The Liberty party, therefore, held the balance of power and determined the result of the election.
The Liberty party has often been censured for defeating the Whigs at this election of 1844.

But many incidents, too early forgotten by historians, go far to justify the course of the leaders.

Birney and Clay were at one time members of the same party.

They were personal friends, and as slave holders they shared the view that slavery was a menace to the country and ought to be abolished.

It was just fourteen years before this election that Birney made a visit to Clay to induce him to accept the leadership of an organized movement to abolish slavery in Kentucky.
Three years later, when Birney returned to Kentucky to do himself what Henry Clay had refused to do, he became convinced that the reaction which had taken place in favor of slavery was largely due to Clay's influence.