GDG- Today in History - Trouble is Brewing South

[Smith David]

Today's extract highlights two issues (thanks again, Dennis).

1) The Slave Power conspiracy.  Many Northerners believed in the Slave
Power conspiracy, an idea developed by abolitionists and Northern
politicians that Southern slave owners, particularly those who owned
massive plantations, controlled the Southern political system.  Some
politicians claimed the number of secessionist true believers
controlling the political system were 1/2 of 1 percent.  Due to the 3/5s
compromise, it was then believed that they unfairly controlled national
politics as well.  Lincoln, Seward, and a number of other Northern
politicians believed that there was a large mass of loyal, largely
non-slaveholding Southerners who did not want to leave the Union, but
whose voice was being squelched by the large slaveowners who were
prominent politicians - the Robert Barnwell Rhetts, the James Hammonds,
etc.

This Slave Power Conspiracy idea influenced Union strategy for much of
the first two years of the war (see Lincoln's actions on East
Tennessee).  It took time for Union politicians and generals to realize
that regardless of whether they owned slaves or not, many Southerners
would fight to protect their homes, their states, and their way of life.
After that, the "hard hand of war" began to take over.  

2)  The last couple of days we have seen posts on Lincoln's cabinet.
Lincoln had a tricky situation there - he needed to attract prominent
Northerners and Republicans (although there was discussion of including
Democrats too, and maybe one was) who would be good administrators and
advisors.  Lincoln was keenly aware that he was elected by a minority
(but plurality) of the nation's votes, and that he was not the most well
known Republican.  He tried to bring talent in and balance different
factions - there is a recent book on the subject.  Pennsylvania in
particular was tricky - it was a key Northern state and its swing to
Lincoln had helped assure him the nomination.  Promises had been made
and Lincoln was trying to make a good pick and keep everyone happy. In
the end he chose Simon Cameron (Secretary of War) as Pennsylvania's
representative on the Cabinet, but he would replace him early in the
war.  

There is a new book out on Lincoln's cabinet and his management of it.

David G. Smith

 

Message: 14

Date: Thu, 09 Nov 2006 08:46:35 -0600

From: Dennis Lawrence <denlaw at kc.rr.com>

Subject: GDG- trouble is brewing south

To: gettysburg at gdg.org

Message-ID: <6.0.0.22.0.20061109084142.06127ec0 at pop-server.kc.rr.com>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

Friday, November 9, 1860.

Springfield, IL.

Late returns forecast Trumbull's re-election. But trouble is brewing
south. 

Lincoln reads dispatch that he has been hanged in effigy at Pensacola, 

Florida. Correspondent reports: (1) "I am told that Mr. Lincoln
considers the 

feeling at the South to be limited to a very small number, though very 

intense." N.Y. Tribune, 10 November 1860.

Writes Nathan Sargent

 

To Nathan Sargent [1]

N. Sargent, Esq Springfield Ill. Nov 9th 1860.

Dear Sir---I have duly received your letter of the 4th inst. (2) Will
you 

please to write to me by return mail and give me the name of the
Republican 

whom Judge Campbell suggested for Secretary of State? Yours Truly

A. LINCOLN

Annotation

[1] LS, IHi. Sargent's letter of November 4 is not in the Lincoln
Papers, 

but his reply on November 12 states that Judge Campbell had suggested 

Thomas Ewing of Ohio. Writing from Washington, Sargent may have referred
to 

Judge John A. Campbell of the United States Supreme Court, who was
trying 

to as suage hostile feelings in the South, but in view of Sargent's 

Philadelphia connections, he may have meant the prominent Democrat James


Campbell, who had been judge of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, 

1842-1850.