Studies in American History 
131 
The Globe gave many figures to show that the Federalist lead- 
ers of New England during the War of 1812 were now Har- 
rison men.^® This was probably true, but was of no impor- 
tance in this campaign. 
The slavery question was a thing to conjure with. Whigs 
tried to fasten slavery on the Democrats, and Democrats tried 
to fasten it on the Whigs. In the meantime, both were deny- 
ing all slavery attachments.^® Harrison was embarrassed by 
having belonged, in 1791, to an abolition society. He averred 
that the word “abolition” then meant something like “hu- 
mane” and not what it did in 1836.®® This was probably 
correct. On September 25, 1840, Buchanan wrote Van Buren 
that he had ceased to defend the administration and had car- 
ried “the war into Africa”.®^ Van Buren seemed to be trying 
to carry the North by party machinery and the South by con- 
cessions to slavery, said The Liberator.^^ Slavery was not, 
however, an important issue in the election of 1840, altho it 
did play a prominent part in the Whig national convention at 
Harrisburg. 
Briefly, the antislavery advocates took the following course 
between 1836 and 1840. In the election of 1836, the Aboli- 
tionists had little weight, except in a negative way. Both 
parties were kept busy resisting attempts by the opposite 
party to fasten abolitionism on their candidates. Van Buren 
had made statements placing himself on both sides. Harrison 
had sprung from the slave-holding class, yet he had at 
one time belonged to an abolition society. Both sides catered 
to the slavery element. Clay staked his nomination on this 
issue and lost. 
As a rule, despite the resistance of the southern Whigs and 
the denials of the Conservative Whigs in the North, the Whig 
party got the support of the antislavery voters. The Aboli- 
tionists expected the Whigs to act with them, and when they 
voted against the Whigs, it was in the nature of a rebuke and 
warning to keep them from straying off too far.®^ 
The southern Whigs were desirous of acting with their 
party, and the Whig leaders succeeded for a time in making 
^8 The Globe, September 1, 1840. 
Ibid., February 5, 1840 ; ibid., July 27, 1840, 
Ibid., September 2, 1840. 
Moore (ed.). The Works of James Buchanan, IV, 322. 
22 The Liberator, September 2, 1840. 
22 The Globe, December 27, 1838. 
