"Just in the Nick of Time:" The Election of 1864
By Jennifer Taggart
University at Buffalo Honors Student
The election of 1864 has been deemed one of the most significant elections in American history. It was between the Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln and Democratic candidate George B. McClellan. This election was held during the height of the Civil War and dealt with many significant issues. The fate of the United States and a verdict on the future of slavery were two of the primary issues that were at stake.
The Presidential race, in addition to the war, was decided in battle. Had the Union not gained key victories in its capture of Atlanta , there is a distinct possibility that Lincoln would not have won the election. During this election, a vast array of events directly affected each other as the nation was suspended in a delicate balance.
Lincoln was reelected, which was greatly a result of the Union army's key victories in the months leading up to the election. Although he only served for a short time before his assassination, Lincoln was able to bear witness the Union army's control of the Confederates and he watched as the emancipation of slaves began to take hold.
The Republicans and the Democrats were the two key parties in politics. For the election, however, the party names and goals were changed to help their chance of success. In 1864, the Republicans became the National Union Party, which opened the party to Democrats, as well as Republicans. The faction even selected a Democrat as Lincoln 's running mate to help the Republican cause. The Democrats, too, had a unique party in 1864. While they kept their name, the Democratic Party branched into two parts, the War Democrats and the Peace Democrats. These two branches differed vastly in the approach they wanted their party to take in ending the war. Due to these opposing viewpoints, McClellan was forced to stand on a party platform with which he did not agree.
In addition to the parties of the election, the issue of miscegenation, or black men with white women, was also quite prevalent. Other key points within the election of 1864 include Lincoln 's Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment. While the issues of the election were immensely important, however, they cannot overshadow the results. For the first time, American citizens were given the opportunity to voice their opinions of slavery. Because a consensus from the nation had never been heard on the issue, the result was entirely unpredictable. In the election of 1864, the people of the United States of America were heard, and the institution of slavery was placed on the road to elimination.
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