- When
- 1860
In one line: an unusual four-way contest between Lincoln (Republican), Douglas (Northern Democratic), Breckinridge (Southern Democratic) and Bell (Constitutional Union), won by Lincoln, with eight banners, an envelope and a cartoon print, two for each candidate.
Context
Four tickets competed. Abraham Lincoln won 180 of 303 electoral votes, John C. Breckinridge 72, John Bell 39 and Stephen A. Douglas 12 (nine from Missouri and three from New Jersey) [1]. The American Presidency Project records the popular vote as Lincoln 1,867,198 (39.8%), Douglas 1,379,434 (29.4%), Breckinridge 854,248 (18.2%) and Bell 591,658 (12.6%) [2]. Douglas thus placed second in the popular vote and fourth in electoral votes.
The result turned on state-by-state electoral votes, not the national popular total: each state's electors went to one ticket, with New Jersey's seven divided four to Lincoln and three to Douglas [1]. Reference works describe the contest as fought over slavery, with the Democratic convention split into northern and southern wings and the Constitutional Union party offering a short pledge to the Constitution, the Union and enforcement of the laws [3]. The objects here are printed banners, a lithograph, an envelope and a cartoon print.
Campaign literature
| Candidate (party) | Objects in the archive |
|---|---|
| Abraham Lincoln (Republican) | 2 |
| Stephen A. Douglas (Northern Democratic) | 2 |
| John C. Breckinridge (Southern Democratic) | 2 |
| John Bell (Constitutional Union) | 2 |
Each candidate has two objects. The number is capped at two because only two items per candidate could be tied to a side with an honest technique tag. The Library of Congress also holds a related print, "The political quadrille", which is not an entry here because the record does not settle which side it served. The "undecided political prize fight" is placed under Breckinridge because the Library describes it as a pro-Breckinridge satire.
Abraham Lincoln (Republican)
- Campaign flag banner, "For President Abram Lincoln. For Vice President Hannibal Hamlin" (H. C. Howard, 1860) (sign-banner, 1860): a cloth banner printed as a 33-star flag with an oval bust of Lincoln in the canton and the ticket lettered across the stripes.
- "The Union must and shall be preserved. For President Abraham Lincoln of Illinois. For Vice President Hannibal Hamlin of Maine" (W. H. Rease, 1860) (print, 1860): a lithograph banner with portraits of Lincoln and Hamlin, the slogan "The Union must and shall be preserved", a draped line reading "Free Speech, Free Homes, Free Territory", and an eagle before flags.
Stephen A. Douglas (Northern Democratic)
- Flag campaign banner for Stephen A. Douglas and Herschel V. Johnson (H. C. Howard, 1860) (sign-banner, 1860): a paper proof of a 33-star flag banner printed in reverse, whose overprinted line describes a full banner with Douglas's portrait and the ticket's names.
- Campaign envelope: Stephen A. Douglas and H. V. Johnson, with "I stand for the rights of the whole people" (S. Raynor, 1860) (object, 1860): a printed envelope with Douglas in a laurel oval under an eagle and crossed flags, and the quoted line "I stand for the rights of the whole people".
John C. Breckinridge (Southern Democratic)
- Proof for a flag campaign banner for John C. Breckinridge and Joseph Lane (H. C. Howard, 1860) (sign-banner, 1860): a paper proof of a 33-star flag banner printed in reverse, whose overprinted line describes a full banner with Breckinridge's portrait and the ticket's names.
- "The undecided political prize fight" (anonymous, 1860) (cartoon, 1860): Douglas and Lincoln box before the White House, Douglas with an Irish second and Lincoln with a kneeling Black man holding a basket of bottles, while Breckinridge thumbs his nose and is cheered toward the house.
John Bell (Constitutional Union)
- Campaign flag banner, "For President John Bell. For Vice President Edward Everett" (H. C. Howard, 1860) (sign-banner, 1860): a cloth banner printed as a 33-star flag with an oval bust of Bell in the canton and the ticket lettered across the stripes.
- "The Union, the Constitution and the enforcement of the laws. For President, John Bell of Tennessee. For Vice President, Edward Everett of Massachusetts" (W. H. Rease, 1860) (print, 1860): a lithograph banner with portraits of Bell and Everett, an eagle over a "Constitution" scroll, and streamers reading "Liberty & Union / Now & Forever / One & Inseparable".
Techniques visible
The same definitions apply to every candidate. Each list below is generated from the techniques tags in the entries.
- Transfer: Lincoln (Campaign flag banner, "For President Abram Lincoln. For Vice President Hannibal Hamlin" (H. C. Howard, 1860), "The Union must and shall be preserved. For President Abraham Lincoln of Illinois. For Vice President Hannibal Hamlin of Maine" (W. H. Rease, 1860)); Douglas (Flag campaign banner for Stephen A. Douglas and Herschel V. Johnson (H. C. Howard, 1860), Campaign envelope: Stephen A. Douglas and H. V. Johnson, with "I stand for the rights of the whole people" (S. Raynor, 1860)); Breckinridge (Proof for a flag campaign banner for John C. Breckinridge and Joseph Lane (H. C. Howard, 1860), "The undecided political prize fight" (anonymous, 1860)); Bell (Campaign flag banner, "For President John Bell. For Vice President Edward Everett" (H. C. Howard, 1860), "The Union, the Constitution and the enforcement of the laws. For President, John Bell of Tennessee. For Vice President, Edward Everett of Massachusetts" (W. H. Rease, 1860)). The tell is the same for each: the standing of a person, place, symbol or event is attached to a candidate.
- Glittering generalities: Lincoln ("The Union must and shall be preserved. For President Abraham Lincoln of Illinois. For Vice President Hannibal Hamlin of Maine" (W. H. Rease, 1860)); Douglas (Campaign envelope: Stephen A. Douglas and H. V. Johnson, with "I stand for the rights of the whole people" (S. Raynor, 1860)); Bell ("The Union, the Constitution and the enforcement of the laws. For President, John Bell of Tennessee. For Vice President, Edward Everett of Massachusetts" (W. H. Rease, 1860)). The tell is the same for each: virtue words offered with no testable claim.
- Bandwagon: Breckinridge ("The undecided political prize fight" (anonymous, 1860)). The tell is the same for each: a slogan, verse or picture announcing that the candidate is winning or that others are joining.
Sources
- National Archives, "Electoral College: 1860 Election", https://www.archives.gov/electoral-college/1860
- American Presidency Project, "1860", https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/elections/1860
- Wikipedia, "1860 United States presidential election" (cross-check only), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1860_United_States_presidential_election
- Library of Congress records: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2003656570/ · https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2003690790/ · https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2003656563/ · https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002723198/ · https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2003656565/ · https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2008661604/ · https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/93506172/ · https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2004665379/