Political neophyte Zachary Taylor inherited one of the toughest political environments in United States history when he assumed office in 1849. Indeed, the nation appeared to be on the brink of civil war. The admission of the recently acquired Mexican territory threatened to tear the Union apart. Southern interests wanted to admit California as a slave state, while Northerners wanted to keep it free. Meanwhile, Texas claimed that it had rights to a substantial portion of New Mexico and vowed to take it by force if necessary. Some southerners promised support for such an invasion. Other southerners began talking about organizing a secession movement. The acquisition of new territory, believed by many to be a necessary step towards national greatness, threatened to ruin the country.
Congress began to grapple with the issue of California and New Mexico just as Taylor entered office. Having never participated in politics, indeed having never even voted in a presidential election before, no one knew where Taylor, a slaveholder from Louisiana, stood on the issue, though Democrats were cautiously optimistic and Whigs nervous. In two speeches to Congress, he showed his hand and left southerners shocked and Whigs empowered. He wanted both California and New Mexico admitted as free states. Taylor, it turned out, may have been a slaveholder, but his perspective on the institution was largely economic; he saw no reason why slavery should expand into territories that could not support it. At the same time, he showed no inclination to abolish slavery in states that already permitted the institution.
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