Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the last president to have slaves throughout his term in office, owning no more than 150 slaves. Taylor had a large number of plantations in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Kentucky. Nonetheless, Taylor had certain abolitionist political beliefs.
During his administration, he was against the creation of new slave states. He even attempted to distance the United States from the institution by advocating for California and New Mexico to become states to give the North a Senate majority.
What do you think about these former Presidents? Do you believe that the institution of slavery played a role in contributing to the ongoing issues that affect our nation today? Let’s take this discussion to the comments section. We love hearing from you, so don’t hesitate to write your opinion there.
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One Response
In order to understand why these presidents were pro-slavery, we must go back to the customs of the times. Those who were rich & powerful could do anything they wanted, & the law looked the other way. Slavery was an accepted institution. Not all slaves were treated badly, most had kind masters who gave them food & shelter, albeit of low quality. They worked long hours, & were exhausted at the end of a 12-hour day. The white non-slave were not much better off, working long hours for little pay, living in squalor. If a white worker got injured or died, nobody cared for the family. Corruption & bribery were rampant. Congressmen & Presidents often took bribes, or participated in crooked schemes to enrich themselves. Regretably, not much has changed!