Liberty Party (United States, 1840) facts for kids

The Liberty Party was a small political party in the United States during the 1840s. It was one of the first groups to strongly oppose slavery. This party was formed by people who wanted to end slavery, known as abolitionists. They separated from another group called the American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS). The Liberty Party believed the U.S. Constitution was actually against slavery.

However, William Lloyd Garrison, the leader of the AASS, thought the Constitution supported slavery and should be rejected. The Liberty Party members chose to work within the political system, like voting and running for office, to achieve their goals. This was different from Garrison, who was a radical and did not believe in voting. Many Liberty Party members later joined the Free Soil Party in 1848, which also opposed slavery. They also helped create the Republican Party in the 1850s.

Forming the Liberty Party

The Liberty Party was officially announced in November 1839. Its first meeting was in Warsaw, New York. The party's first national convention, where they chose their candidates, happened on April 1, 1840, in Arcade, New York.

The party chose James G. Birney as their candidate for President in both 1840 and 1844. Birney was from Kentucky and had once owned slaves, but he became an abolitionist. Their second convention was held in August 1843 in Buffalo, New York.

Party Goals and Beliefs

The Liberty Party's platform in 1843 stated that they would not follow the Fugitive Slave Clause of the Constitution. This clause said that enslaved people who escaped to free states had to be returned to their owners. The party believed this clause was "null and void" (meaning it had no legal power) because it went against "natural right."

They also declared that the Liberty Party would demand a complete separation of the federal (national) government from slavery. This meant they wanted the government to stop supporting or recognizing slavery in any way. They also wanted to restore equal rights for all people in every state where the party existed.

Party Support and Impact

The Liberty Party did not get a lot of votes. In the 1840 election, Birney received only 6,797 votes. In 1844, he got 62,103 votes, which was about 2.3% of all votes.

Even though they didn't win, the Liberty Party might have changed the outcome of the 1844 election. Birney received 15,800 votes in New York. James K. Polk won New York by only 5,100 votes. If those votes had gone to Henry Clay, he would have won the election instead of Polk.

A third convention was held in Syracuse, New York, in October 1847. Here, John P. Hale of New Hampshire was chosen as the presidential candidate. However, Hale later decided not to run because of new political events in 1848.

Presidential Candidates

Election year	Result	Nominees
		President	Vice President
1840	lost	James G. Birney (New York)	Thomas Earle (Pennsylvania)
1844	lost	James G. Birney (New York)	Thomas Morris (Ohio)
1848	withdrew	John P. Hale (New Hampshire)	Leicester King (Ohio)
1848	lost	Gerrit Smith (New York)	Charles C. Foote (Michigan)
1852	lost	William Goodell (New York)	S.M. Bell (Virginia)
1856	lost	Gerrit Smith (New York)
1860	lost	Gerrit Smith (New York)	Samuel McFarland (Pennsylvania)

Joining the Free Soil Party

In 1848, there was a lot of political excitement because of the Wilmot Proviso. This was a proposal to ban slavery in new territories gained from the Mexican-American War. Also, a group of New York Democrats, called "Barnburners," split from their party because they opposed slavery.

These events created a chance to form a larger, more powerful political group against slavery. Many Liberty Party members joined with other groups in August 1848 in Buffalo, New York, to create the Free Soil Party. This new party was against slavery spreading, but not all its members were strict abolitionists.

A small group of Liberty Party members did not want to join the Free Soil Party. They nominated Gerrit Smith as their candidate for president in 1848. Smith received only 2,545 votes, which was less than 1% of the Free Soil Party's total votes.

The Free Soil Party later joined with the Republican Party in 1854. By this time, many of the ideas the Liberty Party first supported had become popular in politics.

Important Liberty Party Members

One important member of the Liberty Party who later became very famous was Salmon P. Chase. He joined the party in 1841. Chase helped shape the Liberty Party's platform in 1843–1844. He also organized a large meeting in Cincinnati in 1845, bringing together delegates from the Midwest and Upper South.

Chase wanted to make the party more appealing to a wider audience. He suggested adding political and constitutional arguments to the party's mostly religious and moral messages. He wanted the party to focus on stopping the federal government from supporting slavery directly. This was different from simply demanding that slavery be abolished everywhere, which the federal government didn't have the power to do at that time. In 1847–1848, Chase strongly supported combining groups to form the Free Soil Party.

The Liberty Party continued to exist for several years, even after most of its supporters left. Without Chase, the party's official statements and platforms became more focused on religious ideas. The 1848 platform strongly criticized attempts to make the party less radical. That same year, the party began supporting various moral policies. They generally favored free trade and opposed tariffs (taxes on imported goods).

In 1852, the party held its national convention in Syracuse, New York. William Goodell of New York was nominated for president, and S. M. Bell of Virginia was his running mate.

By 1856, very little of the Liberty Party remained. Most members had joined the Free Soil Party in 1848, and nearly all the rest joined the Republicans in 1854. The small group that remained nominated Gerrit Smith again under the name "National Liberty Party."

In 1860, the remaining part of the party was also called the Radical Abolitionists. They held a convention in Syracuse, New York, on August 29, 1860. Delegates came from several states. Even though he was not in good health, Gerrit Smith was nominated for president, and Samuel McFarland from Pennsylvania was nominated for vice president. This ticket received 171 popular votes from Illinois and Ohio.

Other Notable Liberty Party Members

• James Appleton, a state legislator from Maine.
• Shepard Cary, a Congressman from Maine.
• Charles Durkee, a legislator and Congressman from Wisconsin who later became a U.S. Senator.
• Samuel Fessenden, a co-founder of the Republican Party.
• Ezekiel Holmes, a state legislator from Maine.
• Abby Kelley, who spoke at the Liberty Party convention in 1843. She was the first American woman to speak at a national political convention.

See also

In Spanish: Partido Libertad para niños