Source: Jon Meacham. And There Was Light -
Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle (2022)
Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle (2022)
Lincoln wanted to be in DC very badly, so in 1846 he focused on running for a seat in the House from the Illinois 7th District, running as a Whig. Within the Whig Party in the district, a deal had been struck in which John J. Hardin, Edward Baker, and Lincoln would serve in “turns” for a single term, with Hardin being elected first. Hardin served in the House from 1842 - 1844, Baker from 1844 - 1846, and now it was Lincoln’s turn. However, Hardin challenged him for the Whig nomination in the district, which meant that Lincoln had to campaign. Lincoln did so with high-focused energy and efficiency, not wasting any time campaigning in counties in which he knew he didn’t have a chance to win. By Lincoln’s calculus, in the remaining counties, he had enough votes to win the nomination, and so did Hardin, who withdrew from the race.
Lincoln was officially nominated as the Whig candidate for the 7th District on 1 May 1846. In the general election, Lincoln faced Reverend Peter Cartwright, a popular Methodist minister. Cartwright attracted crowds to his campaign rallies due to, if nothing else, his engaging oratory. Cartwright’s campaign strategy was to use religion against Lincoln. An example: Lincoln attended a Cartwright rally (which felt like a revival), and when the reverend asked those assembled to rise, Lincoln refused. Cartwright called out Lincoln, asking him in front of the crowd if he planned on going to Heaven even though he didn’t rise and repent. Lincoln responded by saying “I am going to Congress, Brother Cartwright”.
Lincoln was not a church-goer, but he was nonetheless a religious man, according to among others Mary Todd Lincoln. Cartwright as slyly as he could, using what was then called a “Whispering Campaign” in the newspapers, portrayed Lincoln as an infidel. On 31 July 1846, Lincoln responded by publishing a handbill defending himself, claiming that he was not “an open scoffer at Christianity”. Lincoln admitted he wasn’t a member of a church, but he went on to say he never denied the truth of the Scriptures, and had never spoken in disrespect against religion. Lincoln won the election, getting 6340 votes (55.5%) to Cartwright’s 4829 (42.3%); the Liberty Party’s candidate received about 2% of the vote.
Lincoln was officially nominated as the Whig candidate for the 7th District on 1 May 1846. In the general election, Lincoln faced Reverend Peter Cartwright, a popular Methodist minister. Cartwright attracted crowds to his campaign rallies due to, if nothing else, his engaging oratory. Cartwright’s campaign strategy was to use religion against Lincoln. An example: Lincoln attended a Cartwright rally (which felt like a revival), and when the reverend asked those assembled to rise, Lincoln refused. Cartwright called out Lincoln, asking him in front of the crowd if he planned on going to Heaven even though he didn’t rise and repent. Lincoln responded by saying “I am going to Congress, Brother Cartwright”.
Lincoln was not a church-goer, but he was nonetheless a religious man, according to among others Mary Todd Lincoln. Cartwright as slyly as he could, using what was then called a “Whispering Campaign” in the newspapers, portrayed Lincoln as an infidel. On 31 July 1846, Lincoln responded by publishing a handbill defending himself, claiming that he was not “an open scoffer at Christianity”. Lincoln admitted he wasn’t a member of a church, but he went on to say he never denied the truth of the Scriptures, and had never spoken in disrespect against religion. Lincoln won the election, getting 6340 votes (55.5%) to Cartwright’s 4829 (42.3%); the Liberty Party’s candidate received about 2% of the vote.
Lincoln was so driven by his ambition that he actually became depressed after the election, in that achieving external glory didn’t fulfill in-and-of-itself his inner ambition. Lincoln’s single term in the House was during the Mexican-American War, where the debate over the expansion of slavery in the West intensified. That national debate reached a crescendo in 1847 when the actual fighting or the war ended outside of Mexico City, and reached even greater heights when the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo was finalized in 1848. In that treaty, the US paid Mexico $15 million for what are today the states of CA, UT, NV, most of AZ, most of NM, and parts of CO and WY.
Lincoln wasn’t due in DC to officially start his term in the House until early-December 1847, so he had time during the summer beforehand to travel to Chicago for the River and Harbor Convention. That convention had been called to protest President James Knox Polk's veto of a large transportation and infrastructure bill, which would have benefitted Illinois. That convention overwhelmed Chicago, in that the city had not yet become a major railroad hub; in fact no single line of rail even reached Chicago in 1847. Among the 20k in attendance were New York newspaper publishers Horace Greeley and Thurlow Weed. Despite an unruly and unkempt appearance for a politician, Lincoln impressed Greeley, who said that Lincoln would more than satisfy the expectations of the Whigs in Congress.
On 25 October 1847, Lincoln left for DC with Mary Todd and his sons Robert and Eddy. Wives didn’t often accompany their elected husbands to DC, but Mary Todd wanted to go - she had inner ambitions of her own to satisfy.
