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This is the original version of the page. The current page is a biased, less detail account of the election. This version is more detailed and better organized.
Undid revision 282856387 by 71.64.141.62 (talk) edits remove source content and introduces inaccuracies
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| next_year = 1868
| next_year = 1868
| election_date = November 8, 1864
| election_date = November 8, 1864
| image1 = [[File:Abraham Lincoln head on shoulders photo portrait.jpg|160px]]
| image1 = [[File:Republican presidential ticket 1864b.jpg|160px]]
| nominee1 = [[Abraham Lincoln]]
| nominee1 = [[Abraham Lincoln]]
| party1 = National Union Party (United States)
| party1 = National Union Party (United States)
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| popular_vote1 = 2,218,388
| popular_vote1 = 2,218,388
| percentage1 = 55.0%
| percentage1 = 55.0%
| image2 = [[File:GeorgeMcClellan.jpeg|168px]]
| image2 = [[File:Democratic presidential ticket 1864b.jpg|160px]]
| nominee2 = [[George B. McClellan]]
| nominee2 = [[George B. McClellan]]
| party2 = Democratic Party (United States)
| party2 = Democratic Party (United States)
| home_state2 = [[Pennsylvania]]<ref>[http://www.nps.gov/anti/historyculture/gbmcclellan.htm George B. McClellan Biography] from the [[National Park Service]]</ref>
| home_state2 = [[New Jersey]]
| running_mate2 = [[George Hunt Pendleton]]
| running_mate2 = [[George Hunt Pendleton]]
| electoral_vote2 = 21
| electoral_vote2 = 21
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}}
}}


In the '''United States Presidential election of 1864''', [[Abraham Lincoln]] was re-elected as president. Lincoln ran under the [[National Union Party (United States)|National Union]] banner against his former top Civil War general, the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] candidate, [[George B. McClellan]]. McClellan was the "peace candidate" but did not personally believe in his party's platform.
In the '''United States Presidential election of 1864''', [[Abraham Lincoln]] was re-elected as president. Lincoln ran under the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] banner against his former top Civil War general, the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] candidate, [[George B. McClellan]], and the [[Radical Republican (USA)|Radical Republican Party]] candidate, [[John C. Frémont]]. McClellan was the "peace candidate" but did not personally believe in his party's platform. Frémont abandoned his political campaign in September 1864, after he brokered a political deal in which Lincoln removed [[United States Postmaster General]] [[Montgomery Blair]] from office.


The election of 1864 was conducted during the [[United States Civil War|Civil War]], and as such, none of the states controlled by governments loyal to the [[Confederate States of America]] participated. This was the first time any nation held a national election in the midst of a civil war.
The election of 1864 was conducted during the [[United States Civil War|Civil War]], and as such, none of the states controlled by governments loyal to the [[Confederate States of America]] participated. This was the first time any nation held a national election in the midst of a civil war.{{Fact|date=March 2009}}


Republicans across the country were jittery during the summer of 1864. Confederate forces had triumphed at the [[Battle of Mansfield]] and the [[Battle of the Crater]]. In addition, the war was continuing to take a very high toll. The prospect of a long, never-ending war started to make the "negotiated peace" offered by the Democrats look more desirable. But then the Democrats had to confront the severe internal strains within their party at the [[1864 Democratic National Convention|Democratic National Convention]]. Finally, with [[William Tecumseh Sherman]] marching inexorably toward [[Atlanta]] and [[Ulysses S. Grant]] pushing Lee into the outer defenses of [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]], it became increasingly obvious that a Union military victory was inevitable and close at hand.
⚫
Republicans loyal to Lincoln, in opposition to a group of Republican dissidents who nominated [[John C. Frémont]], joined with a number of War Democrats to form the [[National Union Party (United States)|National Union Party]]. The new political party was formed to accommodate the War Democrats. Thus, for a brief period, the Republican Party ceased to exist.<ref>[[The American Pageant]]</ref>


