The 1864 Election

In the midst of the Civil War, the 1864 election stands as a reminder that the last four years of President Lincoln's term had not only been bloody and long, but almost a near failure. Though the President did try his best to contain the nation as one as a whole, some of his attempts were futile in the long run. While searching around in the Special Collections and Archives here in EKU's library, I came across a handbill that gave the main points of each of the parties running for election in 1864. Up until now, all that I knew about the 1864 election was that Lincoln won again. I had no knowledge of who was up against him or what the other side thought about Lincoln's term as President. So naturally, when reading this handout I was very surprised to read the opponent and what each of the platforms represented and gave publicly to the civilians of the United States to try to win their votes. I thought something like this was very insightful and something that we don't see as often anymore when it comes to political advances. Now that I feel more informed about the election, I hope to share this knowledge with others as well.

The National Convention held their Presidential assembly on June 7^th, 1864 in Baltimore, Maryland. For re-election, they nominated Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson as his vice-President. The National Platform also gave several points as to which they would stand firmly by and believed that they would win the election again by these points as appealed to the people. The first, and most important, point was that they would maintain the integrity of the Union and the Constitution. It also states that as the Union as a whole, they would would not compromise with the rebels, but that they would stop the rebellion in the south fully and give proper punishment to those who were now traitors against the Union. This is a bold statement, especially given during this time of the war. Many Americans were blaming President Lincoln for the war in the first place and while the National Convention were upholding their patriotism to the country, it also seems to be a last attempt to gather more supporters in order to keep on fighting with the Confederacy. Their second point was that as since slavery was a main cause of the rebellion, as seen by the previous acts and proclamations by the government, it would now be entirely banned within the limits of the United States. It also adds that while many brave and patriotic men are fighting the rebellion and risking their lives, that the nation now owes the servicemen recognition of their fighting. They will now receive permanent provisions for the survivors of the rebellion who have received “disabling and honorable” wounds as to be held in the memory of those who did not survive.

Third, the National Convention suggests that President Lincoln's actions and political power should not go unseen, and that they should approve of all that he has done for the country up to that point. Because of his integrity and decisions made in the hours of rough circumstances, the nation should have confidence that President Lincoln would continue to keep leading the country, united as one, and whatever acts and proclamations he shall pass in the future, that as a nation they are to trust him because of all that he has done for the country so far. The Convention wanted harmony as a country overall and not to keep fighting the rebellion, and that they should all trust and work together to make sure that it never happens again. The next few points state that all servicemen fighting in the rebellion shall be protected under the law, that foreign immigration shall be opened and most of all encouraged, that they are in favor of a railway system that would reach to the Pacific Coast, that as a nation they promote national faith in one another and promote the use of the national currency, and finally that they as a united country would respect that there was never an attempt to overthrow the current government. This last point seems to be almost like a peace treaty in hopes that it would show that if the rebellion were to stop, the United States wouldn't punish the traitors quite so badly. But as we know, the war did continue on after the election and Confederate sympathizers didn't agree.

Near three months later, the Democratic National Convention held their assembly in Chicago, Illinois on August 29, 1864. Running against President Lincoln and VP Johnson were General George B. McClellan and George B. Pendleton. The Democratic Convention held onto the following points to which they hoped would get them elected: first, they would also look to the Constitution and obey its laws to work together as a nation and people to produce more prosperity and happiness in the nation. Second, that as the last four years of President Lincoln's term have been an utmost failure to restore the Union to how it was previously, that they would take an immediate stop to fighting the rebellion and cease all action so that peace would once again be restored to the United States. The Democratic party claimed that the aim and object of the party was to “preserve the Federal Union and the rights of the States unimpaired” and that as a result of it, they will continue to protect the rights of the American citizens as such as freedom of speech and of the press, the right to bear arms, a right and fair trial to be something that all citizens should have no matter what. Their last point is to say that the Democratic party extends their sympathies to all the soldiers fighting the rebellion at the current moment, and that as result of them fighting so valiantly for their country they would receive the proper care, treatment, and respect that they deserve and have earned.

On the bottom of the handbill, there is also a list of differences made between each party. First, that of the National Party trying to maintain the force of the rebellion while the Democratic Party wanted to stop the fighting almost immediately. The Union Party wanted to actually defeat and overthrow the Confederates while the Democrats wanted to appease a peace treaty, giving the Confederacy a “virtual” victory. Second, the Democratic Party says nothing regarding slavery while the National Party wanted to end it altogether. The National Party stated that rebelling against the Constitution and United States was morally wrong and the Democratic Party does not condemn the traitors of their actions. The National Party approves of the efforts made by Lincoln and his Congress, while the Democratic condemns the President, putting him to blame for the cause of and the length of the rebellion. The Democratic Party, while offering sympathy and respect to the soldiers fighting, does not say they are fighting for a just cause nor give that they should receive any permanent recognition. The National Party, however, states that they should be rewarded for their valor with permanent provisions and protection as they went as far as to keep the civilians protected in this ongoing peril. As a whole, it seemed that the Union Party knew that they were to blame but they were still trying to fix their mistakes in efforts to stop the rebellion, while the Democrats just wanted to point fingers for the blame and error but didn't really give any steps to try to attempt to stop the rebellion other than to basically say that they should give up and make a peace treaty. I think that this says a lot about each of the parties and given the current knowledge of who actually did win, and then based on this handout, I think it's safe to say that the Union party had more appealing factors in their campaign which did cause them to win the 1864 election once more.

“Platforms of the Republican National Convention in Baltimore, MD and the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, IL.” Handbill, 1864. Eastern Kentucky University Civil War Special Collections and Archives.