Bargains from Baltimore: Presidential Politics and the National Union Convention

This paper examines the complex political dynamics leading to the National Union Convention of 1864 and the pivotal decisions surrounding Abraham Lincoln's renomination for president and Andrew Johnson's unexpected vice-presidential nomination. It explores how the internal fractures within the Republican Party, including tensions with Radical Republicans and War Democrats, shaped the convention's outcomes. By analyzing the interplay of political pragmatism, regional allegiances, and the wartime context, this study reevaluates the historiographical debate on Lincoln's role in Johnson's nomination. Drawing from primary and secondary sources, it challenges the notion of Johnson's selection as merely a "nomination of circumstance," instead framing it as a calculated move to strengthen Lincoln's electoral appeal amid the pressures of war and Reconstruction. This paper situates the convention's outcomes within the broader context of 19th-century American politics and highlights the enduring impact of these decisions on the nation's trajectory during and after the Civil War.