⚫
The Lincoln/Johnson ticket ran with the slogan “Don't change horses in the middle of a stream.” Republicans loyal to Lincoln, in opposition to a group of Republican dissidents who nominated [[John C. Frémont]], joined with a number of Democrats to form the [[National Union Party (United States)|National Union Party]], to appeal to War Democrats; the new name vanished after the election. Johnson, however, never became a Republican.
⚫
On November 8, Lincoln won by over 400,000 popular votes and easily clinched an electoral majority. Several states allowed their citizens serving as soldiers in the field to cast ballots, a first in United States history. Soldiers in the [[Union Army|Army]] gave Lincoln more than 70% of their vote.


⚫
The Republican/Union party made an all-out effort to depict the Democrats in the worst way possible. They ridiculed McClellan for his pacifist platform and denounced Democrats as traitorous [[Copperheads (politics)|Copperheads]]. On November 8, Lincoln won by over 400,000 popular votes and easily clinched an electoral majority. Several states allowed their citizens serving as soldiers in the field to cast ballots, a first in United States history. Soldiers in the [[Union Army|Army]] gave Lincoln more than 70% of their vote.{{Fact|date=March 2009}}
⚫
== Nominations ==
⚫
=== National Union Party nomination ===
National Union candidate
*[[Abraham Lincoln]], President of the United States from [[Illinois]]


⚫
==Nominations==
====Candidates gallery====
⚫
=== "National Union Party" nomination===
<gallery perrow="1">
Abraham Lincoln was nominated by the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], which was renamed the [[National Union Party (United States)|"National Union Party”]] for the 1864 election. Lincoln's nomination was not unanimous, however, as 22 disgruntled opponents of Lincoln voted for [[Ulysses S. Grant]], who was not a candidate. Seeing an opportunity to work with the [[War Democrats]] under the Union banner, the convention nominated Military-Governor [[Andrew Johnson]] of Tennessee, a War Democrat, as Lincoln's running mate over incumbent Vice President [[Hannibal Hamlin]] and three other War Democrats - former New York Senator [[Daniel S. Dickinson]], Buchanan cabinet member [[Joseph Holt]] and General [[Benjamin Franklin Butler (politician)|Ben Butler]].
Image:Abraham Lincoln head on shoulders photo portrait.jpg|[[POTUS|President]] '''[[Abraham Lincoln]]''' of [[Illinois]]
</gallery>

[[Image:Republican presidential ticket 1864b.jpg|thumb|325px|Lincoln/Johnson campaign poster]]
Before the election, the [[War Democrats]] joined the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] to form the [[National Union Party (United States)|National Union Party]].<ref>[[World Book]]</ref> With the outcome of the Civil War still in doubt, some political leaders, including [[Salmon Chase]], [[Benjamin Wade]], and [[Horace Greeley]], opposed Lincoln's renomination on the ground that he could not win. But Lincoln was still popular with his supporters and the National Union Party nominated Lincoln for a second term as president.<ref>[[The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents]]</ref>

Lincoln, dissatisfied with [[Radical Republican]] Vice President [[Hannibal Hamlin]], had the convention nominate Military-Governor [[Andrew Johnson]] of Tennessee, a War Democrat, as his running mate. Johnson was ideally suited to run as a vice presidential candidate with Lincoln in 1864. He had strongly supported the Union, he was a Southerner, and he was a leading member of the War Democrats.<ref>[[World Book]]</ref> Andrew Johnson was nominated over three other War Democrats - former New York Senator [[Daniel S. Dickinson]], Buchanan cabinet member [[Joseph Holt]], and General [[Benjamin Franklin Butler (politician)|Ben Butler]].


