President Zachary Taylor had spent most of his career in the military, and it was obvious to the trio of Southern politicians as they confronted him. They were warning their fellow Whig that he needed to abandon his support for America's growing anti-slavery movement. The year was 1850: Taylor, in office for a mere sixteen months, staunchly opposed allowing slavery to spread into the new territories America had wrested from Mexico; and Taylor was equally adamant that the pro-slavery Texas government, which lacked a valid claim to disputed land in eastern New Mexico, should not be allowed to use armed force to seize that territory. Sensing his stubbornness on these issues, Reps. Charles Conrad, Humphrey Marshall and Robert Toombs informed Taylor that Texas and the South were not just opposed to his policies; they were violently opposed.
His symptoms included severe stomach pains, sharp pains on the side of his chest, vomiting, diarrhea, fevers, sweating, thirst, chills and fatigue.
Taylor replied that he would order the army to defend New Mexico from Texas if necessary — and, echoing a previous occasion when he compared Southern secessionists with army deserters and spies, declared that he'd personally lead the troops against any American who threatened to leave the Union. When Secretary of War George Crawford told Taylor that he'd refuse to sign any such order, Taylor bluntly reminded Crawford that he could sign the order himself.
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
