After southern Democratic delegates in Baltimore, Maryland refused to accept Senator Stephen Douglas as a candidate for the election of 1860, they nominated Vice President John C. Breckinridge on June 23, 1860. Soon after Breckinridge’s campaign biography was published, which one can read online at archive.org. Some editors saw Breckinridge’s campaign and, in particular his […]
26
Jul
10
Election of 1860 – John Breckinridge
Posted by sailerd Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Historic Periodicalsno comment
21
Jul
10
Southern Reaction to the Republican National Convention
Posted by sailerd Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Historic PeriodicalsAfter the Republican National Convention selected Abraham Lincoln in May 1860 as their candidate for the 1860 election, some Republican newspaper editors noted that Lincoln was a moderate politician. Lincoln opposed the further extension of slave territory, but he did not call for the end of slavery in the South. Yet some southern editors were […]
20
Jul
10
“An Heir to the Throne,” 1860 political cartoon
Posted by solnitr Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Images“An Heir to the Throne, or the Next Republican Candidate” satirizes the Republican Party’s stand on slavery in the 1860 presidential election. Democrats attacked Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party for rejecting the expansion of slavery into new territories. Louis Maurer, the artist of this 1860 Currier & Ives cartoon, depicted the ultimate allegiance between […]
19
Jul
10
Election of 1860 – “Read Your Ballot”
Posted by sailerd Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Historic Periodicals“We must for the last time warn all republican voters to look to it that they have the real republican ticket.” – Boston (MA) Advertiser, November 6, 1860 Ballots for the election of 1860 were not printed or approved by any government office or nonpartisan group. Instead, political parties were responsible for producing and distributing […]
19
Jul
10
“Stephen Finding His Mother” 1860 Political Cartoon
Posted by rothenbb Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Images, Recent ScholarshipLouis Maurer mocked presidential candidate Stephen Douglas in the cartoon “Stephen Finding His Mother.” Through the months leading up to the election in late 1860, Douglas engaged in an unprecedented national campaign tour. In response to critics of his new vote-gathering methods, he falsely claimed to visit his mother when he lead his tour through New […]
16
Jul
10
Election of 1860 – Republican National Convention
Posted by sailerd Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Historic PeriodicalsRepublicans selected Abraham Lincoln as their candidate for the 1860 at their convention in Chicago, Illinois, but few newspaper editors had predicted that outcome in the months before the convention. One of the other prominent Republican politicians, such as New York Senator William Seward, seemed to be the more likely choice. While the Republican Milwaukee […]
16
Jul
10
The German artist, Louis Maurer, drew upon an American sport—baseball—for this pro-Lincoln political cartoon, which Currier & Ives published in September 1860, only two months before the presidential election of 1860. Maurer created a parody of the four main presidential candidates (from left to right): Constitutional Union Party candidate John Bell, Northern Democratic Party candidate […]
14
Jul
10
Election of 1860 – Democratic Convention in Charleston
Posted by sailerd Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Historic Periodicals“The irrepressible conflict has rent the Democratic party asunder, and it has ceased to exist as a national organization.” – Chicago (IL) Democrat, May 1, 1860 When the Democratic National Convention opened on April 23, 1860 in Charleston, South Carolina, the delegates’ objectives were to set the platform and select candidates for the 1860 election. […]
14
Jul
10
“The Impending Crisis,” 1860 political cartoon
Posted by solnitr Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Images, Rare Books, Recent ScholarshipThe Republican Party held its second national convention beginning at noon on May 16, 1860 in Chicago. The presidential nominees included the veteran statesmen Edward Bates, Salmon P. Chase, Simon Cameron, and William H. Seward, as well as a new senator from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln. Although Seward was the favorite going into the convention and […]
13
Jul
10
“The Undecided Political Prize Fight,” 1860 political cartoon
Posted by solnitr Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), ImagesThe Election of 1860 mirrored the divided nature of the United States both in the presidential candidates and the voting results. The four major candidates represented three parties, a result of sectional discord: Stephen Douglas (northern Democratic party), John Breckinridge (southern Democratic party), Abraham Lincoln (Republican party), and John Bell (Constitutional Union party). This pro-Breckinridge […]
