Question

Why was Lincoln unable to get a position in President Zachary Taylor's administration?



Lincoln was a charter member of the opposing Whig Party.


Lincoln had spoken against the Mexican-American War.


Taylor only wanted people living in Southern states.


The only position open was in the Oregon Territory

Answer 1

lincoln was a charter member of the opposing whigparty

Answer 2

i think Lincoln had spoken against the Mexican-American War.

Lincoln ran for the United States House of Representatives and defeated his Democratic opponent. Peter Cartwright, handily. In Congress, he opposed the war with Mexico but recognized the need for unity in its prosecution and so voted for the appropriations needed to carry it out successfully. Interestingly enough, his principles with regard to the Mexican War cost Lincoln reelection in 1848. The war was very popular with the frontiersmen who had sent him to Washington.

He worked long and hard for the Whig candidate. General Zachary Taylor, during the election of 1848. When Taylor took office, however, his administration balked at making Lincoln commissioner of the General Land Office, an appointment he earnestly desired. Refusing less prominent offices in the Oregon territory, he returned to Illinois and resumed his law practice. That practice included not only cases on the local circuit but also before federal courts and the Illinois Supreme Court. Indeed, a fact often overlooked is that Lincoln established much of his reputation as a lawyer arguing important cases before higher courts.