Patrick Peters
History 300
Professor Simpson(and others)
February 10, 2012
This cartoon came out in 1864 before the Presidential election. It depicts Abraham Lincoln, the President of the United States of America(USA) and candidate of the National Union Party for President, Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America(CSA) and in the middle is George McClellan. McClellan was a former commander of the Union Army, who was dismissed by Lincoln and then became the Democratic candidate for President in 1864.
At the time we had been in the middle of a Civil War for 3 years. There was a sizeable faction in the country that thought we should let the rebellious states back into the union with the same status they had when they left. The Democratic Party came for that cause in 1864. If fact it’s platform stated that “…at the earliest practicable moment, peace may be restored on the basis of the Federal Union of the States.”2 McClellan in his acceptance speech to the Democratic Party even went further: “…that when any one State is willing to return to the Union is should be received at once with a full guarantee of all its constitutional rights.”3
As the cartoon suggests, at the time, the CSA still wanted to remain separated. Lincoln on the other hand had changed position. At the start of the war he wanted restoration of the union. It was only later on that he came to the conclusion that only with the elimination of slavery could the rebel states be admitted back into the USA. That is what his was position was when this cartoon was published.
The author of the cartoon obviously felt the same way as McClellan did. Notice the map, it is torn but not completely, so the author thought that while damage was done it was not irreparable. Also notice how McClellan is grabbing Lincoln and Davis trying to pull them and the Union back together. One thing that I find quite interesting is that McClellan is portrayed in his military uniform, being on a peace platform I would have thought the suit of a statesman would have been more approiate.
In the end McClellan, his party and their position did not have enough to strength to win the election. He lost 55-45 in the popular vote and 212-21 in the electoral college.4
Bibliography
1) The True Issue or ‘That’s What’s the Matter’” Harpers Weekly. 1864. As cited on
(http://elections.harpweek.com/1864/cartoon-1864-Medium.asp?UniqueID=38&Year=1864). 10 February 2012.
2) 1864 Platform. Democratic Party. 1864. As cited on The American Presidency Project. (http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29578#axzz1m0U8Iz00). N.d. 10 February 2012. As found Democratic Party Platforms:"Democratic Party Platform of 1864," August 29, 1864.
3) McClellan, George. Letter Accepting the Democratic Presidential Nomination. 8 September 1864. Orange, NJ: George McClellan. As cited on (http://www.sonofthesouth.net/union-
generals/mcclellan/mclellan-1864-democratic-nomination.htm). N.D. 10 February 2012.
4) Electoral College of 1864. US Archives. As found on (http://www.archives.gov/federal-
register/electoral-college/votes/1853_1869.html#1864) N.D. 10 February 2012.
I also did this political cartoon. It's extraordinary to think that many people in the union after years of civil war would allow the south back into the union without any change in their societal views. The two polar ends of this cartoon are Lincoln who fights for abolishment of slavery and Davis who wants secession to preserve the power of state rights. In the middle stands McClellan who seams to have the answer for everything and will eventually unite the nation. I wonder how the war would have played out and ultimately how U.S. history would change had McClellan won the 1864 presidential race.
ReplyDeletePatrick,
ReplyDeleteYou've written a wonderful and well informed response to the cartoon above. As you already know I chose the same depiction as well and I must admit, as they are both in the public domain, that yours is much better! I think that the fact that old George here is in his uniform can be chalked up to the fact that military experience as it is now was revered in 1864. It does play a contradictory role to the stances of the peace democrats though. As far as the map and the damage not being irreparable, I humbly disagree. I think it was just a focal point and that by grasping the two waring factions and pulling them towards one another, the artist was trying to show that McClellan was a bridge in the gap. Some copperheads advocated letting the south continue on their own whilst maintaining friendly trading relationships. I live 40 minutes form Vicksburg and about 30 from Champion Hill so I am passionate about this era in history as it has irreversibly developed my home state. I've enjoyed the debate. Hit me back up with your thoughts again if you wish.
Stephen Bishop.
Hi Patrick! Great summary of the cartoon you chose. I have to agree with you that it is interesting that McCllelan is in his military uniform, rather than the classic politician suit. From the background information given and the expressions on the faces of the two feuding presidents the uniform may suggest that the intense fighting between the North and South is still rampant in the political arena. An interesting paradox of an military personel breaking up a political war, verses a government official breaking up a military war. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteHi Patrick,
ReplyDeleteI thought you did a great job summarizing and interpreting the cartoon you chose. I chose a different cartoon to analyze, and so didn't understand much about the issues being portrayed here, so I thought you did a fantastic job explaining it!
Just a random thought I had regarding the choice of the artist to have McClellan in his uniform: it might have been a concious choice, to help identify him was to the audience. It is possible that many people looking at this picture were unable to read, and using by exaggerations, stereotypes and other similar tools, the author would have made the characters easily recognizable.
Again, I enjoyed reading your post.
Thanks,
Jaime