Posted on 05/22/2010 2:31:12 PM PDT by AlanD
Lincoln has often been portrayed as gaining the White House largely because of the disarray of the opposition party in the general election. Closer examination reveals that his meteoric rise from prairie lawyer to chief executive came as the result of an extraordinary work ethic, canny allegiance building over three decades, and a political team not afraid of a little skullduggery.
“Make no contracts that bind me,” Lincoln wired his supporters. But Davis ignored him, telling his team that “Lincoln ain’t here and don’t know what we have to meet. So we will go ahead as if we hadn’t heard from him and he must ratify it.”
Using his contacts as a railroad lawyer, Judd convinced clients to discount fares into town—triggering an onrush of locals eager to cheer Lincoln’s progress.
He arranged for the printing of counterfeit ducats and quietly distributed them to Lincoln loyalists along with an appeal to show up early. While Seward supporters paraded through the streets, Lincoln enthusiasts surged into the hall—“men of good lungs” ready to roar for their man. Startled and then angry Seward supporters with official tickets found themselves turned away in droves. Seward’s name went into nomination that day to the expected “deafening shout.”
The Ohio delegation chairman, David Kellogg Cartter, broke the logjam by rising dramatically—moments after someone from the Lincoln camp reportedly promised him “anything he wants”—to switch four votes to the man from Illinois.
Geography and biography, packed galleries and lung power, bare-knuckle politics and deal making, and above all the brilliant strategy of casting Lincoln as everyone’s second choice, triumphed in Chicago. Electability trumped inevitability, and a paradigm shifted. With rival Democrats hopelessly split, delegates to that convention 150 years ago not only chose a candidate—they picked the next president.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanheritage.com ...
“his meteoric rise from prairie lawyer to chief executive “
The first lie is that Lincoln was just a humble man born in a log cabin. He was far from it. He was known as perhaps the top lawyer in the Midwest and had argued before the US Supreme Court and the Illinois Supreme Court many times. He was a tough negotiator and no one of the time thought of him as some backward ass humble county bumpkin.
He was in bed with the railroads which were the big startup companies of the day. Far from humble.
“The truth of the matter is that the South wanted to be left alone so that is could extend it’s slave territories to the South . . specifically, Nicaragua, Cuba, and Mexico. The South knew that the North would never allow that to happen, so that secession was necessary.”
You’re more full of poop than a Christmas goose.
Abraham Lincoln...for when it’s too old to blame on Bush.
The Republican Party wasn’t on the ballot in the Southern states in either 1856 or 1860.
He did appoint Edwin Stanton, who was a Democrat who bitterly opposed Lincoln’s election in 1860 (and had been in Buchanan’s Cabinet).
The whole Civil War was fought over the South’s desire for expansion of slavery . If you don’t know that, then you really haven’t a clue.
There was nowhere to expand slavery economically in the continental United States. The South definitely wanted to get Mexico and Cuba, where slavery was already in place.
You don’t seem to understand but the Confederate Leaders thought slavery was a GOOD thing and that it should be expanded.
Stanton was not appointed to Lincoln’s original cabinet.
10 months later.
Stanton replaced Simon Cameron, Lincoln’s corrupt and incompetent Secretary of War.
Cameron had been given the Cabinet position as payment for his support of Lincoln at the Republican Convention in Chicago.
The first thing I thought of when I saw that was "boy, that's the one question that can start an epic flame war on FR."
You need to keep your Douglas' straight. Stephen Douglas had one 's' in his name. Frederick Douglass had two. Confusing the two men would no doubt have enraged the white one.
Regardless, Stephen Douglas was the first candidate ever to campaign nationwide for the presidency.
Lincoln stayed in Illinois and referred all questioners to refer to the Republican Party Platform. No wonder Southerners felt that Lincoln had nothing but contempt for them!
John Breckenridge did not visit any of the Northern states. I suppose that's because he had nothing but contempt for them? Come to think of it he didn't visit any of the Southern states either. Breckenridge's contempt must have been nationwide.
Of course it is.
Lincoln was opposed by 61 percent of the electorate but didn’t have the decency to appoint one person who didn’t vote for him in the election.
Maybe because by the time he was inaugurated they were all off rebelling?
Besides you're wrong in that. Lincoln's cabinet included Montgomery Blair, who's family were prominent Maryland Democrats.
Not at all.
? I guess I haven’t been giving you any attention and you’re feeling neglected. Southern manners do NOT apply to trolls and Obots like AlanB.
Charming as ever, I see.
I've read quite a few of Lincoln's letters. Which ones did you have in mind?
Oh barf.
The War of 1861 was not a civil war since the South had no interest in taking over the North...
It would more properly be classified as a rebellion.
...they just wanted to be left alone.
Then they shouldn't have attacked the federal garrison in Sumter, should they?
I may have to adopt that as a tagline.
Illinois Supreme Court, yes. U.S. Supreme Court, never. Lincoln was a successful lawyer in Illinois, but few would have called him 'the top lawyer in the Midwest'. Especially rivals like Chase or Bates or Stanton. Stanton in particular had no respect for Lincoln or his abilities, until he worked for him as Secretary of War.
Any respect I might have had for Harry Jaffa as a historian just went out the window . . .
“Besides you’re wrong in that. Lincoln’s cabinet included Montgomery Blair, who’s family were prominent Maryland Democrats.”
Montgomery Blair actively campaigned for Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 election, for which he was given the Postmaster General position.
You are entitled to your opinions, but you are not entitled to make up “facts”.
As you might guess, I have a lot more respect for Stephen Douglas than I do for either Lincoln or Breckenridge.
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