle to raise awareness of a variety of social issues that have little public support. As his affiliation suggests, Smith supports the immediate abolition of slavery but does not believe an amendment is needed to make this possible. In fact, Smith believes that the Constitution is inherently an anti-slavery document. If elected, Smith hopes to confiscate property from various land monopolies and settle freed slaves across the United States, where they can thrive in their own communities. He has declared that all men “have an equal right to the soil,” thus making war brutal and unnecessary. Smith wants to return any territory unlawfully gotten from the Mexican-American War to Mexico. Smith has proposed several sweeping changes to the United States Government, which includes granting women the right to vote, outlawing all secret societies (like the Freemasons), and making all positions within government directly elected. Smith believes that tariffs and alcohol are evil tools of the elite used to suppress the masses. He would prohibit the transportation of liquor between states if elected.

• Party Affiliation: Liberty Party
  
• Notable Positions: Presbyterian Minister
  
• Biography: Born in 1811 to Dr. Henry Foote, Charles is a wealthy activist inspired by religious tradition to act against slavery. In 1840, he graduated from Oberlin College. Though he studied medicine, Foote felt a deep desire to do missionary work across the United States. He is the pastor for several churches across New York and Michigan and is a fundraiser for various anti-slavery causes.
  
• Platform: Foote is deeply inspired by Protestant ideals to reform society. As his party might suggest, Foote hopes for the immediate abolition of slavery and wants to resettle the freed slaves in lands donated by wealthy philanthropists across the United States and Canada. He also hopes to use land confiscations, particularly those from land monoplies, to support this venture. Foote wants the Sabbath to be a nationally recognized holiday and the Bible to be taught in all public schools across the country. He believes all Catholics should be converted or forced to leave the country. Foote supports the prohibition of alcohol and sees it as an enabler of wickedness. He wants the country to be on a single currency backed by gold.

QuoProQuid has issued a correction as of 16:47 on Feb 28, 2016

axeil has issued a correction as of 16:18 on Feb 28, 2016

QuoProQuid has issued a correction as of 16:47 on Feb 28, 2016

Yadoppsi has issued a correction as of 19:18 on Feb 28, 2016

QuoProQuid has issued a correction as of 19:04 on Feb 28, 2016

QuoProQuid has issued a correction as of 19:37 on Feb 28, 2016

Corek has issued a correction as of 21:16 on Feb 28, 2016