eld, disaffection over the draft and taxes, and the failures of army leadership brought Lincoln and the Republicans into the 1864 election with small hope for victory. Party leaders saw the need to broaden the base of the party, and accordingly, they adopted the name National Union party. Andrew JOHNSON of Tennessee, a "War" Democrat, was nominated as Lincoln's running mate. Significant military victories intervened before election day and contributed to Lincoln's overwhelming reelection. After Lincoln's assassination the Radical Republicans, led by Sen. Charles Sumner and Rep. Thaddeus Stevens, fought President Johnson's moderate Reconstruction policies. Ultimately, relations between Johnson and CONGRESS deteriorated, culminating in impeachment of the president; he was acquitted by a single vote.The Republican EraThe defeat of the South left the Democratic party--closely allied with the Confederacy--in shambles. The Republicans, on the other hand, were in the ascendancy. With the election of Ulysses S. GRANT, the Republicans began a period of national dominance that lasted for more than 70 years and was only occasionally breached by a Democratic victory. Between 1860 and 1932 the Democrats controlled the White House for only 16 years. Grant's administration, with its support from the northern industrialists who had made fortunes in the Civil War, became riddled with scandal and corruption--the worst in the nation's history. Grant was not personally involved, however, and was renominated in 1872. A split among the Republicans ensued: the more liberal elements, opposed to the harshness of the Radical Republicans on the Reconstruction issue and the scandals of the administration, broke away and took the name Liberal Republican party. They, along with a faction of the Democratic party, nominated Horace Greeley for president. Despite this opposition, Grant was reelected by a substantial margin. A continuation of the scandals along with the ...
