Overview
The Conscience Whigs were a faction within the Whig Party in New England, particularly Massachusetts, during the 1840s. They leaned toward an abolitionist or antislavery position as slavery-related issues increasingly dominated American politics.
The Conscience Whigs formed an important part of the Free Soil coalition during the 1840s. This coalition sought to prevent the expansion of slavery into the Western Territories and opposed the Annexation of Texas (1846) over concerns that Texas would bolster the “slave power” in the Union. Because of this, they were sometimes referred to as “Mexican Whigs.”
The 1848 Presidential Election was an important political moment for the Conscience Whigs, as they opposed Zachary Taylor, a hero of the Mexican-American War and a slaveholder who received the Whig Party’s nomination for President. Their opposition to Taylor increased the growing divide within the party over slavery, which was largely broken down along sectional lines.
In August 1848, the Conscience Whigs participated in the Free Soil Convention held in Buffalo, New York. After two days of meetings, the participants formed the Free Soil Party on the principles of “Free Soil, Free Speech, Free Labor and Free Men.”
The delegates selected former President Martin Van Buren as the party’s candidate for President. Charles Francis Adams, a prominent Conscience Whig, was nominated for Vice President.
Zachary Taylor won the election, followed by Lewis Cass, the Democratic Party’s nominee. Although the Free Soil ticket finished third, it was the strongest finish for a third-party ticket up to that point in U.S. history.
They were philosophically opposed by the Cotton Whigs, who sought to maintain economic ties to Southern plantation owners and the cotton industry.
Essential Facts
- The Conscience Whigs were an antislavery faction within the Whig Party that condemned slavery on moral grounds.
- They were primarily active in New England, especially Massachusetts, during the 1840s.
- Conscience Whigs formed an important part of the Free Soil coalition.
- They opposed Zachary Taylor as the Whig presidential candidate in 1848.
- Charles Francis Adams was a prominent Conscience Whig and was nominated by the Free Soil Party for Vice President. He ran with Martin Van Buren, the party’s nominee for President.
- The Van Buren-Adams ticket finished third in the 1848 Election.
- By 1854, the Free Soil Party merged with the Liberty Party and others to form the Republican Party.
Significance
The Conscience Whigs are important in American History for their role in the Abolition Movement and the formation of the Republican Party.
AP US History
The Conscience Whigs are part of the following units, topics, and chapters in the AP US History curriculum:
- The South and the Slavery Controversy (1793–1860)
- Manifest Destiny and Sectionalism (1841–1848)
- Renewing the Sectional Struggle (1848–1854)
Terms
Charles Francis Adams (1807–1886) — Adams was the son of John Quincy Adams, the grandson of John Adams, and became a prominent political figure in his own right in the 1840s. He was born in Boston, educated at Harvard, and trained in law under Daniel Webster. His antislavery views shaped his political career, including his opposition to the Annexation of Texas and his role as the Free Soil Party’s vice presidential candidate in 1848.
Cotton Whigs — Northern Whigs in the 1840s who supported the status quo, property rights, and the Union. They opposed abolitionists and sought to maintain economic ties with southern Whigs who owned plantations.
