Laying the Groundwork and the 1860 Campaign

Lincoln often seemed ambivalent about running for president, and even told friends he thought he was more suited to be a US Senator. While he voiced his concerns over his qualifications to be president--concerns that many others shared, no doubt--at the same time he took resolute steps to keep his name in contention for the Republican Party nomination.

I. 1859-1860

A. The Debate Aftermath--the Lincoln-Douglas debates were closely followed in Illinois, of course, but the debates were news across the country, as well, because this unknown prairie politician ran such a competitive race against the leading Democratic Party contender for the presidency in 1860.

1. Publishing the Debates--Lincoln collected the transcripts of the debates--as reported in the Chicago Press and Tribune for himself, and in the Chicago Times for Douglas--in order to publish them in a book. The book was published just before the start of the Republican National Convention in May 1860.

2. Lincoln the Speech Maker--despite protests to friends that he was going to take some time off politics "to fill the coffers," as one of Lincoln's more recent successors put it, by devoting more time to his law practice, Lincoln spent much of his time in 1859 giving political speeches around the country. During this time, Lincoln was able to refine his attack on Douglas' idea of popular sovereignty.


B. The Cooper Union Address--given in New York City in February 1860.

1. Invitation to speak--Lincoln was invited initially to speak at the Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, home to one of the most famous religious ministers in the country at the time, Henry Ward Beecher. Sponsorship of the event quickly shifted to the Young Men's Central Republican Union, led by youngsters like 65 year old William Cullen Bryant and 49 year old Horace Greeley.

2. Lincoln the Rube--Despite spending about $100 (about $2300 in today's money) on a new suit, his clothing still appeared ill-fitting, and he moved awkwardly on the stage; in the eyes of his sophisticated audience, he had every appearance of a western rube.

3. The Speech--despite his appearance, and Lincoln's high-pitched, nasally voice, when the words started tumbling out of this mouth, it became apparent that Lincoln was sophisticated thinker.

a. Lincoln was not informed of the change in venue until his arrival in New York, and had to spend some of his time revising his speech for a more general audience, rather than the religious one he initially expected to address.

b. Lincoln unleashed his most devastating critique of Douglas'"popular sovereignty" proposal, demonstrating that, in fact, a majority of the Founding Fathers had agreed on limiting the growth of slavery--and that the anti-slavery Republican Party was therefore more closely aligned with the conservative spirit of the Constitution than was the pro-slavery Democratic Party.

c. John Brown--While Lincoln condemned the actions of Brown and his cohorts at Harper's Ferry, he empathized with Brown's hatred of slavery. Lincoln also pointed out that a Congressional investigation, led by southern Congressmen, failed to turn up any evidence linking Brown with northern Republicans.

d. Southern secession threats--Lincoln compared Southern threats to secede to a highwayman holding a gun to one's head, threatening to shoot, and then claiming you wold be the murderer.

e. Lincoln charted a middle ground for the Republican party, tacking neither to the pro-slavery side nor to the abolitionist side.

4. The Aftermath of the Cooper Union Address--catapulted Lincoln into contention for the Republican Party nomination.

II. The 1860 Election

A. The Republican Candidates


1. William Henry Seward--member of the US Senate, former governor of New York. Reliably anti-slavery, and a former Whig. Seen at the time as farther left of Lincoln on the slavery question, largely as a result of his statement that slavery was subject to a "higher law" then the US judiciary, and the slavery would be the cause of an "irrepressible conflict"between the North and South. Seward was believed to be the candidate most likely to benefit from a split in the Democratic Party. Seward's greatest liability was his hostility to nativism, which alienated the sizable Know-Nothing wing of the party, and his belief in free trade, which made him unpopular in Pennsylvania, with its developing steel industry.

2. Salmon P. Chase--member of the US House of Representatives, and former governor of the state of Ohio. Chase was the most stridently anti-slavery of the leading candidates, but lacked the political adroitness and personal magnetism of either Seward or Lincoln.

3. Simon Cameron--favorite son candidate of Pennsylvania, because of this stand on the tariff issue. Largely unknown outside of Pennsylvania, and those who did know him suspected him of malfeasance, and therefore did not trust him.

4. Edward Bates--conservative, free-soil Whig backed by Horace Greeley and his New York Tribune; Bates alienated the foreign (German) element within the party, who threatened to bolt if he was nominated.


5. Benjamin Wade--more of a minor candidate, but important because he prevented Chase from being a favorite son candidate in Ohio; Lincoln's status as a favorite son candidate helped him secure the nomination.

6. John C. Fremont, William L. Dayton, and Cassius M. Clay

7. Abraham Lincoln--less well-known than the other candidates, Lincoln spent much of the early part of 1860 maneuvering behind the scenes, making broader connections around the country, working his way into becoming the first second choice among the candidates.

B. Gaining the Republican Nomination

1. The Illinois Republican State Convention--met in Decatur. Lincoln's friends--whose sole bond was their devotion to Lincoln, because they often despised each other, were able to pass a resolution declaring Lincoln their candidate of choice, and pledging all delegates to vote for him


2. Norman B. Judd--had helped to defeat Lincoln's bid for the US Senate in 1854, but remained on good terms with Lincoln. Judd was a member of the Republican National Committee, and nominated the city of Chicago as the site for the 1860 Republican Convention--and cast the deciding vote on that nomination, as well.


3. Thurlow Weed--the pioneering political operative, who the Lincoln team had to overcome--and were successful in doing so.


4. The Chicago Convention--held in The Wigwam, and enormous temporary structure, Lincoln's team was able to use this site to combat the political skills of Seward/Weed--from special trains to transport large enthusiastic pro-Lincoln supporters into town, to printing duplicate tickets for locals to gain access of the interior of the Wigwam at the expense of the Seward crowd.

5. The First Second Choice--the Lincoln Team proved adept at proving their man as the best second choice among all of the candidates; when it became apparent that many of the minor candidates were not going to win the election, they were willing to throw support to Lincoln's candidacy.


a. As part of the strategy, David Davis decided to withhold some of Lincoln's support, so that during the second balloting, it would look like Lincoln was gaining support. This strategy made Lincoln the winner on the third ballot.

C. Lincoln the Nominee--after the nominating committee traveled to Springfield from Chicago to give Lincoln the new. From that point forward, it was Lincoln's job to utter as little as possible until after the elections was over.