Ascending to the presidency after the death of Zachary Taylor in 1850, Millard found the politics of his era dominated by Henry Clay and Daniel Webster's Compromise of 1850 and its ramifications.

The Compromise of 1850 brought relative calm to the nation. Though most blacks and abolitionists strongly opposed the Compromise, the majority of Americans embraced it, believing that it offered a ...

Challenges: Millard Fillmore inherited the uncompleted legislation known as the Compromise of 1850, a senatorial initiative to reconcile the competing issues involved in organizing the territories ...

In a campaign devoid of issues—for example, both parties endorsed the Compromise of 1850—Pierce defeated the Whig Party nominee, war hero Winfield Scott. Challenges: Franklin Pierce had to deal with ...