Zachary Taylor

Written Report on Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor became a president because he was well-known for his military skill, his victories, and his American spirit. Zachary Taylor was born in Virginia on November 24, 1784. He was the son of a family of plantation owners. His family had owned many acres of land which were prosperous with cotton, worked by many black slaves. When he became older, he pursued his dream to become a military officer and was assigned to Fort Pickering and was transferred to many forts. Then, he married Margaret Smith whom he had four children with. They traveled to many different forts and finally settled down in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Here, he became known as the "Indian Fighter" for fighting off Indians from entering their land and also white settlers, which prevented wars between them. Under President James Polk, Taylor was sent to Texas to clear America's new state. There, he faced Santa Anna at Buena Vista, and against great odds, he defeated Santa Anna's army of 20,000 men with only 6,000 of his own troops. Because of his willingness to fight and bravery, he earned another nickname, "Old Rough and Ready." After his many victories, he returned to his plantation in Louisiana. Because of the cotton crops he had, he came home to a really wealthy lifestyle with his wife and four kids. He also came back with open arms from many groups from the South and the North mainly because they wanted him to be elected as President of the United States. The South wanted him to become president because they knew he did not have a problem with slaves, especially since he has many acres of cotton crops worked by these slaves. The Southerners hoped that if Taylor was elected president, he would allow slavery to extend into the new territories such as that of Texas and California, and change the laws where Northern rules apply. The North, however, wanted Taylor in office because he was originally a man of the Union and that he would stay loyal to those beliefs and help enforce them. Taylor, with Fillmore as his vice president, barely beat the Democratic and Free-Soil Parties in 1848. His first issue that had to be dealt with in his presidency was that of slavery. Since he was elected into office, the North and South expected him to fulfill his duties. His first decision was to make California, Texas and other new states free states. This meant that those states determined whether or not they would practice slavery. This somewhat appeased the North's wants. To appease the South's, he implemented the Fugitive Slave Law which made it illegal for any slave to run away if they were enslaved in the South. He died sixteen months after being elected but his heroism and bravery which helped to win victories against the Mexicans allowed America to gain important states such California and Texas.