The Election of 1864 Explained
Summary
TLDRThe video covers the 1864 U.S. presidential election, emphasizing the complexities of wartime politics. Lincoln, despite his unpopularity and challenges from Radical Republicans and Democrats, managed to secure re-election. The Republican Party temporarily rebranded as the National Union Party, nominating Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. The Democrats, divided over war and peace, chose General McClellan, but their mixed messages weakened their campaign. Key events, like Sherman's capture of Atlanta, shifted momentum in Lincoln's favor, leading to a decisive victory. The video also touches on Lincoln's assassination shortly after his second inauguration.
Takeaways
- 😀 The election of 1864 was the first war-time election since 1812 and the first since Andrew Jackson in 1832 to be reelected.
- 🏆 Lincoln won the election but faced significant opposition and wasn't guaranteed a victory.
- 🔄 The Republican Party rebranded as the National Union Party to unite with war Democrats and included a Democratic governor on the ticket.
- 🤝 The National Union Party's platform included unconditional surrender, support for the 13th Amendment, aid for veterans, and infrastructure development.
- 🐟 Salmon Chase, Lincoln's Secretary of Treasury, initially sought the Republican nomination but was outmaneuvered by Lincoln.
- 💥 The Democratic Party was divided into war Democrats, moderate peace Democrats, and hard-core peace Democrats (Copperheads).
- 🤔 General George McClellan, the Democratic nominee, ran on a peace platform, which conflicted with his war Democrat stance.
- 🔄 The Radical Republicans, dissatisfied with Lincoln, formed the Radical Democracy Party and nominated John Fremont, who later dropped out to support Lincoln.
- 📈 Lincoln's fortunes turned with military successes like General Sherman's capture of Atlanta, which bolstered his campaign.
- 🏆 Lincoln secured a significant victory with 212 electoral votes to McClellan's 21, winning the popular vote with 55 percent.
Q & A
Why was the 1864 election significant in American history?
-The 1864 election was the first war election since 1812 and no president had been elected to a second term since Andrew Jackson in 1832. It was also significant because it occurred during the American Civil War, making it a critical moment to determine the leadership for the Union.
Why did the Republican Party form the National Union Party for the 1864 election?
-The Republican Party created the National Union Party to unite with war Democrats who believed the war needed to be concluded. This was due to fractures within the Republican Party, with Radical Republicans pushing for more aggressive measures than Lincoln was willing to take.
What was the stance of the National Union Party on slavery and the war?
-The National Union Party's platform included unconditional surrender, support for the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery, and the use of black troops in the war effort. They also advocated for infrastructure development, immigration, and the Monroe Doctrine.
Who were the factions within the Democratic Party during the 1864 election?
-The Democratic Party had war Democrats who wanted to finish the war, moderate peace Democrats who wanted to negotiate peace, and hard-core peace Democrats known as Copperheads who just wanted to end the war.
Why did the Democratic Party choose General George McClellan as their nominee?
-The Democratic Party chose General George McClellan as their nominee because there were enough war Democrats in the party to convince others to support him. Despite being a war Democrat, he ran on a peace platform, which later became a liability.
What was the role of Salmon Chase in the 1864 election?
-Salmon Chase, Lincoln's Secretary of Treasury and featured on the $10,000 bill, initially sought the Republican nomination but was outmaneuvered by Lincoln. Lincoln later appointed him to the Supreme Court.
Why did John Fremont, the Radical Democracy Party's nominee, drop out of the 1864 election?
-John Fremont dropped out of the election after seeing the Democratic Party's peace platform and realizing the importance of keeping the Republican coalition together to prevent a Democratic victory that could potentially end the war prematurely.
How did the outcome of the Battle of Atlanta in September 1864 influence Lincoln's election chances?
-The capture of Atlanta by General Sherman significantly boosted Lincoln's chances as it signaled that the war was turning in favor of the Union, making Lincoln the favorite to win the election.
What was the electoral vote count for Lincoln and McClellan in the 1864 election?
-Lincoln and Johnson won with 212 electoral votes, capturing 55 percent of the popular vote. McClellan and his running mate George Pendleton received only 21 electoral votes.
How did Lincoln's approach to the war and his political maneuvers affect his popularity during the election?
-Lincoln was initially unpopular due to the ongoing war, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the draft. However, his political maneuvers, such as forming a bipartisan ticket and the late-war victories, helped secure his re-election.
Outlines
🤔 The Election of 1864: Lincoln's Re-election Amidst War
The video script discusses the election of 1864, which was the first war-time election since 1812. It highlights that no president had been elected to a second term since Andrew Jackson in 1832. The script introduces the unique situation where the Republican Party, recognizing internal fractures and Lincoln's unpopularity, created the National Union Party to support Lincoln's re-election. This new party included Radical Republicans, moderate Republicans, and War Democrats. The platform of the National Union Party focused on unconditional surrender, the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery, support for veterans, infrastructure development like the Transcontinental Railroad, and immigration. The script also discusses the Democratic Party's divisions and their nominee, General George McClellan, who ran on a peace platform despite being a war Democrat. Additionally, the Radical Democracy Party, which nominated John Fremont, eventually dropped out to support Lincoln, fearing a Democratic victory could be detrimental. The script sets the stage for a detailed exploration of the election's dynamics.
