National Union Party (United States)
National Union Party | |
|---|---|
| U.S. Presidents | Abraham Lincoln Andrew Johnson |
| Founded | 1861[1] |
| Dissolved | 1867 |
| Merger of | Republican Party War Democrats Unconditional Union Party |
| Merged into | Republican Party |
| Ideology | Unionism Abolitionism |
| Colors | Red White Blue (United States national colors) |
The National Union Party was a political party in the United States. It was made by supporters of President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War. Most people who joined the new party were Republicans, but some Democrats and Constitutional Unionists also joined.[2] Lincoln was the party's candidate in the 1864 United States presidential election.[3] Vice President Andrew Johnson became the second (and last) National Union Party president after Lincoln's assassination.[4]
Lincoln became the first Republican president after winning the 1860 United States presidential election. His victory led 11 slave states to secede from the United States and become the Confederate States of America.[5] Many people in the Union thought the old political parties were to blame for the war.[6] Lincoln's supporters named their new party the Union Party to show support for their country. The new name helped supporters from different parties work together to win the 1864 election. The name also made people who did not join the party seem like enemies of the Union.[7]
After the war, the National Union Party broke up.[8] Most Unionists became Republicans, while some joined the Democratic Party.[9] The Republican Party was sometimes called the "Union Republican Party" during the late 1800s.[10][11]
References
- ↑ Waugh, John C. (1997). Reelecting Lincoln. New York: Crown Publishers. p. 21.
- ↑ Smith, Adam I. P. (2006). No Party Now: Politics in the Civil War North. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 30, 40–41. ISBN 978-0-19-518865-3.
- ↑ McPherson, James M. (1988). Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. New York: Oxford University. pp. 716–17.
- ↑ Foner, Eric (2014). Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863–77 (Revised ed.). New York: HarperPerennial. p. 260. ISBN 978-0-06-235451-8.
- ↑ McPherson 1988, pp. 232, 234.
- ↑ Smith 2006, pp. 36–37.
- ↑ McPherson 1988, p. 509.
- ↑ Foner 2014, pp. 266–67.
- ↑ McKinney, Gordon (1978). Southern Mountain Republicans, 1865-1900: Politics and the Appalachian Community. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-8078-1300-3.
- ↑ Ely; Burnham; Bartlett (1868). Proceedings of the National Union Republican Convention [...]. Chicago.
- ↑ Smith, Francis H. (1872). Proceedings of the National Union Republican Convention [...]. Washington, D. C.
Further reading
- Donald, David (1995). Lincoln, pp. 516–544 online
- Johnson, David (2012). Decided on the Battlefield: Grant, Sherman, Lincoln and the Election of 1864.
- Nevins, Allan (1971). The War for the Union: The Organized War to Victory, 1864–1865. pp 97–143.
- Nicolay, John G. and John Hay (1890). Abraham Lincoln: A History. vol 9. ch. 3, 15 and 16.
- McSeveney, Samuel T. (1986). "Re-Electing Lincoln: The Union Party Campaign and the Military Vote in Connecticut". Civil War History. 32(2). pp. 139–158.
- Waugh, John C. (2001). Reelecting Lincoln: The Battle for the 1864 Presidency. online
- Wilson, Charles R. (1936) "New Light on the Lincoln-Blair-Fremont 'Bargain' of 1864" American Historical Review 42#1 pp. 71–78. online
- Zornow, William Frank (1954). Lincoln and the Party Divided. online