Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. Margaret Taylor was an American first lady and the wife of Zachary Taylor, an American military hero and the 12th president of the United States. Margaret supported her husband throughout his long military career, repeatedly uprooting her family to follow James Polk served as the 11th U. Before his presidency, Polk served in the Tennessee legislature and the U. House of Representatives for the first time in He served four terms in Congress but left in to mount an unsuccessful run for the governorship of New Franklin Pierce , the son of a onetime governor of New Hampshire, entered politics at a young age.
He served as speaker of the state legislature before winning election to the U. House of Representatives in After two terms in the House and one in the Senate, James Monroe , the fifth U.
John Quincy Adams began his diplomatic career as the U. After serving in the Massachusetts State Senate and the U. During his tenure, seven Southern states seceded from the Union and the nation teetered on the brink of civil war. A Pennsylvania native, Buchanan began his political career in his home Born in poverty, Andrew Jackson had become a wealthy Tennessee lawyer and rising young politician by , when war broke out between the United States and Britain.
His leadership in that conflict earned Jackson national fame as a military hero, and he would become While his support for protective tariffs led to rising prices for consumers and arguably paved Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. Help inform the discussion Support the Miller Center. University of Virginia Miller Center.
Zachary Taylor: Family Life. Breadcrumb U. Zachary Taylor Essays Life in Brief. Life Before the Presidency. Campaigns and Elections. Domestic Affairs. Foreign Affairs. Death of the President. He was then promoted to major general by President James K. He then led his men across the Rio Grande, capturing the stronghold of Monterrey.
In February , Taylor and his men defeated a Mexican force more than three times their size in Buena Vista. These victories made Taylor a war hero. People even compared him to George Washington and Andrew Jackson. Taylor had no experience in politics, but he soon declared his candidacy and won the Whig nomination. Taylor was a slaveowner himself, but he was against the creation of new slave states.
From his years in the army, Taylor was a strong nationalist. He wanted the country to stay united and said if necessary, he would use military force to keep Southern states from seceding. Southerners were angry that Taylor was unwilling to compromise. People in Congress felt that he was taking away their legislative power. On July 4, , Taylor went to a Fourth of July ceremony at the Washington Monument, which was still under construction.
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