You're listening to an Airwave Media Podcast.

Hi, I'm Mike Troy, host of the American Revolution Podcast on the Airwave Media Network.

This podcast is the origin story of the United States, how we went from colonies ruled by a king to the Democratic Republic that we have today.

The American Revolution podcast tells the story of the revolution from beginning to end. Revolution I hope you will join me today on the American Revolution podcast.

We don't think of the mace that stands next to the speaker of the house

as having any kind of real force. It's just a symbol, right? But at least one

occasion it had to be presented as a weapon in order to calm the members of

the United States House of Representatives. So after Zachary Taylor's election in 1849, upon the conclusion of the Mexican War,

there's a debate over what to do with the new territories. You're going to allow slavery in these areas, California, New Mexico,

or not.

In the election, the Democrats lead.

So you have 112 Democrats in the House,

105 Whigs in the House, and 13 free soilers in the House.

There's a lot of new members.

Eleven people put in a bid to run for speaker.

Democrats split their votes, wigs split their votes.

Most of the Democrats are backing a guy Howell Cobb of Georgia.

Most of the Whigs are backing an anti-slavery candidate Robert Winthrop.

In the absence of a speaker, the clerk presides. And usually this is only for a matter of minutes.

He ends up having to preside over the house for weeks. He can't keep order. No one really listens to his

authorities constantly banging the gavel. At one time a Virginian who's running

for speaker is accused by another member, a member from New York, that he's a disunionist.

...