Late Prehistoric Agriculture Observations From The Midwest

Download or read book Late Prehistoric Agriculture written by William I. Woods and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 1864 was the last critical year of the Civil War for the Union and perhaps no other event was as critical as Abraham Lincoln's reelection. The United States had never seen an internal crisis of the Civil War's magnitude and some northerners doubted that holding a presidential election in the midst of such internal division was even appropriate. Lincoln, however, recognized that conducting a national election was both symbolic and necessary in a war that tested whether a "nation, conceived in liberty" could "long endure." Indeed, Lincoln's election as president in 1860 had been the initial spark for secession and his belief that breaking up the nation simply because a presidential election did not turn out the way a particular state desired was "the essence of anarchy." So, the 1864 election came and the fate of the nation potentially hung in the balance. Nineteenth-century elections were not like those today. Few politicians actively campaigned for themselves and instead "stood" for office, letting others speak for them. Thus, Lincoln did not stump much in the summer or fall of 1864 and left such duties to other Republicans. However, the reelection campaign influenced almost every aspect of the presidency, including the conduct of the war. Whatever issue Lincoln confronted, he always had an eye toward how it would affect his chances in November. This collection of letters to and by Lincoln illuminates the various aspects of his administration and how they influenced, or were influenced by, the election process.