Thomas Wright a young teenager starts his Diary in July 1858 America. Northern Kentucky, Mason county near the Town of Dover and Lees Creak. across the Ohio River the town of Ripley Ohio. Hot bed of Abolitionist movement. between befriending a slave...
Late 1860 early 1861 the few months before the Revolt of The South. What's known as the Civil War or War Between the States.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Part two of Thomas Wright's Diary. The election for President draws near. Tension between North and South, gets higher with every day. Part Two starts early November 1860. Mister Bowman wouldn't sell Tuey and his wife. Theo left VMI to head home, not to be trapped in the south. Thomas and Betsy still live at the Old Place.
The 1860 Presidential election split the Democratic Party a Northern Canidate and a Southern Canidate. For the North Stephen Douglas, he felt the states and new Territories had the right decide on slavery no federal code. Southern candidate John Breckenridge
He wanted the right for Territories keep slaves under Federal slave code, and to vote on slavery when becoming a state.
John Bell of Tennessee represented the Constitutional Union Party. He believed in slavery as it was allowed in the Constitution, but wanted to prevent it's spread to keep the piece and preserve the Union.
Finally Abraham Lincoln, Republican. He wanted to stop the spread of slavery in new territories and Stastes.
The Issues
Preservation of the Union.
The Rights of States.
The construction of a transcontinental railroad.
The extravagance of the Government.
The rights of immigrants.
The principal issue was slavery and it's expansion. This just wasn't a human rights issue but an economic one. The slave cotton just wasn't a southern issue it controlled the entire U.S. and reached across a ocean as well. It could lead to and economic drop for the U.S.
1860 the slave population was four million. The election of 1860 had the U.S. poised on the edge of a precipice. The American spirit would either soar or plunge to it's untimely demise. Borrowed from the National Park service.
Tidbits of History
People living in the Territories could not vote.
Lincoln was not on the ballot in Southern States.
For the first time the original 13 States controlled less than 50% of the electoral vote.
Slave States counted 3/5 of their enslaved population For determining electoral votes. This meant more votes for the state, even though the opinions of these people were not considered.
On November 6 Election Day 1860, 81% of the voting Population turned out to vote. Lincoln won with less than 50% of the vote, the first American President to do so. Another First Lincoln is the only President to hold a Patent. Lincoln didn't vote for himself in public he cut his name out of the ballot, before voting. Lincoln's Patent number 6,469 system for bouying Riverboats over shoals. He filed March 10, 1849 issued May 22, 1849. Think this idea came from working Riverboats, did that for a short period of time.
Just swipe or scroll to continue on to part two. Again thanks for your support. Dram12
