1856 Political Platforms

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The Political Platforms Of 1856
Addressing the Tensions of the Era
The two documents recognized and upheld the development of the Kansas-Nebraska Act that led to the creation of two more states in Kansas and Nebraska. According to wwnorton.com, the Democratic Party approved and recognized the development of the two states together with their organic laws pending the safe resolution of the slave issues within the states through the will of the residents. The Republican Party took the same position through its platform. However, the Republican party through their platform called for the abolishment of the slave, making everybody free, against the wish of the Democratic party platform that called for the extension of the slave ownership and slave expansion further west and north.
Both parties through their platforms agreed on the use of popular sovereignty in determining whether the two new states would be free states, discarding the Missouri Compromise of 1820 that used latitude to determine if the state would be free of slaves. According to the Missouri Compromise, all states above latitude 36˚ 30′ line would be free states. Both parties aimed to give the residents of the two states the ability to decide if they would accept slaves, thus creating one major point of tension. If a compromise would have been reached at this level, maybe the civil war would have been avoided.
Reflections on the Tensions over Slavery
The slavery issue remained a major dividing item as outlined in both the party platforms.

According to ushistory.org, the Republican Party platforms hinted at the need to abolish slave ownership, against the position taken by the Democratic platforms. The Democratic Party noted that instead of abolishing slave ownership, they believed that slaves would be allowed further north and west. The Democratic platform recognized the state of slave ownership, stating that the Congress had no power to make interferences into the domestic institutions and affairs. The Democratic Party further noted that states indulgence in need to abolish the slave ownership could lead to civil war and cause of disunity in the union government. On the other hand, the Republican platform agitated for the abolishment of the slave ownership, believing that everybody should be enjoying the freedom of speech, liberty, and suffrage. They believed that as the forefathers had seen it wise and included the act in the constitution to abolish the slave ownership, there was no need to violate such provisions and so sustaining slave institutions in the society. The Republicans championed for the slave rights including ownership of property.
Other Sectional Issues Addressed
The Republican allowed the development of the railroad in the region including Chicago, through the Democrats, through their platforms of 1856 did not mention the need for the development of that railroad to open up the developments in the regions, including Chicago. The railroad was to foster economic development from the southern states further north with the aim of providing further opportunities for the economic prosperity of the states that it was to cover.
Inevitability of Civil War
The conflict leading to civil war was inevitable, as both parties took hardlines in the issues of slave ownership and the advancement of slavery into Kansas and Nebraska. The Democratic Party vehemently supported the need to maintain slave ownership while the Republicans opposed the continued sustenance of slave institutions in the society. Since no party seemingly was willing to cede ground, it was apparent that the issue of slave ownership would cause more civil unrest. The Democratic platform even hinted at a possibility of the civil war and a disunited America if the Union government continued to champion for the abolishment politics.

Works Cited
BIBLIOGRAPHY l 1033 Ushistory.org. Republican Platform of 1856. 4 July 1995. Web. 25 November 2016.
Wwnorton.com. The Democratic Platform (1856). 12 October 1942. Web. 25 November 2016.