The Elections of 1860 and 1864

Abraham Lincoln was elected to be president of the United States in 1860 and 1864, just before and during the American Civil War. The election of 1860 shaped the future of the United States by heralding the end of slavery and marked by a time of unprecedented violence in the nation. Lincoln's reelection in 1864 determined that he would continue to guide the nation through the conflict. He was assassinated a year later in 1865, just before the end of the war.

The Election of 1860

Tensions often run high as Americans prepare to cast their vote for president of the United States. But perhaps no election carried more weight for the future of the United States than the election of 1860. The nation was standing at the brink of civil war, four million people lived in bondage, and the entire socioeconomic system predicated on slavery was poised to be reforged. The election of 1860 found the great American experiment at the edge of an uncertain precipice.

The Issues and the Candidates

The issues on the minds of Americans in 1860 were varied, with some still in the political arena today. Political debate covered:

• The preservation of the Union.
• The rights of states.
• The rights of immigrants.
• Government spending.
• The construction of a transcontinental railroad.

The principal issue was the clash over slavery and its expansion. For the voters of 1860, this was not only an issue of human rights. The economic system based on slave grown cotton controlled the entire United States, not only the south, and reached across the ocean as well. For the four million enslaved Americans, the outcome of this issue and the election meant hope for a life of freedom.

The Candidates

The race for the presidency started out on uneven footing with major candidates from four parties vying for the win. The Democratic Party had split in two after the southern delegates walked out of the convention and chose their own candidate. Many southerners were not happy with either the Republican or Democratic Parties, so they formed the Constitutional Union Party. This new party was based exclusively on the text of America’s founding documents.

Library of Congress

Abraham Lincoln from Illinois campaigned as the representative of the Republican Party. He wanted to stop the spread of slavery in new territories and states.

Library of Congress

John Bell from Tennessee campaigned as the representative of the Constitutional Union Party. He believed in protecting slavery as it was allowed in the Constitution, but wanted to prevent its spread into new territories to keep the peace and preserve the Union.

Library of Congress

John Breckinridge from Kentucky campaigned as the representative of the southern faction of the Democratic Party. He wanted the right to own slaves to be protected in the territories by a federal slave code, and when a territory became a state for the settlers of the new state to decide if slavery should be allowed.

Library of Congress

Stephen Douglas from Illinois campaigned as the representative of the northern faction of the Democratic Party. He adhered to the idea of popular sovereignty, and thought that the people should determine if slavery would be allowed in territories and new states, without a federal slave code.

The Voters and the Polls

In 1860, the population of the United States was around 31.5 million. Approximately half of that number met the age requirement to vote but women and, in most states, minorities were excluded. Around 6.9 million, or just fewer than 45% of the age eligible population, had the option to represent the nation at the polls that year. On November 6, 1860, 81% of eligible voters cast their ballot for the President of the United States of America.

There was not yet a national standard for voting qualifications and requirements varied by state. In the state of Virginia, you could only vote if you were:

• White

• Male

• 21 or older

• Not disabled

• Of sound mind

• Not in the military

• Not a pauper (living on public charity)

The states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire allowed African Americans to vote in 1860.

Library of Congress

In 1860, the polling place operated differently than it does today. Voting men would receive a paper ticket for the party of their choice. On Election Day the official would announce each vote out loud before placing it in the ballot box. Rather than voting for individuals, a man would be voting for the entire list of candidates from that party, from the local to national level. Obviously, the public nature of the voting process left room for corruption; imagine your boss standing at the polling place to hear if you voted for his candidate!

The Outcome

Today we recognize that geography plays a role in the outcome of an election. We watch the political map as red states and blue states appear in regional clusters as election results are reported. The geographic and ideological makeup of a state can often be used to guess its outcome. In 1860, geography was a huge factor in the way the election would play out.

• The Democratic Party was divided between northern and southern factions.