🏆 Lincoln's Victory: Turning Points and Election Results
This part of the script delves into the challenges Lincoln faced during his re-election campaign, including widespread unpopularity due to the ongoing Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the draft. It discusses the impact of the Democratic Party's peace-oriented platform, which created internal disarray and was seen as contradictory to McClellan's war stance. The script highlights the pivotal moment when General Sherman's capture of Atlanta shifted public sentiment, making Lincoln the favorite to win. The election results are detailed, showing Lincoln and Johnson securing 212 electoral votes and 55% of the popular vote, winning several new states. In contrast, McClellan and his running mate George Pendleton only won three states with 21 electoral votes. The script concludes with a humorous anecdote about Lincoln's reaction to his victory and a call to action for viewers to subscribe and explore more historical elections.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Election of 1864
💡National Union Party
💡Radical Republicans
💡War Democrats
💡Emancipation Proclamation
💡Draft Riots
💡Salmon Chase
💡George McClellan
💡Radical Democracy Party
💡Sherman's March to the Sea
Highlights
The election of 1864 was the first war election since 1812.
No president had been elected to a second term since Andrew Jackson in 1832.
Lincoln's re-election was uncertain due to his unpopularity and the ongoing war.
The Republican Party fractured, leading to the formation of the National Union Party.
Radical Republicans pushed for more aggressive war policies and equal rights for African Americans.
Lincoln joined forces with moderate Republicans and War Democrats to form a bipartisan ticket.
Andrew Johnson, a Democratic military governor, was Lincoln's running mate.
Salmon Chase, Lincoln's Secretary of Treasury, initially sought the Republican nomination.
The National Union Party's platform included unconditional surrender and support for the 13th Amendment.
The Democrats were divided into war Democrats, moderate peace Democrats, and hard-core peace Democrats.
General George McClellan, a war Democrat, was the Democratic nominee.
The Democratic platform's focus on peace issues contradicted McClellan's war stance.
Radical Republicans formed the Radical Democracy Party and nominated John Fremont.
Fremont dropped out of the race and endorsed Lincoln, helping to secure his victory.
Lincoln was not popular in the North, with many opposing his policies and the ongoing war.
The Democratic platform's peace stance and McClellan's war record created confusion and division.
General Sherman's capture of Atlanta in September 1864 shifted momentum towards Lincoln.
Lincoln won with 212 electoral votes and 55 percent of the popular vote.
McClellan only won three states with 21 electoral votes.
Lincoln's victory was secured by a combination of political maneuvers and military successes.
Transcripts
hey guys welcome to hippies history as
we bang out the election of 1864 like
literally bang out the election of 1864
the first war election since 1812 in
fact no president was elected to a
second term since Andrew Jackson thirty
years before in 1832
what's gonna happen well Lincoln's gonna
win but nobody gets a free ride
all right giddyup for the learning guys
let's go get her done right now so why
do we start off with a Republican Party
nomination
sike the Republican Party isn't gonna
have a nomination that's because they're
gonna create a new party called the
National Union party what occurred
within the Republican Party is that
there was kind of a fracture we have to
remember as this process begins the
worst not going so good in fact Lincoln
is hugely unpopular he himself in fact
thinks he has very little chance of
getting reelected but he also believes
that he's the best person to finish this
war and save the Union remember like
it's always about saving the Union so
there was a group of Republicans Radical
Republicans who really want to push
Lincoln to even be more hardcore in this
war in fact going as far as not only
abolishing slavery he already issued the
Emancipation Proclamation but also
giving African Americans equal
protection under the law making them
citizens in fact too radical for mr.
Lincoln
so mr. Lincoln is gonna pair up with his
moderate Republicans with what we're
called war Democrats people in the
Democratic Party that believe this war
had to come to a conclusion so they're
gonna guard her up with Abraham Lincoln
and along for the ride we're gonna bring
the Democratic military governor of
Tennessee Andrew Johnson that's right
guys this is a bipartisan ticket there
is a Republican and a Democrat on the
ticket Lincoln doesn't go unopposed
early on we have salmon chase who's
going to go for the nomination he was
Lincoln Secretary of Treasury he in fact
is on the $10,000 bill google it look it
up but he does make an early run for it
but he underestimated Lincoln's kind of
master political manipulation inside the
Republican Party especially in the state
of Ohio where chase was kind of vetting
the nomination on he's going to get
pushed out but don't worry salmon chase
mr.
