Zachary Taylor


  1. Zachary Taylor was the 12th president of the United States. He was born in Virginia in 1784 to a family of planters. When Zachary was a baby, his family moved to the Kentucky frontier. As a boy, Zachary had only a basic education. However, on his father’s plantation, he learned about raising crops. He also learned how to shoot and ride very well.
  2. In 1808, Zachary joined the army. His first rank was lieutenant. By the beginning of the War of 1812, he had been promoted to captain. In 1832, he fought in the Black Hawk War. From 1837 to 1840, Taylor led troops in the Second Seminole War. During this time, Taylor was promoted to general.
  3. In March of 1846, President Polk sent Taylor to command troops in South Texas. Polk thought that a show of force would convince Mexico to accept the Rio Grande as the border between the US and Mexico. The Mexicans insisted that the Nueces River, 150 miles to the north, was the border. On April 25th, 1846, American soldiers on patrol in the disputed area were attacked by a Mexican cavalry unit. President Polk considered the attack an act of war.
  4. In early May of 1846, Taylor’s troops fought the first two battles of the US–Mexican War at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma in South Texas. The Mexicans fought well and outnumbered the Americans. Still, Taylor’s troops defeated them. After these battles, Congress formally declared war on Mexico. In September, Taylor led his troops to victory again at the Battle of Monterrey. In 1847, President Polk assigned half of Taylor’s troops to General Winfield Scott. The president sent Scott’s army to capture Mexico City by way of Vera Cruz. Polk told Taylor to stay in Monterrey, but Taylor ignored the president’s instructions. He took his army deeper into northern Mexico. About 150 miles south of Monterrey, at the Battle of Buena Vista, Taylor’s small army faced General Santa Ana’s much larger army. After fierce fighting on both sides, the Americans emerged victorious once again.
  5. Because of his victories, Zachary Taylor became a popular war hero. His troops had named him “Old Rough and Ready” because of his relaxed manner, his sloppy clothes, and his fighting spirit. The affectionate nickname stayed with Taylor through his military career and into politics. In 1848, “Old Rough and Ready” ran for president on the Whig ticket. He won by a slim margin.
  6. During Taylor’s presidency, the expansion of slavery overshadowed all other issues. The southern states wanted to bring slaves into the territory that the US had won from Mexico. The free states wanted to stop the spread of slavery. Also, many in the free states wanted to do away with slavery completely. President Taylor was a southerner and a slave owner. However, he was not in favor of the expansion of slavery.
  7. On July 4th, 1850, Taylor fell ill. He died on July 9, 1850. President Taylor is remembered as a military hero, not as a great president. He is also remembered as the second president to die in office.

 

Reading Warm UP QUESTIONS:

  1. Do you know what Zachary Taylor’s profession was before he became president?
  2. What do you know about the historical relationship between Texas and Mexico?
  3. What was the most controversial issue of Taylor’s presidency?