The Criterion: Portraits and Facts of the Three 1856 Candidates

What it is

This is a printed pamphlet titled The Criterion, published in New York in 1856 by J. C. Butler. Its full title promises portraits of the three candidates, facts about each man's life, the platforms of the three parties, and the Constitution of the United States. The cover gives the price as twenty-five cents. The archive holds a scanned copy from the Internet Archive, and its subjects include Fillmore, Frémont and Buchanan.

Why it matters

The 1856 election pitted Fillmore of the American Party against John Charles Frémont of the Republican Party and James Buchanan of the Democratic Party. A pamphlet like this let voters compare the candidates and their platforms side by side. Its inclusion of the Constitution shows that the publisher expected readers to judge the candidates against the nation's founding document. It is a useful source for seeing how the choice was presented to ordinary voters.

Look closer

• Why might a publisher put portraits and biographical facts next to each candidate's platform?
• Who would have bought a pamphlet priced at twenty-five cents, and what did they want from it?
• What does the pamphlet not show, such as the candidates' own words or the views of their critics?