Lincoln he's always thinking about his
rivals so he's going to put you on the
Supreme Court so the National Union
Party is gonna have a platform that has
in it unconditional surrender no
questions brother they're gonna want
something like the 13th amendment to
abolish slavery they're gonna want to
aid veterans of course that always does
very well in elections they're gonna
want something in terms of a
Transcontinental Railroad remember these
guys believe in infrastructure they
believe in immigration they believe in
the Monroe Doctrine and they're also
praising Lincoln's running of the war
including him using black troops as part
of that method so we have not the
Republican Party but the National Unity
Party and they're gonna go up against
the Democrats want to talk about a
fractured party let's look at those
times so just like the Republicans the
Democrats have their own divisions
within their party they have basically
factions that are called war Democrats
they want to finish this war some of
them are called moderate peace Democrats
kind of want to finish the war but
negotiate a peace and then we have hard
core peace Democrats who just want to
end the war they were called copperheads
and they were led by a politician by the
name of Thomas Seymour but there's
enough war Democrats in the party that
they're gonna be able to convince the
Democrats to go with a war Democratic
nominee in General George McClellan he's
back Lincoln got rid of them but he
couldn't get rid of them for the
election and they're believing that this
coalition party is going to be able to
beat Abraham Lincoln and they were the
early on favorites to do so in fact
their platform is really gonna be part
of their demise it's a muddled platform
but it has more peace stuff in it than
war stuff in it so when this war turns
around they're gonna have pie on their
face and in fact George McClellan was a
hardcore war Democrat he probably was
more hardcore than Abraham Lincoln
himself but he's running on a peace
platform which is kind of contradictory
and that's going to end up biting him in
the butt at the end of the day but we're
not done we're gonna bring one more
party to the forefront and then we're
gonna destroy it
so the Republican Party has split so bad
that those Radical Republicans believe
that Lincoln isn't the best nominee
they're gonna put forth their own
nominee in a new party called the
radical democracy party they're gonna
put forth the Republican nominee from
1856 John Fremont the former senator
from California
but John Fremont when he takes a look at
that Democratic platform at Pease
platform and he sees what Lincoln is up
against and what happens if Lincoln
loses by September he's gonna drop out
he's gonna give Lincoln a break he's
going to endorse Lincoln and hold that
Republican coalition together and I kind
of see him like a Bernie Sanders right
he's kind of nudging and Hillary Clinton
he wants her to change and then he see
Trump coming along and he goes I don't
think I'm gonna break up the party here
if he doesn't drop out Abraham Lincoln
maybe loses the election of 1864 so
let's put these two guys McClellan and
Lincoln in a blender and see what we
pour out into your glass of work
most Americans think that Abraham
Lincoln was very popular in fact it was
the opposite of course not only does the
southern hemisphere of the United States
hate him but most of the northern part
of the United States isn't his biggest
fan in 1864 as well
we have Gettysburg in 1863 but when
Abraham Lincoln in 1863 issued the
Emancipation Proclamation and made the
war about freeing slaves in a sense to
change the aims of the war he also
angered a lot of northern folks when he
calls up in the draft in 1864 five
hundred thousand men there were riots in
New York City people don't want to fight
for this cause and there are losing
battles in 1864 you have the Battle of
Mansfield the Battle of Coldharbour the
Battle of the crater where Confederate
forces whoop us so it's not looking good
Lincoln is looking disorganized he's
being called a tyrant for disabling
habeas corpus for running things the way
that he ran things which a lot of people
including people in his own party
thought were in efficient but then a
couple of things occur in the campaign
which are gonna turn this boat around
for mr. Lincoln one is that Democratic
platform not only does it have the
effect of creating disarray within the
Democratic Party
you have McClellan a war Democrat who
says he's gonna finish the war off when
the platform kind of says the opposite
that we're gonna close up shop so that
doesn't look very good for McClellan
but the bigger concept is that that
peace platform angered Fremont so much
that Fremont dropped out really paving
the way for a Lincoln victory with a
Republican coalition but the big boy is
going to be in September of 1864 you can
thank general Sherman for marching into
it Atlanta and now everybody pretty much
knows that this war is going to come to
a conclusion so Lincoln is now going to
be the favorite to win the election in
fact soldiers that were allowed to vote
75% of them vote for mr. Lincoln so at
the end of the day when we put that big
map up on the board which I love looking
at look at that map we could see Lincoln
and Johnson piling up with 212 electoral
votes now eleven of the Confederate
states didn't cast electoral votes
there's only 25 states but Lincoln's
going to capture 55 percent
of the popular vote and he's going to
win the new states which are Nevada West
Virginia and Kansas
McClellan the war Democrat and his vice
president george pendleton who was a
piece democrat get only 21 electoral
votes they only won three states
Kentucky Delaware and New Jersey and at
the end of the day Lincoln is just gonna
whoop them in fact on election night it
was said that Lincoln was sitting at the
War Department reading out loud jokes
from a book of humor which kind of
angered the Secretary of War Edwin
Stanton who kind of stormed out he was a
little upset with Lincoln but who cares
Lincoln won right Lincoln is then going
to be inaugurated and about a month
later of course he's going to be
executed by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's
Theater but that's a whole nother video
what are you gonna do alright guys go
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