Platform On The Eve of War
The most ferocious battle ever fought by the United States was with itself. Our civil war was the bloodiest battle ever fought by Americans and it happened on American soil. In retrospect, it is viewed as a battle between the industrialized northern states and the slave dependent southern states. With the election of Abraham Lincoln, the South no longer believed that they would be allowed to use slave labor. The great compromises of the previous 20 years were beginning to unravel as additional states entered the union. The stage was set to set American against American in a struggle for survival.
Abraham Lincoln started his political career in 1846 as a member of the US House of Representatives from Illinois. His verbal sparring with then President Polk over the Mexican American war created political suicide for the freshman congressman. After one term, he returned to a private law practice. He remained active in politics but did not run for office again until the Presidential election of 1860. By then, he had switched from the Whig Party to the newly founded Republican Party. On the 3rd vote, he was elected as the Republican candidate. His platform for that election opposed the expansion of slavery westward, endorsed a protective tariff, proposed a transcontinental railroad, and promised to give free land to settlers.
The platform for the northern Democrat candidate, Stephen Douglas, proposed a federal slave code in the territories, the acquisition of Cuba, and the construction of a transcontinental railroad. We all know that Lincoln won the election but it is interesting that both parties understood the necessity for improved transportation from coast to coast. With the west opening up, both sides knew that they needed to be able to get out there more quickly and be able to transport the raw materials back east to the population centers. Even on the eve of war there was common ground between the parties.
Fast forward to 2006. It would appear that the party platforms have switched and there is little commonality between what each side wants. The slavery issue was handled when Lee surrendered at Appomattox, but the war between the sides has continued with the continuation of social issues and foreign policy concerns. I guess that is why you have government. It is not to accomplish things. It is more for the side show they put on. I guess that is why Ronald Reagan was such a great President. He had already been in front of the camera in Hollywood and knew that reviews are nothing but one man’s opinion. It is how many tickets you sell that really matters.
Icool
Cobb
Abraham Lincoln started his political career in 1846 as a member of the US House of Representatives from Illinois. His verbal sparring with then President Polk over the Mexican American war created political suicide for the freshman congressman. After one term, he returned to a private law practice. He remained active in politics but did not run for office again until the Presidential election of 1860. By then, he had switched from the Whig Party to the newly founded Republican Party. On the 3rd vote, he was elected as the Republican candidate. His platform for that election opposed the expansion of slavery westward, endorsed a protective tariff, proposed a transcontinental railroad, and promised to give free land to settlers.
The platform for the northern Democrat candidate, Stephen Douglas, proposed a federal slave code in the territories, the acquisition of Cuba, and the construction of a transcontinental railroad. We all know that Lincoln won the election but it is interesting that both parties understood the necessity for improved transportation from coast to coast. With the west opening up, both sides knew that they needed to be able to get out there more quickly and be able to transport the raw materials back east to the population centers. Even on the eve of war there was common ground between the parties.
Fast forward to 2006. It would appear that the party platforms have switched and there is little commonality between what each side wants. The slavery issue was handled when Lee surrendered at Appomattox, but the war between the sides has continued with the continuation of social issues and foreign policy concerns. I guess that is why you have government. It is not to accomplish things. It is more for the side show they put on. I guess that is why Ronald Reagan was such a great President. He had already been in front of the camera in Hollywood and knew that reviews are nothing but one man’s opinion. It is how many tickets you sell that really matters.
Icool
Cobb
posted by Cobb at
7:24 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home