alternatehistory.com

Let's say that, for whatever reason, Lincoln chooses not to switch horses in mid-stream and keeps Hamlin on the ticket in 1864. I'll be upfront that, AIUI, this is a stretch, since there was considerable pressure to put a War Democrat on the ticket, but let's roll with it for the sake of argument. Despite this, history proceeds as OTL, and Lincoln is still assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. How does Hamlin handle being thrust into the Presidency? How does his Reconstruction policy differ from Johnson's? What are the knock on effects moving into the Reconstruction era?
Top