Lincoln wasn’t due in DC to officially start his term in the House until early-December 1847, so he had time during the summer beforehand to travel to Chicago for the River and Harbor Convention. That convention had been called to protest President James Knox Polk's veto of a large transportation and infrastructure bill, which would have benefitted Illinois. That convention overwhelmed Chicago, in that the city had not yet become a major railroad hub; in fact no single line of rail even reached Chicago in 1847. Among the 20k in attendance were New York newspaper publishers Horace Greeley and Thurlow Weed. Despite an unruly and unkempt appearance for a politician, Lincoln impressed Greeley, who said that Lincoln would more than satisfy the expectations of the Whigs in Congress.
On 25 October 1847, Lincoln left for DC with Mary Todd and his sons Robert and Eddy. Wives didn’t often accompany their elected husbands to DC, but Mary Todd wanted to go - she had inner ambitions of her own to satisfy.
Lincoln arrived in DC on 2 December 1847, and settled the Sprigg House (a boarding house) on what was called Carroll Row, which faced the East Front of the Capitol. Sprigg House’s nickname was “Abolition House”, in that quite a few anti-slavery men boarded there, and it was thought that Sprigg House was part of the Underground Railroad. On 12 January 1848, Lincoln delivered a 45 minute speech on the House Floor, asserting that Polk had misled the nation by going to war after claiming that Mexico had started the conflict on US territory. An unintimidated Lincoln wanted to know exactly where the “first shots” of the war actually occurred (in reality, the war started in disputed territory just on the northern side of the Rio Grande River, which the US claimed to be the border of the two nations, while Mexico claiming that the Nueces River further north was the border). Lincoln made sure to be clear in his speech (and afterwards) that he was defending a basic constitutional principle on war-making and the proper roles between Congress and the President as Commander-in-Chief. Lincoln challenged Polk to answer his questions with facts instead of arguments.
Lincoln was in the Capitol when John Quincy Adams collapsed on the House Floor, dying two days later on 23 February 1848. Lincoln was appointed to the committee in charge of funeral arrangements at the Capitol for the former President. As a Congressman, Lincoln voted in favor of the Wilmot Proviso (1846), which proposed to ban the expansion of slavery in any territory gained from Mexico as a result of the war. Despite being attached to many other bills over many months in an effort to “get it through”, the Wilmot Proviso never passed. However, Lincoln’s support of the proviso (a.k.a. “suggestion”) was unequivocal, claiming to have voted for it 40 times.
Lincoln was in the Capitol when John Quincy Adams collapsed on the House Floor, dying two days later on 23 February 1848. Lincoln was appointed to the committee in charge of funeral arrangements at the Capitol for the former President. As a Congressman, Lincoln voted in favor of the Wilmot Proviso (1846), which proposed to ban the expansion of slavery in any territory gained from Mexico as a result of the war. Despite being attached to many other bills over many months in an effort to “get it through”, the Wilmot Proviso never passed. However, Lincoln’s support of the proviso (a.k.a. “suggestion”) was unequivocal, claiming to have voted for it 40 times.
The reaction of the South to the Wilmot Proviso showed the widening schism on not just the expansion of slavery, but on the institution of slavery itself. By the late-1840s, John C. Calhoun had become a political hero among Southern Democrats in his desire to expand slavery as well as his defense of slavery where it existed. Calhoun was a driving force in the Annexation of Texas in 1845 as President John Tyler’s second SecState, and he defended slavery as a “positive good”. Lincoln was every bit opposed to the expansion of slavery, but unlike Calhoun, he made sure that his opposition wasn’t offensive or confrontational. For example, when the topic of the expansion of slavery turned heated at the Sprigg House dinner table (or any location where he was in attendance) Lincoln used his skill set as a “Country Lawyer” to interrupt with an amusing story, which would either steer the conversation to another topic, or if the topic resumed, be much less heated.
During August 1848, Lincoln cast a vote against a bill dealing with the organization of the Oregon Territory that would have extended the “36-30 Line” of the Missouri Compromise all the way to the Pacific. If the “36-30 Line” was extended, slavery would have been allowed south of that line of latitude in the West; the bill met defeat in the House. Compared to the anti-slavery firebrands, Lincoln was a moderate, which was shown in his opposition to support an end to slavery in the District of Columbia without compensating slave owners.
The Presidential Campaign of 1848 featured three major candidates: Zachary Taylor (Whig),
Lewis Cass (Democrat), and former President Martin Van Buren (Free Soil Party). Lincoln actively campaigned for Taylor, and he impressed audiences as he did so. Lincoln was now moving in powerful political circles, and he was learning a lot about how to interact with the powerful and influential, not only in DC, but in different states as well.
During August 1848, Lincoln cast a vote against a bill dealing with the organization of the Oregon Territory that would have extended the “36-30 Line” of the Missouri Compromise all the way to the Pacific. If the “36-30 Line” was extended, slavery would have been allowed south of that line of latitude in the West; the bill met defeat in the House. Compared to the anti-slavery firebrands, Lincoln was a moderate, which was shown in his opposition to support an end to slavery in the District of Columbia without compensating slave owners.
