Chapter 23: When This Cruel War Is Over
The Confederate Congress elections occurred in 1863, when southern morale was very low. The Davis administration was hated even more because of the political structure; there were no formal political parties and Southerners believed they needed to present a united front against any issue. This was a weakness; in the North, the two-party system allowed different sides to be heard and allowed political activity as there was competition.
The Republicans mobilized war resources, raised tariffs and taxes, created a new financial system, started the process of emancipation, and enacted conscription. The Democrats opposed most of these measures and this opposition allowed the voters could identify who they most agreed with and vote for them. But in the Confederacy, the Davis administration had no way to figure out who supported them.
In the North, most state governors were Republicans and they were bound together in the war effort; in the South, governors had different ideas in mind and stopped the centralization of a war effort since the Confederacy emphasized states' rights and not a national government right.
Also, the Confederate Constitution only allowed a single 6-year term, so Davis didn't have to create a party with followers in order to be re-elected. Everyone who ran against the Davis administration were individuals and had no party to back them up. Thus, it was harder for the administration to actually retaliate against the accusations by opponents.
"Proto-parties" began forming in the Confederacy by 1863. Former Whigs became the major opposition. In both the Confederacy and the Union, there were two factions: those for war and those against.
Lincoln always maintained that secession was illegal and that southern states were still in the Union; his job was to remove all the rebels. Still, it was obvious that southern states had left the Union and formed a new government.
The Wade-Davis bill best showed the difference between the president's and congress's policy. When Lincoln vetoed it, Congress had no way to retaliate, but it showed that there was tension in his administration. His renomination and re-election was not guaranteed, even as people warned that changing power during the war was dangerous to the unity of the Union. The Republican Party had many men who could have won, but in the end, Lincoln was reelected for his second consecutive term, even when Chase ran against him and used Treasury Department patronage. Even with anger at Lincoln's reconstruction policy, he was no match. Most Republicans joined with Lincoln.
The Confederate Congress elections occurred in 1863, when southern morale was very low. The Davis administration was hated even more because of the political structure; there were no formal political parties and Southerners believed they needed to present a united front against any issue. This was a weakness; in the North, the two-party system allowed different sides to be heard and allowed political activity as there was competition.
The Republicans mobilized war resources, raised tariffs and taxes, created a new financial system, started the process of emancipation, and enacted conscription. The Democrats opposed most of these measures and this opposition allowed the voters could identify who they most agreed with and vote for them. But in the Confederacy, the Davis administration had no way to figure out who supported them.
In the North, most state governors were Republicans and they were bound together in the war effort; in the South, governors had different ideas in mind and stopped the centralization of a war effort since the Confederacy emphasized states' rights and not a national government right.Also, the Confederate Constitution only allowed a single 6-year term, so Davis didn't have to create a party with followers in order to be re-elected. Everyone who ran against the Davis administration were individuals and had no party to back them up. Thus, it was harder for the administration to actually retaliate against the accusations by opponents.
"Proto-parties" began forming in the Confederacy by 1863. Former Whigs became the major opposition. In both the Confederacy and the Union, there were two factions: those for war and those against.
Lincoln always maintained that secession was illegal and that southern states were still in the Union; his job was to remove all the rebels. Still, it was obvious that southern states had left the Union and formed a new government.
The Wade-Davis bill best showed the difference between the president's and congress's policy. When Lincoln vetoed it, Congress had no way to retaliate, but it showed that there was tension in his administration. His renomination and re-election was not guaranteed, even as people warned that changing power during the war was dangerous to the unity of the Union. The Republican Party had many men who could have won, but in the end, Lincoln was reelected for his second consecutive term, even when Chase ran against him and used Treasury Department patronage. Even with anger at Lincoln's reconstruction policy, he was no match. Most Republicans joined with Lincoln.
Key Terms:
- Wade-Davis bill: required 50% voters of a state to take a loyalty oath: permitted only non-Confederates to vote for a new state constitution; Lincoln vetoed the bill; showed tension between the President and the Congress during this time.
- Radical Republican: (formed official party in 1866) struggled to extend equal rights to all Americans
- Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction: (1863) president would pardon any southerner who took an oath of loyalty to the Union; accepted the emancipation; a state govt could be reestablished once 10% of its voters in that state took the loyalty oath.
Questions:
- Why did Lincoln reject the Wade-Davis bill?
- The book only mentions that he does it because Congress is assuming that the states were out of the Union and thus, secession was legitimate, but how is that unconstitutional?
Citations:
- McPherson,
James M. "23: When This Cruel War Is Over." In Battle Cry of
Freedom, 689-717. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.
- Accessed March 11, 2015. http://kids-learn.org/middledbqs/carron6/map2.jpg.
- Accessed March 11, 2015. http://www.ushistory.org/us/images/00035719.jpg.
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