1844 Democratic National Convention
Encyclopedia
In 1844, the Democratic Party held their National Convention in Baltimore. At first, the Democrats were split; the three nominees for the Presidential candidate were:
The annexation of Texas was the chief political issue of the day. Van Buren, initially the leading candidate, opposed immediate annexation because it might lead to a sectional crisis over the status of slavery in the West. This position cost Van Buren the support of southern and expansionist Democrats; as a result, he failed to win the nomination. The delegates likewise could not settle on Cass, whose credentials also included past service as a U.S. minister to France.
On the eighth ballot, the historian George Bancroft
, a delegate from Massachusetts, proposed James K. Polk
as a compromise candidate. Polk was known to have had an austere, severe personalty who held few people dear. Polk argued that Texas and Oregon had always belonged to the United States by right. He called for "the immediate reannexation of Texas" and for the "reoccupation" of the disputed Oregon territory
. The factions soon agreed that Polk was just the man they needed to bring about victory, fulfill our manifest destiny, and annex the land the Mexicans commanded.
On the next roll call, the convention unanimously accepted Polk, who became the first dark horse
, or little-known, presidential candidate, also known as "Napoleon of the Stump" because of the tendency of his oratory filling his foes with fear. The delegates selected Senator Silas Wright
of New York for vice president, but Wright, an admirer of Van Buren, declined the nomination, becoming the first person to decline a vice-presidential nomination. The Democrats then nominated George M. Dallas
, a Pennsylvania lawyer.
- Martin van BurenMartin Van BurenMartin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States . Before his presidency, he was the eighth Vice President and the tenth Secretary of State, under Andrew Jackson ....
, a former president and leader of the dominant Jacksonian faction - James BuchananJames BuchananJames Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
, a moderate - Lewis CassLewis CassLewis Cass was an American military officer and politician. During his long political career, Cass served as a governor of the Michigan Territory, an American ambassador, a U.S. Senator representing Michigan, and co-founder as well as first Masonic Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Michigan...
, a general and expansionist
The annexation of Texas was the chief political issue of the day. Van Buren, initially the leading candidate, opposed immediate annexation because it might lead to a sectional crisis over the status of slavery in the West. This position cost Van Buren the support of southern and expansionist Democrats; as a result, he failed to win the nomination. The delegates likewise could not settle on Cass, whose credentials also included past service as a U.S. minister to France.
On the eighth ballot, the historian George Bancroft
George Bancroft
George Bancroft was an American historian and statesman who was prominent in promoting secondary education both in his home state and at the national level. During his tenure as U.S. Secretary of the Navy, he established the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1845...
, a delegate from Massachusetts, proposed James K. Polk
James K. Polk
James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...
as a compromise candidate. Polk was known to have had an austere, severe personalty who held few people dear. Polk argued that Texas and Oregon had always belonged to the United States by right. He called for "the immediate reannexation of Texas" and for the "reoccupation" of the disputed Oregon territory
Oregon boundary dispute
The Oregon boundary dispute, or the Oregon Question, arose as a result of competing British and American claims to the Pacific Northwest of North America in the first half of the 19th century. Both the United Kingdom and the United States had territorial and commercial aspirations in the region...
. The factions soon agreed that Polk was just the man they needed to bring about victory, fulfill our manifest destiny, and annex the land the Mexicans commanded.
On the next roll call, the convention unanimously accepted Polk, who became the first dark horse
Dark horse
Dark horse is a term used to describe a little-known person or thing that emerges to prominence, especially in a competition of some sort.-Origin:The term began as horse racing parlance...
, or little-known, presidential candidate, also known as "Napoleon of the Stump" because of the tendency of his oratory filling his foes with fear. The delegates selected Senator Silas Wright
Silas Wright
Silas Wright, Jr. was an American Democratic politician. Wright was born in Amherst, Massachusetts and moved with his father to Weybridge, Vermont in 1796. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1815 and moved to Sandy Hill, New York, the next year, where he studied law, being admitted to the bar...
of New York for vice president, but Wright, an admirer of Van Buren, declined the nomination, becoming the first person to decline a vice-presidential nomination. The Democrats then nominated George M. Dallas
George M. Dallas
George Mifflin Dallas was a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and the 11th Vice President of the United States , serving under James K. Polk.-Family and early life:...
, a Pennsylvania lawyer.