The Presidential Campaign of 1848 featured three major candidates: Zachary Taylor (Whig),
Lewis Cass (Democrat), and former President Martin Van Buren (Free Soil Party). Lincoln actively campaigned for Taylor, and he impressed audiences as he did so. Lincoln was now moving in powerful political circles, and he was learning a lot about how to interact with the powerful and influential, not only in DC, but in different states as well.
On 22 September 1848, Lincoln shared the campaign stage with William Seward, whose speech was the main event. Afterwards, Lincoln told Seward that “you are right”, in that we have to deal with the “slavery question” and give it far more attention from this point onwards. Lincoln spent the Winter of 1848 - 1849 in DC, where on 10 January 1849, Lincoln proposed a gradualist plan to prohibit slavery in DC, which featured compensation to slaveholders. Lincoln’s plan was full of conditions and exceptions, but once compensation was finalized, the individual slave would be forever free; Lincoln’s effort failed in the House due to a lack of support. Abolitionists were not at all impressed with Lincoln, which Wendell Phillips claiming that Lincoln’s proposal was a pro-slavery compromise. Phillips went so far to call Lincoln the “Slave Hound of Illinois”. The press mostly viewed Lincoln as very practical, if not successful, in his efforts against slavery.
According to the custom set by the Whigs in Illinois, Lincoln did not pursue re-nomination for the House, but he hit the hustings in support of Taylor, who won the Election of 1848. Martin Van Buren didn’t win a single state as the Free Soil Party’s candidate, but the “Free Soilers” did win 16 seats in the House, and Salmon P. Chase (OH) won a US Senate seat. After the Election of 1848, Lincoln lobbied to become the Commissioner of the General Land Office, a federal appointment that paid well, and he would have remained in DC, but he was unsuccessful. Lincoln, who had campaigned very hard on Taylor’s behalf, was very frustrated.
According to the custom set by the Whigs in Illinois, Lincoln did not pursue re-nomination for the House, but he hit the hustings in support of Taylor, who won the Election of 1848. Martin Van Buren didn’t win a single state as the Free Soil Party’s candidate, but the “Free Soilers” did win 16 seats in the House, and Salmon P. Chase (OH) won a US Senate seat. After the Election of 1848, Lincoln lobbied to become the Commissioner of the General Land Office, a federal appointment that paid well, and he would have remained in DC, but he was unsuccessful. Lincoln, who had campaigned very hard on Taylor’s behalf, was very frustrated.
Lincoln started his return to Springfield on
20 March 1849, and shortly after returning, Taylor offered him the secretaryship of the
Oregon Territory. Lincoln refused the offer, and shortly afterwards Taylor offered him the position of Territorial Governor of Oregon, which Lincoln seriously considered. Lincoln asked a friend for advice, and was told that if he did so, he would almost certainly be one of the two original US Senators from Oregon when it was granted statehood. Lincoln decided that he would take the position if Mary Todd agreed to go with him, but she absolutely refused to do so. Lincoln decided to practice law in-and-around Springfield with the greatest level of commitment and energy.
What did Lincoln learn in his two years in DC as a member of the House of Representatives? Lincoln developed a deep awareness and understanding of the slavery issue, as well as human nature in terms of those who were in opposition or support. Lincoln learned quite a bit about campaigning for himself and on behalf of others, and how to campaign in different regions in the North. Lincoln came to understand that politics was a matter of compromise, not conquest. Lincoln developed a personal measuring stick whether to support or oppose a matter, using a sort of cost-benefit analysis of “Good vs Evil” in his mind, all the while knowing that few things were entirely good or entirely evil.
To Lincoln almost everything dealing with the government was an inseparable combination of “Good vs. Evil”, which was the moral work of politics, trying to have the good outweigh the bad.
20 March 1849, and shortly after returning, Taylor offered him the secretaryship of the
Oregon Territory. Lincoln refused the offer, and shortly afterwards Taylor offered him the position of Territorial Governor of Oregon, which Lincoln seriously considered. Lincoln asked a friend for advice, and was told that if he did so, he would almost certainly be one of the two original US Senators from Oregon when it was granted statehood. Lincoln decided that he would take the position if Mary Todd agreed to go with him, but she absolutely refused to do so. Lincoln decided to practice law in-and-around Springfield with the greatest level of commitment and energy.
What did Lincoln learn in his two years in DC as a member of the House of Representatives? Lincoln developed a deep awareness and understanding of the slavery issue, as well as human nature in terms of those who were in opposition or support. Lincoln learned quite a bit about campaigning for himself and on behalf of others, and how to campaign in different regions in the North. Lincoln came to understand that politics was a matter of compromise, not conquest. Lincoln developed a personal measuring stick whether to support or oppose a matter, using a sort of cost-benefit analysis of “Good vs Evil” in his mind, all the while knowing that few things were entirely good or entirely evil.
To Lincoln almost everything dealing with the government was an inseparable combination of “Good vs. Evil”, which was the moral work of politics, trying to have the good outweigh the bad.