{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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!Ballot !!1st Before Shifts!! 1st After Shifts
!Ballot !!1st Before Shifts!! 1st After Shifts
|-
|-
![[Abraham Lincoln]] !!494!! 516
![[Abraham Lincoln]] !!484!! 506
|-
|-
![[Ulysses S. Grant]] !!22!! 0
![[Ulysses S. Grant]] !!22!! 0
|-
!Not Voting !!3!! 3
|}
|}

Source: [http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=57953 US President - R Convention]. ''[http://www.ourcampaigns.com Our Campaigns]''. (April 2, 2009).<br>


{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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!Ballot !!1st !! 2nd
!Ballot !!1st !! 2nd
|-
|-
![[Andrew Johnson]] !!200!! 492
![[Andrew Johnson]] !!200!! 494
|-
|-
![[Hannibal Hamlin]] !!150!! 9
![[Hannibal Hamlin]] !!150!! 9
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![[David Tod]] !!1!! 1
![[David Tod]] !!1!! 1
|}
|}
Source: [http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=60687 US Vice President - R Convention]. ''[http://www.ourcampaigns.com Our Campaigns]''. (April 2, 2009).<br>

⚫
=== Democratic Party nomination ===

Democratic candidates

⚫
* [[George B. McClellan]], Army major general from [[New Jersey]]
⚫
* [[Thomas H. Seymour]], former U.S. representative from [[Connecticut]]

====Candidates gallery====
<gallery perrow="4">
Image:GeorgeMcClellan.jpeg|[[General (United States)|General]] '''[[George B. McClellan]]''' of [[New Jersey]]
Image:ThomasHartSeymour.jpg|[[United States House of Representatives|Former Congressman]] '''[[Thomas H. Seymour]]''' of [[Connecticut]]
</gallery>


⚫
===Democratic Party nomination===
[[Image:Democratic presidential ticket 1864b.jpg|thumb|325px|McClellan/Pendleton campaign poster]]
⚫
*[[George B. McClellan]], Army major general from [[New Jersey]]
The [[History of the United States Democratic Party|Democratic Party]] was bitterly split between the War Democrats and the Peace Democrats. Also making matters complicated were the factions that existed among the Peace Democrats. Moderate [[Peace Democrats]] who supported the war against the Confederacy, such as [[Horatio Seymour]], were preaching the wisdom of a negotiated peace. After Gettysburg, when it was clear the South could no longer win the war, moderate Peace Democrats proposed a negotiated peace that would secure Union victory. They believed this was the best course of action because an armistice could finish the war without finishing the South.<ref>[[They Also Ran]]</ref> Radical Peace Democrats known as [[Copperheads]], such as [[Thomas H. Seymour]], declared the war to be a failure and favored an immediate end to hostilities without securing Union victory.<ref>[[The American Pageant]]</ref>
⚫
*[[Thomas H. Seymour]], former U.S. representative from [[Connecticut]]
*[[Horatio Seymour]], [[Governor of New York]] and candidate for the 1860 nomination
*[[Charles O'Conor]], lawyer from [[New York]]


Since the Democrats were divided by issues of war and peace, they sought a strong candidate who could unify the party. The compromise was to nominate pro-war General [[George B. McClellan]] for president and anti-war Representative [[George H. Pendleton]] for vice president. McClellan, a War Democrat, was nominated over [[Thomas H. Seymour]], a Copperhead. The convention then adopted a peace platform<ref>[http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29578 1864 Democratic Platform]</ref> — a platform McClellan personally rejected.<ref name=Ohio>{{cite web |url=http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=258 |title=George B. McClellan |publisher=Ohio History Central |accessdate=2007-03-06}}</ref> McClellan supported the continuation of the war and restoration of the Union, but the party platform, written by Copperhead [[Clement Vallandigham]], was opposed to this position.
The [[History of the United States Democratic Party|Democratic Party]] was bitterly split between the War Democrats and the anti-war Copperheads. The compromise was to nominate pro-war General [[George B. McClellan]] along with an anti-war platform. McClellan defeated [[Horatio Seymour]] and others for the nomination; he and ticketmate [[George H. Pendleton]] were nominated on a peace platform<ref>[http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29578 1864 Democratic Platform]</ref> — a platform McClellan personally rejected.<ref name=Ohio>{{cite web |url=http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=258 |title=George B. McClellan |publisher=Ohio History Central |accessdate=2007-03-06}}</ref>


