Presidency of Henry Clay:Clay was unable to pass most of his proposed legislation, as the Whigs in the House of Representatives were lead by John Tyler. Clay and Tyler had many conflicts, as the two men had many fundamental differences.
As 1848 neared closer, it seemed that the Whig Party might go down in flames
1848 Presidential ElectionJames K. Polk [D-TN]/ George M. Dallas -204 EV [D-PA]Theodore Frelinghuysen [W-NJ]/ John Young -86 EV [W-NY]The Whigs knew that they had little chance of winning the election. As a result, the party opted to run a ticket that could guarantee victory in the Northeastern states. Polk was able to gain some popularity with the Midwest as well as Pennsylvania, as he was a proponent of the 13th amendment. Additionally, he took a more relaxed position on slavery which meant he lost both New Hampshire and Maine
1848 House Elections234 up for election
120 seats required for majority
Democrats (John Davis)- 134 (+37)Whigs (John Tyler)- 78 (-43)Conservative (Abraham Lincoln)- 10Know Nothing (Lewis Charles Nevin)- 2 (-5)Riding on the coattails of Polk's victory, John Davis became the second Prime Minister of the United States, as the Democrats were able to win some of the Midwestern elections due to the growing dissatisfaction of the Whig Party.
Additionally, a faction of the Whigs split and formed the newfound Conservative Party. Whereas the Whigs became ultra-abolitionist, the Conservative Party managed to still be anti-slavery, but to less of an extant. Additionally, this new party was pro-business. As a result, the new party gained traction in the Midwest as well as certain major cities.
Finally, the Know Nothing party lost a large amount of following in the United States, with the only Representatives being Lewis Charles Levin and Millard Filmore