• People living in the territories could not vote.
• For the first time in U.S. history, the original 13 states controlled less than 50% of the electoral vote.
• The opinions of the general population in South Carolina were not represented as they did not yet have a popular vote.
• Slave states counted 3/5 of their enslaved population when determining the number of electoral votes. This meant more votes for the state even though the opinions of these people were not represented. In a state like Virginia, where 1/3 of the population was enslaved, this greatly increased the state’s number of electors!

Library of Congress

Ultimately, Abraham Lincoln was elected to be the 16th President of the United States of America. He was the first president ever to be elected with less than 50% of the vote. Lincoln’s victory was an amazing feat considering that he won only two counties in the entire south, and he not receive a single vote from the nine Maine electors.

Library of Congress

The discontent was immediate. The election of 1860 proved to be the breaking point for an already unstable nation. By Lincoln’s inauguration in March, 1861, seven states from the Deep South had already left the Union. Lincoln closed his first inaugural address with aplea that his nation not be torn apart by war.

"I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."

• Ranger Reflections: Lincoln's First Inaugural Address

  
  

  Listen to Ranger Nate offer some brief reflections on Lincoln's First Inaugural Address.

  Date created:

  10/14/2020

  Audio Transcript

  (music playing) Hello, I’m Nate, a Ranger with the National Park Service here at the National Mall and Memorial Parks.

  President Abraham Lincoln is remembered not only as one of America’s greatest Presidents, but also one of America’s greatest Presidential speech writers. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is his most famous and recognizable speech but his two inaugural addresses delivered in 1861 and 1865 are marvels of persuasion and poetry. At its core, Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address is a please to prevent war. Lincoln was elected in 1860 and the reaction of the nation was swift and tragic. Southern states began to secceed, removing themselves from the Union and forming the confederate states of America. By March 4th 1861, when the First Inaugural was delivered, the rebellion was in motion and the Civil War seemed invetible. Lincoln, a plain spoken man from IL, attempted to argue against separation and war and plea for peace and unity. The majority of the speech is a legal and constitutional lesson, trying to set southern fears to rest and logically explain the President’s stance on the issues of slavery and seccession. The words of the last paragraph however, have become some of Lincoln’s most heavily quoted. This conclusion, suggested by Secretary of State William Seward, blends emotions and memories to try to steer a course of peace. “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” Unfortunately, Lincoln’s eloquent words fell on deaf ears and stubborn hearts and the Civil War followed; four terrible years of death and destruction, four years of tragedy and pain. Over 620,000 Americans died during the Civil War and every life lost laid heavily on President Lincoln. But while he was compassionate and forgiving, Abraham Lincoln was also strong and resolute in his commitment to preserving the Union.

Instead, Lincoln would guide his shattered country through four years of war. In true democratic fashion, it would be up to the citizens of this nation and the president they elected to write the future of the Union and the promise of freedom for all.

The Election of 1864

A Different Kind of Election

The election of 1864 was, in several ways, unique. Although there would have been ample reason to postpone the election, the nation went forward with the democratic process, despite the lack of precedent for voting in a divided nation. For the first and only time, a portion of the United States did not participate in the election. The states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia did not cast votes, upholding Jefferson Davis as their own president.

Library of Congress

The election would also set the precedent for absentee voting. Before 1864, absentee voting was deemed unnecessary. But in the midst of the war, a vast percentage of voters were at the front. The issues at hand were deeply ingrained in the convictions these men had been fighting for during the past four years.

More than 200,000 African American soldiers served in the U.S. Army and Navy during the Civil War. Their service is commemorated in the African American Civil War Memorial.

Lincoln, recognizing the benefit of the military vote, supported absentee voting. For the first time in U.S. history, soldiers in the field were given the opportunity to take part in an election. In states where absentee voting was not allowed, Lincoln appealed to the Generals to give their men furloughs so they could return home to vote.

