David Rice Atchison, Southern Spokesman: 1844-1855

Date of Graduation

Summer 2008

Degree

Master of Arts in History

Department

History

Committee Chair

Worth Miller

Abstract

Missouri Senator David Rice Atchison represented one of the most radical southern factions in Congress. He accomplished his greatest feat in 1854 by securing passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. When he returned home to face re-election, he lost in Missouri's General Assembly. This work examined the electoral returns of Missouri General Assembly elections in 1848, 1850, and 1854 in an effort to determine Atchison's power base, how this power base changed in his critical re-election, and how certain critical issues damaged his candidacy. It examined the circumstances and internal strife occuring within the Missouri Democratic Party. Missourians rejected fanaticism on both sides, the North and South. Their desire to avoid the slavery issue sealed the fate of David Rice Atchison's political career.

Keywords

Atchison, Missouri, slavery, Benton, politics

Subject Categories

History

Copyright

© Matthew T. Vogeler

Citation-only

Campus Only

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