{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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|}
|}


== General election ==
==General election==
The 1864 election was the first time since 1812 that a presidential election took place during a war. For much of 1864, Lincoln himself believed he had little chance of being re-elected. Early on, McClellan was thought to be a heavy favorite to win the election. But McClellan's chances of victory faded after Union victories in [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] and [[Virginia]], followed by the negotiated withdrawal of [[John C. Frémont]]'s Radical Republican Party candidacy.
[[Image:1864 US election poster.jpg|thumb|right|National Union Party poster for Pennsylvania in 1864]]
The 1864 election was the first time since 1812 that a presidential election took place during a war. For much of 1864, Lincoln himself believed he had little chance of being re-elected. Confederate forces had triumphed at the [[Battle of Mansfield]], the [[Battle of the Crater]], and the [[Battle of Cold Harbor]]. In addition, the war was continuing to take a very high toll. The prospect of a long and bloody war started to make the idea of "peace at all cost" offered by the [[Copperheads (politics)|Copperheads]] look more desirable. Because of this, McClellan was thought to be a heavy favorite to win the election.


A foretaste of the national election came in the state elections held in the months prior to the presidential election. In these six state elections ([[Oregon]] on 6/5, [[Vermont]] on 9/6, [[Maine]] on 9/11, [[Ohio]] and [[Pennsylvania]] on 10/10, and [[West Virginia]] on 10/26), the Union Republican Party won a sweeping victory. These six states elected 44 Union Republicans in U.S. House races, compared to just 10 Democrats, for a net gain of 18 seats for the Union Republicans. The stage had been set for Lincoln.
However, several political and military events made Lincoln's re-election inevitable. First, the Democrats had to confront the severe internal strains within their party at the [[1864 Democratic National Convention|Democratic National Convention]]. The political compromises made at the Democratic National Convention were contradicting and made McClellan's campaign inconsistent and difficult. Finally, with [[William Tecumseh Sherman]] marching inexorably toward [[Atlanta]] and [[Ulysses S. Grant]] pushing Lee into the outer defenses of [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]], it became increasingly obvious that a Union military victory was inevitable and close at hand. The Lincoln/Johnson ticket ran with the slogan “Don't change horses in the middle of a stream.” McClellan's chances of victory faded even more after [[John C. Frémont]]'s withdrew from the presidential race as the Radical Republican Party candidate. Frémont abandoned his political campaign in September 1864, after he brokered a political deal in which Lincoln removed U.S. Postmaster General [[Montgomery Blair]] from office.


===Results===
===Results===

Revision as of 03:49, 10 April 2009

United States presidential election, 1864
← 1860 November 8, 1864 1868 →
 
Nominee Abraham Lincoln George B. McClellan
Party National Union Democratic
Home state Illinois Pennsylvania[1]
Running mate Andrew Johnson George Hunt Pendleton
Electoral vote 212 21
States carried 22 3
Popular vote 2,218,388 1,812,807
Percentage 55.0% 45.0%
Presidential election results map. Red denotes states won by Lincoln/Johnson, blue denotes those won by McClellan/Pendleton, and brown denotes Confederate States. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state.
President before election

Abraham Lincoln
Republican

Elected President

Abraham Lincoln
National Union

In the United States Presidential election of 1864, Abraham Lincoln was re-elected as president. Lincoln ran under the Republican banner against his former top Civil War general, the Democratic candidate, George B. McClellan, and the Radical Republican Party candidate, John C. Frémont. McClellan was the "peace candidate" but did not personally believe in his party's platform. Frémont abandoned his political campaign in September 1864, after he brokered a political deal in which Lincoln removed United States Postmaster General Montgomery Blair from office.