Library of Congress

The Candidates

In an effort to broaden their constituency, the Republican Party chose to join with the War Democrats and called themselves the National Union Party. The National Union platform called for concluding the war with an unconditional Confederate surrender, an amendment to end slavery, and support for disabled veterans. If Lincoln was to be reelected, it would be the first time in over thirty years that an incumbent president won a second term.

A War-Torn Nation

For much of Lincoln’s first term, he had been an unpopular president. Upon his first election, Lincoln desperately tried to keep the nation together. Pro-Confederacy citizens in the border-states and parts of the midwest, as well as Peace Democrats in the north, opposed him from the beginning. Lincoln’s quest for emancipation and the military draft polarized these factions even more.

Following on the heels of the victory at Gettysburg, the war-torn nation experienced draft riots across the north. The riots in New York City constituted the worst civil uprising in United States history. What began as a low and middle class revolt against the draft soon turned into a violent race riot. By the time it was over, several thousand were injured, fifty buildings, including the Colored Orphan Asylum, had been burned, and more than 100 people had been killed. The majority of those killed were African American men, and eleven of these deaths were due to lynching.

The Election

In the weeks and months leading to the election, Lincoln was increasingly convinced that the nation would vote against his reelection. In a note to his Congress members, Lincoln set aside political competition in a preemptive promise to keep the nation together.

Library of Congress

August 23, 1864

This morning, as for some past, it seems exceedingly probably that this Administration will not be re-elected. Then it will be my duty to cooperate with the President elect, as to save the Union between the Election and the inauguration; as he will have secured his election on such ground that he cannot possibly save it afterwards.

A. Lincoln

Shortly before the election, word spread that Atlanta had fallen at the hands of General William T. Sherman. This turned the war in the Union's favor and restored hope for an end of the war. Lincoln’s fears proved unfounded. He was reelected with 55% of the popular vote and received 212 electoral votes to General George B. McClellan’s 21. Over 70% of the military vote went to reelect President Lincoln.

A Second Inauguration and a New Birth of Freedom

In his second inaugural address, Lincoln promised to end the war and focus on healing the nation rather than punishing the war-torn South.

"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nations wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations."

• Ranger Reflections: Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

  
  

  listen a brief reflection from Ranger Nate on Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address.

  Date created:

  10/14/2020

  Audio Transcript

  (music playing) Hello, I’m Nate, a Ranger with the National Park Service here at the National Mall and Memorial Parks. When President Abraham Lincoln prepared for a Second Inaugural Address in 1865 he was not looking at the beginnings of a war, but at the end of one. Major victories and bloody campaigns made by Union Generals Grant and Sherman were bringing the end of the Civil War closer as each day passed. ‘Finally do we hope, fervently do we pray that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away’ said the President on March 4th 1865. As usual his thoughts were on the battlefront, but he also allowed himself to think about the future of the nation after the war.

  His famous conclusion to his second inaugural speech illuminates the hopes and dreams of our 16th President. He said ‘With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.’

  Six weeks later Lincoln was killed by an assassins bullet. Although he died, his words and his dreams of a strong and united America live on.

Lincoln’s reelection allowed him to push through the largest accomplishment of his presidency: the 13th Amendment. The amendment was passed a month before Lincoln’s second inauguration and abolished slavery in the United States. The 13th Amendment paved the way for citizenship and voting rights for African Americans. These voting rights were finally written into the Constitution five years later with the passage of the 15th Amendment.

Working for equality for all Americans has been a long and continuous struggle. The Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment laid the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement and the election of our nation’s first African American president in 2008.

Lincoln Assassinated

Library of Congress

Just two months after the passage of the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. He was shot attending a play at Ford’s Theatre by actor John Wilkes Booth. Upon his passing, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton famously remarked, “He now belongs to the Ages.”

Abraham Lincoln remains a present figure in popular culture and his legacy lives on through the ongoing struggle for fully realized freedom and equal rights in these United States.

Lincoln Remembered