Year of meteors : Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, and the election that brought on the Civil War

In early 1860, pundits across America confidently predicted the election of Illinois senator Stephen A. Douglas in the coming presidential race. Douglas, after all, led the only party that bridged North and South. But the Democrats would split over the issue ofslavery, leading Southerners in the party to run their own presidential slate. This opened the door for the upstart Republicans, exclusively Northern, to steal the Oval Office. Dark horse Abraham Lincoln, not the first choice even of his own party, won the presidency with a record-low 39.8 percent of the popular vote. Acclaimed scholar Douglas R. Egerton chronicles the contest with a historian's keen insight and a veteran political reporter's eye for detail. Vividly, Egerton re-creates the cascade of unforeseen events that confounded political bosses, set North and South on the road to disunion, and put not Stephen Douglas, but his greatest rival, in the White House. We see Lincoln and his team outmaneuvering more prominent Republicans, like New York's grandiose William Seward, while Democratic conventions collapse in confusion. And we see the gifted, flawed Douglas marking his finest hour in defeat, as he strives, and fails, to save the Union. Year of Meteors delivers a teeming cast of characters, minor and major, and a breakneck narrative of this most momentous year in American history. "Egerton tells the story of the dissolution of the Union as it should be told, not from the perspective of those looking back on the crisis, but from the clouded vision of those who lived through it." -Carol Berkin, author of A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution and Civil War Wives In early 1860, pundits across America confidently predicted the election of Illinois senator Stephen A. Douglas in the coming presidential race. Douglas, after all, was a national figure, a renowned orator, and led the only party that bridged North and South. But his Democrats fractured over the issue of slavery, creating a splintered four-way race that opened the door for the upstart Republicans, exclusively Northern, to steal the Oval Office. Dark horse Abraham Lincoln-not the first choice even of his own party-won the presidency with a record-low share of the popular vote. His victory instantly triggered the secession crisis. With a historian's keen insight and a veteran political reporter's eye for detail, Douglas R. Egerton re-creates the cascade of unforeseen events that confounded political bosses, set North and South on the road to disunion, and put not Stephen Douglas but his greatest rival in the White House. Year of Meteors delivers a vibrant cast of characters-from the gifted, flawed Douglas to the Southern "fire-eaters," who gleefully sabotaged their own party, to the untested Abraham Lincoln-and a breakneck narrative of this most momentous year in American history. In Early 1860, Pundits And Political Operatives Across America Confidently Predicted The Victory Of Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas In The Coming Presidential Election. Douglas, After All, Led The Democrats, The Only Party That Bridged North And South. But The Democracy Would Splinter Over The Issue Of Slavery, Opening The Way For The Upstart Republicans, Exclusively Northern, To Steal The Oval Office. Dark Horse Abraham Lincoln, Not The First Choice Even Of His Own Party, Won The Presidency With A Record-low Share Of The Popular Vote. Year Of Meteors Re-creates The Cascade Of Events That Confounded Political Bosses, Set North And South On The Road To Disunion, And Put Not Stephen Douglas But His Lifelong Rival In The White House--page 2 Of Cover. Chapter 1. A Nation With Its Hands Full: The Republic On The Eve Of 1860 -- Chapter 2. Douglas Or Nobody: The Democrats -- Chapter 3. Principles And The Duty To Recognize None: The Constitutional Union And Liberty Parties -- Chapter 4. Moving Heaven And Earth: The Republicans -- Chapter 5. Beyond The Power Of Surgery: The Democrats, Again -- Chapter 6. Lincoln Is The Next President. I Will Go South: The Campaigns -- Chapter 7. The Union Is Dissolved: The Lower South Secedes -- Chapter 8. Others To Share The Burden: Two Governments Prepare -- Chapter 9. All Our Labor Is Lost: Compromise Committees And The Washington Peace Conference. Douglas R. Egerton. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.