Team of Rivals

    The Republican Party was formed in 1854 by a coalition of anti-Slavery Whigs, Know Nothing Party members, Free Soil Party members, and Democrats who were upset over the Kansas-Nebraska Act.  These men believed in "free soil, free labor, free speech and free men" and quickly found strong followings in New York, New England, and the Midwest.  The first Republican candidate for President was John Fremont, who finished strong in the election of 1856.  After his defeat, Republican politicians began to prepare for the next election.

The Republican Convention of 1860 was held in the city of Chicago.  For many Americans this was a sign of change occurring in the country.  Chicago was a new city, a symbol of American growth and expansion.  Thirty years before the Convention there were only a few dozen residents of the city which had then grown to over 100,000.  Chicago was the fastest growing city in the United States, and in May of 1860 history was going to take place. 

The front runners for the Republican Presidential nomination were Senator William Seward from New York, Governor of Ohio Salmon Chase, and Edward Bates from Missouri.

Many Republicans assumed that Seward would win the nomination with no problem.  On advice from his campaign manager Seward and his family embarked on a five month tour of Europe right before the Convention to enjoy some peace and quiet.  While Seward and his wife looked forward to spending time with their family abroad, his campaign was in dire straits.

  For years Seward had called for the abolition of slavery citing that is was immoral.  Seward also campaigned for the rights of immigrant groups while serving in the Senate.  The powerful publisher Horace Greeley had once supported Seward, but now was campaigning against him.  If nominated he would perform well in the North, but he was to radical to win any votes in the important border states.  For many Republicans, Seward was now a liability and would be unable to win the Presidential election.

Salmon Chase was a former member of both the Whig and Free Soil Parties.  A former Whig Senator he was an outspsoken critic of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and became convinced that it would be impossible to work with Democrats.  He was elected Governor from the “Free Soil Party” which stood for an end to the expansion of slavery. While governor of Ohio he campaigned for women’s rights, prison reforms, and public education.  Chase made the fateful blunder of not choosing a campaign manager, instead relying on his elder daughter Kate to handle his campaign.  While other candidates had sent supporters to Chicago to speak on their behalf, Chase did not. As a result many delegates were unfamiliar with his work.

Edward Bates had been a lawyer and politician in Missouri for a number of years.  He had served in the Missouri Senate and the House of Representatives.  Even though he was a member of the Whig Party, Bates had been a supporter of the Know Nothing Party in 1856, and by doing this he  lost support of various immigrant groups in the United States. “If Bates is ever nominated…the German Republicans in the other states would never vote for him; I for one would not, and I would advise my countrymen to the same effect.”