Minor Political Parties of the 19th Century

Blanchard was politically active his entire life. Before the Civil War, he had supported William Henry Harrison against Martin Van Buren. He attended meetings of the Liberty Party and voted for either Liberty or Free Soil Candidates.

• The Liberty Party was an anti-slavery party. Its members believed that slavery was unconstitutional. Itwas a short-lived minority party during the 1840s.
• The Free Soil Party was likewise short-lived. It backed candidates in the 1848 and 1852 Presidential elections. Like the Liberty Party, it was anti-slavery. Its main political issue was opposition to the expansion of slaveholding territories. It was largely absorbed by the Republican party after 1854.