The Free-Soil Party was formed in 1848 by supporters of the failed 1846 Wilmot proviso, including members of the Whig Party, the Liberty Party, and anti-slavery “Barnburner” Democrats. Founded on the ideals of “free soil, free speech, free labor, and free men,” the party campaigned against the expansion of slavery into the territory aquired from Mexico. Though the Free-Soil nominee for president, former President Martin Van Buren, did not win the election, several Free-Soilers were elected to the House of Representatives, and in 1854 the...