President-elect Abraham Lincoln tries to reach out to influential southerners to find some sort of rapidly vanishing middle ground in the unfolding sectional crisis.
Tag: Abraham Lincoln
A Cabinet Appointment: Missouri First on the List
President-elect Abraham Lincoln meets with influential Congressman Francis P. Blair, Jr. and publishes an editorial about possibly bringing a southerner into his cabinet.
A House Divided: Lincoln’s Prophecy
Illinois electors certify Abraham Lincoln’s election as president. Lincoln continues receiving callers, answering mail, looking for cabinet appointees, and downplaying the southern threat of secession. He also considers nominating a political rival to the highest job within his administration.
Compromise Efforts: The Argument Is Exhausted
The U.S. House of Representatives forms a committee to hammer out a compromise between North and South, but both sides show signs of inflexibility.
President Buchanan’s 1860 Message to Congress
The last annual message of James Buchanan’s presidency acknowledges that North and South are “now arrayed against each other.” He offers suggestions on how to resolve the crisis, but he leaves both sections dissatisfied.
The Times Demand a Jackson
President-elect Lincoln continues trying to assure southerners that he will not interfere with the affairs within their states, at the same time downplaying the notion that the South might actually leave the Union.