Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor was a military leader before he became 12th President of the United States. He sympathized with the plight of the Native Americans but fought them hard. Taylor owned about 100 slaves and it’s unclear to the author whether he sympathized with their plight or not. He won a decisive military against the Mexicans.

As president he put slave owners against him by failing to introduce harsher laws against fugitive slaves and encouraged settlers in California and New Mexico to draft their constitutions which the slave owners disliked as those two states were unlikely to agree to slavery. Northerners were also angry as nothing was done about slave markets in the District of Columbia.

Zachary Taylor died in office with the issue unresolved but it’s unclear if anyone could have reconciled the abolitionists and the slavers. Even Lincoln couldn’t reconcile then but could only fight a successful Civil War.

References and External links

 * American President Zachary Taylor Life Before the Presidency
 * American President Zachary Taylor
 * Biography of Zachary Taylor