Description

Proceedings of the Pennsylvania Democratic State Convention, Held at Harrisburg, March 4th, 1856. Reported by James B. Sheridan. William Rice, Pennsylvania Office, Printer, Philadelphia, 1856. 90 pp., 5.75 x 9.25" In poor condition. Front wrap is detached and torn in the middle. Exhibits toning at edges. Graphite and ink markings, library stamp at top edge. Rear wrap is rubbed and ripped at bottom corner. Text block exhibits light staining. Large tear at bottom corner has led to some text loss. Instances of ink bleeding. Binding is brittle but in tact. Please see photos. The 1856 presidential election in the United States was held in the height of the sectional tensions over the spread of slavery. This pamphlet is an account of the proceedings of the Democratic State Convention that sought to nominate Pennsylvania's own James Buchanan to the presidency, as well as name delegates to the Democratic National Convention to be held later that year in Cincinnati, Ohio. The convention was held in the hall of the House of Representatives in the state capitol of Harrisburg and the state's most prominent figures of the day were present. Readers of history may also be interested in the list of resolutions passed by the convention of which called for a full rejection of "abolition agitators" in the form of the Know-Nothing, Free Soil, and Republican parties, an acceptance of the Kansas-Nebraska act as a necessary compromise, an embrace of popular sovereignty in the territories when deciding on the spread of slavery, and an endorsement of the presidency of predecessor Franklin Pierce. The end of the pamphlet is filled with speeches made at the convention from prominent men of the time. COLPAP-1025-RT139