With a backdrop of political realignment and bitter disputes, the election of 1856 saw the first presidential candidate for the anti-slavery Republican party with John C. Frémont, a Californian senator who had spoken out against the Kansas-Nebraska act (allowing slave-ownership within those states) and supported measures to curb slavery. The... More
As the United States expanded westward so did the issue of slavery. Southerners, forbidden to enter the Union with slaves, felt politically disadvantaged. In 1854 the Republican party was born in order to combat the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which proposed to extend slavery into the territories. Its aims were also to... More
As the Civil War raged on, the election of 1864 included only the states that had not seceded from the Union. The war had lasted longer than expected, there was division within the Republican party over slavery, disagreements over civil liberties and, in the North, voters were disheartened by Lincoln’s... More
The election of 1868 took place during Reconstruction, the turbulent years after the Civil War. Andrew Johnson – the 17th president following the assassination of Lincoln, who was subsequently impeached – failed to be nominated as Democratic candidate. After many failed ballots, politician Horatio Seymour ran for president, offering a... More
Still a popular hero of the Civil War, incumbent Ulysses S. Grant was renominated to run for election by the Radical Republicans to continue their policy of Radical Reconstruction. There was, however, a group of Republican dissidents who split from the main party, calling themselves Liberal Republicans. Their presidential candidate... More
Ulysses S. Grant had set his heart on a third term but the Republican party would not hear of it. Both Republicans and Democrats were clamouring for civil service reforms, and Grant’s sorry record of scandal would have made him a liability. The Republicans finally selected Rutherford B. Hayes, an... More
Rutherford B. Hayes had pledged to be president for only one term, so the Republicans required a new candidate. Some were in favour of former president Ulysses S. Grant, others felt that old issues may re-emerge of he ran again. In the end, James Garfield – better known as a... More
The election of 1884 is significant because New York Governor Grover Cleveland defeated Republican James G. Blaine, making him the first Democratic president in the post-Civil War era. The election was marked by claims of scandal and dishonesty, and became more about the candidates than policy. Blaine was accused of... More
In the 1888 election, the key issue was tariffs. President Cleveland had set the tone in his 1887 State of the Union address when he showed support for lowering the protective tariff that safeguarded domestic industry. This was in stark contrast to the Republicans, who wanted to increase tariffs in... More
Despite Benjamin Harrison not having a popular first term – duty had risen on most imports and there was opposition to pension allocations for Civil War veterans – he was nominated to re-run for office. The Democrats saw the return of former president Grover Cleveland as their candidate, and his... More
1900 saw Republican William McKinley renominated. He was up against Democrat William James Bryan in what was essentially a repeat of the 1896 election. Alongside McKinley, New York Governor and Spanish-American war hero Theodore Roosevelt was running for vice president. Many of the issues were the same as four years... More
Theodore Roosevelt had taken office after the assassination of William McKinley in 1901 by anarchist Leon Czikgisz. He had enjoyed a successful and popular few years, and was nominated to re-run without any opposition. Indiana senator Charles Fairbanks was chosen for vice president. The Democrats nominated Alton B. Parker, chief... More