1848: Lincoln Keeps His Mouth Shut

In 1848, a then unknown representative from Illionois named Abraham Lincoln blasted James K. Polk's recently concluded war with Mexico as unecessary adventurism (making him sort of the Ron Paul of his day). But what if Lincoln hadn't spoken out? Would he have remained in relative obscurity for the rest of his Senate career? And would the Republican Party have managed to survive without him later on?
 
Last edited:
Keeping his mouth shut in this one instance, probably doesn't do anything to alter Lincoln's future. As long as you have the same man with the same beliefs and personality, he would have managed to make his beliefs known in a thousand other ways. He could have spoken up in another instance, etc.
 
In 1848, a then unknown representative from Illionois named Abraham Lincoln blasted James K. Polk's recently concluded war with Mexico as unecessary adventurism (making him sort of the Ron Paul of his day). But what if Lincoln hadn't spoken out? Would he have remained in relative obscurity for the rest of his Senate career? And would the Republican Party have managed to survive without him later on?
Charles C. Fremont was the first Presidential candidate as a Republican. The man was a first class fool, but such was the foundation of the GOP that he STILL made a very respectable showing. Lincoln's rising to the top of the GOP was inevitable, considering his strengths and his 1860 convention opponents.
 
A few thoughts on this interesting topic:
1. Lincoln's speech in which he demanded that Polk identify the exact "spot" on which "Amercian blood had been shed on American soil" was an attempt to get the President to admit that the first skirmish of the war had actually been fought on disputed territory or, worse yet, on Mexican territory.
2. The speech was a failure as Polk ignored it and it resulted in Lincoln being called "Spotty" for some time.
3. The "Spot" speech did not actually adversely affect Lincoln's career in the House. The Whigs of his district had already agreed on the concept of "rotation in office" so Lincloln could not run for re-election and he returnd to Springfield after his one term to resume his legal carreer.
4. Lincloln became the leader of the Whigs in the Illinois legislature and the Spot speech was largely forgotten.
5. When Lincoln returned to national politics as a candidate for the Senate in 1854 the Mexican War was largely an old issue and the fight among the Whigs, the Democrats and the newly forming Republicans was on other issues, most importantly that of expansion of slavery. Lincoln was the leading candidate of the anti slavery coalition in 1854 but could not quite win a majority in the legislature and eventually gave way to an anti-slavery Democrat.
5. When Lincoln ran for the Senate again in 1858, I do not believe that his Spot speech was an issue, although I am sure that at least some supporters of Douglas referred to him at some point in the campaign as Spotty Lincoln just for old times sake.

AH
 
Top