Question

While abraham lincoln helped usher in a political era dominated by the republicans, the next shift, to the democrats, came more than 70 years later because of

Answer 1

The shift to the Democrats after the Republican era of Abraham Lincoln involved the Republican Party uniting to support abolition and rebranding as the National Union Party to attract War Democrats. The groundwork for this political transition was laid by abolitionists and the moral influence of evangelical Protestantism. Opposition came from Peace Democrats, who challenged Lincoln's wartime expansion of presidential power.

Step-by-step explanation:

The political shift from the Republican-dominated era that Abraham Lincoln helped usher in to a Democratic-dominated one over 70 years later can be attributed to complex changes in the political landscape at the time. During Lincoln's era, internal strife within the Republican Party led to a need for greater unification, as many were opposed to the Civil War and to emancipation. The Republican Party, in an effort to build a coalition, rebranded itself as the National Union Party, successfully encouraging War Democrats to support Lincoln, who promoted abolition as a precursor to peace while offering a platform that could draw bipartisan support.

The rise of the Republican Party in the years preceding the Civil War was heavily influenced by the abolitionist movement and figures like Frederick Douglass. Their efforts, although supported by a minority, laid the groundwork for a more moderate, anti-slavery party, allowing Lincoln to emerge as a more appealing option compared to radical abolitionists. The ethical drive from evangelical Protestantism also galvanized the work of abolitionists, setting a moral context for the Republican platform.

Opposition to Lincoln during the Civil War was primarily from the Peace Democrats, who criticized his expansion of presidential power and constitutionality of his acts. Despite the controversy, civil liberties such as freedom of speech and the press were maintained, albeit within a context of significant wartime constraints. This political environment helped define the emergency measures and policies that would influence later shifts in political allegiance.