Northern Democratic Party
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Northern Democratic Party | |
---|---|
Historical leaders | (War Democrats)
(Copperheads) |
Founded | 1860 |
Dissolved | 1868 |
Faction | Elections |
The Northern Democratic Party was a leg of the Democratic Party during the 1860 presidential election, when the party split in two factions because of disagreements over slavery. They held two conventions before the election, in Charleston and Baltimore, where they established their platform.[1] Democratic Candidate Stephen A. Douglas was the nominee and lost to Republican Candidate Abraham Lincoln, whose victory prompted the secession of 11 Southern states and the formation of the Confederate States of America.
History
Sectional confrontations escalated during the 1850s, the Democratic Party split between
- As a national political leader Pierce was an accident. He was honest and tenacious of his views but, as he made up his mind with difficulty and often reversed himself before making a final decision, he gave a general impression of instability. Kind, courteous, generous, he attracted many individuals, but his attempts to satisfy all factions failed and made him many enemies. In carrying out his principles of strict construction he was most in accord with Southerners, who generally had the letter of the law on their side. He failed utterly to realize the depth and the sincerity of Northern feeling against the South and was bewildered at the general flouting of the law and the Constitution, as he described it, by the people of his own New England. At no time did he catch the popular imagination. His inability to cope with the difficult problems that arose early in his administration caused him to lose the respect of great numbers, especially in the North, and his few successes failed to restore public confidence. He was an inexperienced man, suddenly called to assume a tremendous responsibility, who honestly tried to do his best without adequate training or temperamental fitness.[2]
In 1854, Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois—a key Democratic leader in the Senate—pushed the
During the
Partisanship flourished in the North and strengthened the Lincoln Administration as Republicans automatically rallied behind it. After the
Party platform
The Northern Democratic Party declared their support for the policies laid out at the 1856 Democratic convention in Cincinnati. They resolved not to change any of the policies but suggested the additions of resolutions in relation to the nature and extent of the powers of a Territorial Legislature, as well as the powers of Congress over slavery.[11]
- They resolved that the party will obey the decisions of the supreme court on the questions of constitutional law.
- That the United States has a duty to provide protection to all citizens, at home and abroad, whether they are native or foreign.
- That the Democratic party will insure the construction of a railroad to the Pacific coast as soon as possible, to facilitate fast communication between Atlantic and Pacific states,
- That they support the acquisition of Cuba, as long as the terms are agreeably to the United States and Spain.
- That the attempts to defeat the execution of the Fugitive Slave Law, are hostile, undermine the Constitution, and revolutionary in their effect.
- That while Territorial Governments are in existence, the measure of restriction imposed by the Federal Constitution on the power of the Territorial Legislature over the subject of the domestic relations shall be respected and enforced by every branch of the General Government.
Copperheads
In the 1860s, the Copperheads, also known as Peace Democrats,
War Democrats
War Democrats in American politics of the 1860s were members of the
References
- ^ "Abraham Lincoln". The White House. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
- ISBN 9780403096015.
- ^ Robert R. Russel, "The Issues in the Congressional Struggle over the Kansas-Nebraska Bill, 1854." Journal of Southern History 29.2 (1963): 187–210.
- ^ a b "U.S. Senate: The Kansas-Nebraska Act". www.senate.gov.
- ^ "Pierce signs the Kansas-Nebraska Act – AMERICAN HERITAGE". www.americanheritage.com.
- ^ "The Wealthy Activist Who Helped Turn "Bleeding Kansas" Free". Smithsonian.
- ^ William E. Gienapp, The Origins of the Republican Party, 1852–1856 (1987) explores statistically the flow of voters between parties in the 1850s.
- ^ Brownstein, Ronald (22 November 2017). "Where the Republican Party Began" – via American Prospect.
- ^ a b Jennifer L. Weber, Copperheads: The Rise and Fall of Lincoln's Opponents in the North (2006)
- ^ Jack Waugh, Reelecting Lincoln: The Battle for the 1864 Presidency (1998)
- ^ "Northern Democratic Party Platform of 1860". Civilwar.org. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
- OCLC 76960635.
- ^ Jean H. Baker, Affairs of Party: Political Culture of Northern Democrats in the Mid-nineteenth Century (1983) p. 152.