With tumult raging in Kansas, and torn between an increasing
tide of radicalism in both the pro-slave South and the abolitionist North,
the Democrats suffered heavy losses in the midterm elections of
1858. The beneficiaries of this sectional rivalry were the Republicans,
who picked up seats across the northern and western states, and
firmed up their position as a legitimate opposition party.
In a symbolic act that captured the imagination of some
and roused the indignation of others, John Brown struck again in
October of 1859, this time at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Already
notorious for his massacre at Pottawatomie Creek and a succeeding
slave-liberation raid in Missouri, this time Brown made the attempt
to seize a federal arsenal with the intention of instigating a slave
revolt.
President Buchanan sent in troops at once, and Brown was
seized by a company led by Generals Robert E. Lee and J. E. B.
Stuart. Summarily tried and executed, Brown became a hero and
martyr to abolitionists nationwide. Meanwhile, more moderate politicians like
Seward and Lincoln himself denounced Brown for his lawlessness,
which to them eclipsed his righteous cause.
When Lincoln learned that the Republican nominating convention
for the 1860 elections would be held in Chicago, he decided to officially
announce his candidacy for the presidency. This was in fact a
calculated political move, done less in the hopes of actual success
than out of a desire to win his home state delegates and improve his
chances for the 1864 senatorial campaign. However, once in the presidential
ring, the momentum began to gather, and after a rousing speech
at New York City's Cooper Institute, Lincoln emerged as a definite
contender for the nomination. Finding himself a legitimate candidate,
Lincoln admitted to a friend that "the taste is in
my mouth a little."
Meanwhile, the strife-ridden Democratic Party met on April
23 in Charleston, South Carolina in hopes of ironing out their
differences. Although Douglas was the party favorite, his loyalty
to popular sovereignty above and beyond the Dred Scott decision
did not sit well with the southern constituency. In an attempt
to win back his southern critics, Douglas had pushed a sedition
law through Congress, suppressing all declarations against slavery
in public or private.
But such measures were a sidestep from the true controversy, which
revolved around the place of slavery in the territories. And in this,
Douglas and his allies refused to budge. After the northern wing
of the party defeated a motion to protect slavery in the territories,
the threat of an actual split became a reality. The delegates from
Alabama led a dramatic exodus out of the convention, followed by
representatives from Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina, Florida,
Texas and scattered other states.
