Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/454

 LINCOLN

LINCOLN

office and declined the appointment of governor of the newly organized Territory of Oregon. He was a representative in the state legislature in the winter of 1854, but resigned in order to be- come a candidate before the legislature for the U.S. senate. In the Whig caucus in February, 1855, he received 45 votes on the first ballot against 41 for James Shields, the next candidate, but on the tenth ballot Lyman Trumbull was nominated. On the organization of the Repub- lican party in 1854 Lincoln became i^rominently identified with it and during the Republican na- tional convention at Philadeli^hia, June 17, 1856, which nominated Fremont and Dayton, he re- ceived 110 votes as candidate for Vice-President. Dui-ing the campaign lie made over fifty speeches and became prominent as a leader of the new party. In 1858 he was the Republican nominee for U.S. senator to succeed Steplien A. Douglas, and on July 24 lie cliallenged Douglas to a series nf debates. The election resulted in a victory for Douglas, though Lincoln had a majority of the popular vote. Lincoln afterward spoke at C )lunibus and at Cincinnati, Ohio, and on Feb. 27, 1880, he spoke in New York city, being intro- duced by William CuUen Bryant as " an eminent citizen from the west, hitherto known to you only by reputation." He then delivered speeches in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Connecticut. His entire argument was based on the question, "Is slavery right or wrong? " After the debates with Douglas in 1858 Lincoln was urged to seek the nomination for President, but he repeatedly discouraged the suggestion. He reconsidered the matter, how- ever, in 1859-60, and consented to bs a candidate, and the Republican state convention of Illinois Instructed their delegates to vote for him. On May 16, 1860, the Republican national con- vention met at Chicago, where the chief candi- dates were William H. Seward, Abraham Lin- coln, Salmon P. Chase, Simon Cameron, Edward Bates and William L. Dayton. tSeward led in the first two ballots, Lincoln standing second. On the third ballot Lincoln had 231^ votes to Sew- ard's 180, 235 votes being necessary for nomina- ton, and before the count was announced four votes were transferred to Lincoln by a delegate from Ohio. Other delegates followed his exam- ple and Lincoln received 354 votes out of a possi- ble 465, the nomination being made unanimous on the motion of William M. Evarts. Hanni- bal Hamlin of Maine was nominated for Vice- President. Stephen A. Dotiglas was nominated by a wing of the Democratic party with Herschel V. Johnson for Vice-President, at Baltimore, June 18, 1860. After a spirited campaign Lincoln was elected, Nov. 6, 1860, the popular vote stand- ing 1,866,352 for Lincoln and Hamlin, 1,375,157

for Douglas and Johnson, 847,963 for Breckin- ridge and Lane, 589,581 for Bell and Everett, and the electoral vote was 180 for Lincoln, 12 for Douglas, 12 for Breckinridge and 39 for Bell. A constitution for the provisional government of the Confederate States of America was adopted at Montgomery, Ala., Feb. 8, 1861, bj' deputies from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Lousiana, Mississippi and South Carolina. On Feb. 9, 1861, Jefferson Davis was elected President, and Alexander H. Stephens Vice-President, and all U.S. property within the limits of the Confeder- acy was declared confiscate. Major Anderson, with his small force in Fort Moultrie, on t'le we.it end of Sullivan's Island at the entrancs of Charleston harbor, learning the determination of the South Carolina government to possess them- selves of the U.S. government property, evacuated the fort on Dec. 26, 1860, and raised the flag over Fort Sumter, constructed on a made island mid- way between Forts Moultrie and Johnson, and there awaited reinforcements from the national government. The South Carolina insurgents took possession of all the other forts in the harbor and manned them, at the same time building a large floating ironclad battery. After a journey to Washington, attended with considerable per- sonal danger, Mr. Lincoln was inaugvirated March

THE WHITE HOUSE ,- ia4-9-|866.

4, 1861, and in his inaugural address he declared the union of the states to be perpetual, secession to be illegal, and his purpose " to hold, occupy and possess the property and places belonging to the government and to collect the duties and im- posts." He also declared that the position of the Republican party regarding slavery was to prevent its extension, but not to interfere with the institution in states where it already lawfully existed. On April 12, 1861, the Confederates opened fire on Fort Sumter and continued the bombardment until the fort was rendered un- tenable, and as the reinforcements and provisions sent by the Star of the West, which reached the harbor Jan. 9, 1861, failed to reach the fort, Major Anderson had no choice but to surrender, which he did April 13, 1861, and he evacuated the fort April 14. This action on the part of the South aroused great consternation in the North and political differences were largely forgotten in the desire to preserve the Union. On April 15, 1861, the