The Free-Soil Party of the late 1840s and early 1850s championed the slogan, “Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men.” However, their relationship with the burgeoning working class in the antebellum north remains relatively nebulous. This paper investigates how the average laborer felt about the Free-Soil Party and how (or if) the Free-Soil Party attempted to improve the life of the working class. Using rhetoric from the Free-Soilers in Congress, abolitionist publications, and voting data it becomes clear that the Free-Soil Party, while not an explicitly pro-labor organization, was the only antebellum party—and perhaps the only American party ever—chiefly concerned with matters of labor and its implementation.
About the presenterJordan Casimir Trace Koper
Hailing from Erie, PA, Jordan Koper earned his Bachelor’s of Arts in History from the University of Pittsburgh in 2013. Currently pursuing a Master’s of Arts in Social Sciences from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, his interests include Russian and Soviet history and early American politics.