The election of 1864 was conducted during the Civil War, and as such, none of the states controlled by governments loyal to the Confederate States of America participated. This was the first time any nation held a national election in the midst of a civil war.[citation needed]

Republicans across the country were jittery during the summer of 1864. Confederate forces had triumphed at the Battle of Mansfield and the Battle of the Crater. In addition, the war was continuing to take a very high toll. The prospect of a long, never-ending war started to make the "negotiated peace" offered by the Democrats look more desirable. But then the Democrats had to confront the severe internal strains within their party at the Democratic National Convention. Finally, with William Tecumseh Sherman marching inexorably toward Atlanta and Ulysses S. Grant pushing Lee into the outer defenses of Richmond, it became increasingly obvious that a Union military victory was inevitable and close at hand.

The Lincoln/Johnson ticket ran with the slogan “Don't change horses in the middle of a stream.” Republicans loyal to Lincoln, in opposition to a group of Republican dissidents who nominated John C. Frémont, joined with a number of Democrats to form the National Union Party, to appeal to War Democrats; the new name vanished after the election. Johnson, however, never became a Republican.

The Republican/Union party made an all-out effort to depict the Democrats in the worst way possible. They ridiculed McClellan for his pacifist platform and denounced Democrats as traitorous Copperheads. On November 8, Lincoln won by over 400,000 popular votes and easily clinched an electoral majority. Several states allowed their citizens serving as soldiers in the field to cast ballots, a first in United States history. Soldiers in the Army gave Lincoln more than 70% of their vote.[citation needed]

Nominations

"National Union Party" nomination

Abraham Lincoln was nominated by the Republican Party, which was renamed the "National Union Party” for the 1864 election. Lincoln's nomination was not unanimous, however, as 22 disgruntled opponents of Lincoln voted for Ulysses S. Grant, who was not a candidate. Seeing an opportunity to work with the War Democrats under the Union banner, the convention nominated Military-Governor Andrew Johnson of Tennessee, a War Democrat, as Lincoln's running mate over incumbent Vice President Hannibal Hamlin and three other War Democrats - former New York Senator Daniel S. Dickinson, Buchanan cabinet member Joseph Holt and General Ben Butler.

Presidential Ballot
Ballot 1st Before Shifts 1st After Shifts
Abraham Lincoln 484 506
Ulysses S. Grant 22 0
Vice Presidential Ballot
Ballot 1st 2nd
Andrew Johnson 200 494
Hannibal Hamlin 150 9
Daniel Dickinson 108 17
Benjamin Butler 28 0
Lovell Rousseau 21 0
Schuyler Colfax 6 0
Ambrose Burnside 2 0
Joseph Holt 2 0
Preston King 1 0
David Tod 1 1

Democratic Party nomination

The Democratic Party was bitterly split between the War Democrats and the anti-war Copperheads. The compromise was to nominate pro-war General George B. McClellan along with an anti-war platform. McClellan defeated Horatio Seymour and others for the nomination; he and ticketmate George H. Pendleton were nominated on a peace platform[2] — a platform McClellan personally rejected.[3]

Presidential Ballot
Ballot 1st Before Shifts 1st After Shifts
George B. McClellan 174 202.5
Thomas H. Seymour 38 23.5
Horatio Seymour 12 0
Abstaining 1.5 0
Charles O'Conor 0.5 0
Vice Presidential Ballot
Ballot 1st Before Shifts 1st After Shifts
George H. Pendleton 55.5 226
James Guthrie 65.5 0
Lazarus W. Powell 32.5 0
George W. Cass 26 0
John D. Caton 16 0
Daniel W. Voorhees 13 0
Augustus C. Dodge 9 0
John S. Phelps 8 0
Abstaining 0.5 0

General election

The 1864 election was the first time since 1812 that a presidential election took place during a war. For much of 1864, Lincoln himself believed he had little chance of being re-elected. Early on, McClellan was thought to be a heavy favorite to win the election. But McClellan's chances of victory faded after Union victories in Georgia and Virginia, followed by the negotiated withdrawal of John C. Frémont's Radical Republican Party candidacy.

