Lincoln's Campaign Biographies

Conclusion: Biographies and Ballots

101 Conclusion: Biogr aphies and Ballots The “Honest Abe, the Rail Splitter” image of Lincoln that emerged from the Illinois and national Republican conventions in the spring of 1860 was appealing to many Northern voters and especially to those voters residing in Western states. Republican leaders like Lincoln who participated in or remembered the Whig “Log Cabin” campaign of 1840—or even the Zachary Taylor “Rough and Ready” campaign of 1848—were acutely aware of the power of imagery and symbolism. If a log cabin and hard cider elected William Henry Harrison then, a log cabin and an axe could elect Abraham Lincoln in 1860. The homespun representation of Lincoln as a rugged , honest, self-made, common man from the West who triumphed over the many challenges encountered in frontier life through hard work, moral as well as physical strength, and an innate rather than a school-learned intelligence, was one to which many Americans, especially those living in similar circumstances, could relate. This image of Lincoln merged with the Republican Party’s platform supporting a free-labor, free-soil ideology that opposed the extension of slavery and advocated government-sponsored economic development. This ideology was promoted by the party at speeches, parades, rallies, and, with the assistance of commercial publishing houses, disseminated though a diverse array of printed matter, such as newspapers, broadsides, prints, songsters, sheet music, and, of course campaign biographies. While many potential voters were 102 | Conclusion introduced to the Lincoln image through various forms of print, they may not have understood completely the larger context of its meaning . Whereas many genres of print provided voters with a snapshot of a candidate’s career and virtues, campaign biographies offered in one place the most extensive amount of information concerning a candidate’s life, character, and qualifications for office. The Republican Party’s nomination in 1860 of a rustic, axe-wielding , self-made Western man of the people captured the attention of the publishing industry and commercial firms. Several publishers, sensing the rags-to-almost-riches story of Lincoln’s life would be profoundly appealing to consumers, issued campaign biographies of the candidate within weeks of his nomination. It appears that, judging by the appearance of multiple editions and variants, a few of these biographies sold well. That several of these publications regularly appear in today’s market indicates that at least two or three had large print runs, indicating the publisher’s assumption that they would sell. While the cloth editions of Lincoln’s campaign biographies, averaging one dollar in price, were beyond the financial reach of many Americans, biographies issued in paper wrappers, ranging in price from twenty-five to fifty cents, were affordable to many. When Lincoln ran for reelection in 1864 he was no longer an unknown Western lawyer. He was president of the United States with a record to defend. After three years of a bloody civil war and in the wake of controversial measures concerning habeas corpus, emancipation of the enslaved, confiscation of Confederate property, and institution of a draft, Lincoln required no introduction. He was well known to Northern voters, revered by some and reviled by others. Meanwhile, the “Honest Abe, the Rail-Splitter” image, while inadequate by itself for the 1864 election, retained its appeal and, more important, its relevance, at least to those writing campaign biographies. The image of 1860 was resurrected by biographers to remind voters of the qualities that initially endeared them to Lincoln and how these virtues informed his actions as president. The man who had become the beloved and trusted father figure to loyal Northerners, especially to the brave soldiers who defended the Conclusion | 103 Union, brought to the presidency a strong, moral character, marked by courage, confidence, integrity, and resolve that was shaped by the Western frontier. He was loved by the people because he was one of them; he was trusted by them because they believed in “Honest Abe.” The “Rail Splitter” had become “Father Abraham.” This was the image conveyed through the 1864 Lincoln campaign biographies as well as through other forms of print issued during that election season. Lincoln’s campaign biographies, for the most part, conform to the formula established by writers of previous works of this nature. (The same can also be said of those written on behalf of Douglas, Bell, Breckinridge, and McClellan.) Readers of these works encountered virtues in Lincoln associated with candidates of previous...