On Wednesday, June 8, 1864, in Baltimore, delegates to the National Union party convention nominated Abraham Lincoln for President, as was expected. They then nominated Democrat Andrew Johnson, the military governor of Tennessee, as Vice President, rather than the incumbent Vice President Hannibal Hamlin. The inclusion of a War Democrat on the national ticket greatly enhanced Lincoln’s chances of re-election. The party platform called for maintaining the integrity of the Union, no compromise with those in rebellion against the Union, and a constitutional amendment which would end the institution of slavery. That same evening a Union League council differed, however, from the convention and favored the confiscation of enemy property. Peace Democrats and Radical Republicans would now have to oppose a Unionist ticket dedicated to ultimate victory in America’s Civil War.
00000174-b11b-ddc3-a1fc-bfdbb1a20000The Schreiner University Department of History is honoring the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with a series of short vignettes focusing on events from 1861 through 1865. The Civil War was the most destructive conflict in American history, but it was also one of our most defining moments as a people and as a nation. Let us know what you think about "This Week in the Civil War." E-mail your comments to Dr. John Huddleston at jhuddles@schreiner.edu.Airs: Weekdays at 5:19 a.m., 8:19 a.m., 4:19 p.m. on KTXI and 4:49 a.m., 9:29 p.m. on KSTX.