A foretaste of the national election came in the state elections held in the months prior to the presidential election. In these six state elections (Oregon on 6/5, Vermont on 9/6, Maine on 9/11, Ohio and Pennsylvania on 10/10, and West Virginia on 10/26), the Union Republican Party won a sweeping victory. These six states elected 44 Union Republicans in U.S. House races, compared to just 10 Democrats, for a net gain of 18 seats for the Union Republicans. The stage had been set for Lincoln.

Results

Only 24[citation needed] states participated, because 11 had seceded from the Union and claimed to have formed their own nation: the Confederate States of America (CSA). Three new states participated for the first time: Nevada, West Virginia, and Kansas. The reconstructed portions of Tennessee and Louisiana elected presidential Electors, although Congress did not count their votes.

Electoral results
Presidential candidate Party Home state Popular vote(a) Electoral
vote(a), (b) 		Running mate
Count Percentage Vice-presidential candidate Home state Electoral vote(a), (b)
Abraham Lincoln National Union(c) Illinois 2,218,388 55.0% 212 Andrew Johnson(c) Tennessee 212
George Brinton McClellan Democratic New Jersey 1,812,807 45.0% 21 George Hunt Pendleton Ohio 21
Other 692 0.0% — Other —
Total 4,031,887 100% 233 233
Needed to win 117 117

Source (Popular Vote): Leip, David. "1864 Presidential Election Results". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved July 27, 2005. Source (Electoral Vote): "Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved July 31, 2005.

(a) The states in rebellion did not participate in the election of 1864.
(b) One Elector from Nevada did not vote
(c) Andrew Johnson had been a Democrat, and after 1869 was a Democrat. The Republican Party called itself the National Union Party to accommodate the War Democrats in this election.

Close states

Red font color denotes states won by Republican Abraham Lincoln; blue denotes those won by Democrat George B. McClellan.

States where the margin of victory was under 5% (68 electoral votes)

  1. New York 0.92%
  2. Connecticut 2.76%
  3. Pennsylvania 3.51%
  4. Delaware 3.62%

States where the margin of victory was between 5% and 10% (52 electoral votes)

  1. New Hampshire 5.12%
  2. New Jersey 5.67%
  3. Indiana 7.19%
  4. Michigan 7.20%
  5. Oregon 7.80%
  6. Illinois 8.84%

See also

References

  • Leip, Dave. "1864 Presidential Election - Home States". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved January 11 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  • Harold M. Dudley. "The Election of 1864," Mississippi Valley Historical Review, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Mar., 1932), pp. 500-518 full text in JSTOR
  • David E. Long. Jewel of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln's Re-election and the End of Slavery (1994)
  • Merrill, Louis Taylor. "General Benjamin F. Butler in the Presidential Campaign of 1864." Mississippi Valley Historical Review 33 (March 1947): 537-70 full text in JSTOR
  • Nelson, Larry E. Bullets, Ballots, and Rhetoric: Confederate Policy for the United States Presidential Contest of 1864 University of Alabama Press, 1980.
  • Nevins, Allan. Ordeal of the Union: The War for the Union vol 8 (1971)
  • Randall, James G. and Richard N. Current. Lincoln the President: Last Full Measure. Vol. 4 of Lincoln the President. 1955.
  • Vorenberg, Michael. "'The Deformed Child': Slavery and the Election of 1864" Civil War History 2001 47(3): 240-257. ISSN 0009-8078 full text in JSTOR
  • Jack Waugh Reelecting Lincoln: The Battle for the 1864 Presidency (1998), a popular study
  • White, Jonathan W. "Canvassing the Troops: the Federal Government and the Soldiers' Right to Vote" Civil War History 2004 50(3): 291-317. ISSN 0009-8078

Notes

  1. ^ George B. McClellan Biography from the National Park Service
  2. ^ 1864 Democratic Platform
  3. ^ "George B. McClellan". Ohio History Central. Retrieved 2007-03-06.

External links

Navigation

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