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→Civil War and aftermath
The Republican Party was beginning a 50-year era of dominance (1858-1910). During the war, Northern Democrats divided into two factions, [[War Democrats]], who supported the military policies of President Lincoln, and [[Copperheads]], who strongly opposed them. Historian Kenneth Stampp has captured the Copperhead spirit in his depiction of Democratic Congressman Daniel W. Voorhees of Indiana:
The Republican Party was beginning a 50-year era of dominance (1858-1910). During the war, Northern Democrats divided into two factions, [[War Democrats]], who supported the military policies of President Lincoln, and [[Copperheads]], who strongly opposed them. Historian Kenneth Stampp has captured the Copperhead spirit in his depiction of Democratic Congressman Daniel W. Voorhees of Indiana:
{{quotebox-float|There was an earthy quality in Voorhees, "the tall sycamore of the Wabash." On the stump his hot temper, passionate [[partisan]]ship, and stirring eloquence made an irresistible appeal to the western Democracy. His bitter cries against [[Protectionism|protective]] [[tariff]]s and national banks, his intense [[race prejudice]], his suspicion of the eastern Yankee, his devotion to personal liberty, his defense of the Constitution and state rights faithfully reflected the views of his constituents. Like other Jacksonian agrarians he resented the political and economic revolution then in progress. Voorhees idealized a way of life which he thought was being destroyed by the current rulers of his country. His bold protests against these dangerous trends made him the idol of the Democracy of the Wabash Valley.<ref>Stampp, 211.</ref>}}
{{quotebox-float|There was an earthy quality in Voorhees, "the tall sycamore of the Wabash." On the stump his hot temper, passionate [[partisan]]ship, and stirring eloquence made an irresistible appeal to the western Democracy. His bitter cries against [[Protectionism|protective]] [[tariff]]s and national banks, his intense [[race prejudice]], his suspicion of the eastern Yankee, his devotion to personal liberty, his defense of the Constitution and state rights faithfully reflected the views of his constituents. Like other Jacksonian agrarians he resented the political and economic revolution then in progress. Voorhees idealized a way of life which he thought was being destroyed by the current rulers of his country. His bold protests against these dangerous trends made him the idol of the Democracy of the Wabash Valley.<ref>Stampp, 211.</ref>}}
[[File:Leaders of the Democratic Party.jpg|left|300px|thumb| Leaders of the Democratic Party. The Butcher Forrest is [[Nathan Bedford Forrest]], founder of the [[Ku Klux Klan]].<br>''Library of Congress''<ref>[https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2008661705/ Leaders of the Democratic Party : The rioter Seymour ... The butcher Forrest ... The pirate Semmes ... The hangman Hampton ...], Thomas Nast, 1868. Library of Congress.</ref>]]
In 1860 the Democrats were unable to stop the election of Republican [[Abraham Lincoln]], even as they feared his election would lead to civil war. The party was divided between North and South. The northern wing nominated Douglas, and the southern wing nominated Vice President [[John C. Breckinridge]]. Douglas campaigned across the country and came in second in the popular vote, but carried only Missouri. Breckinridge carried 11 slave states.
The heart of Democrat Resistance in the North resided in New York. The New York City draft riots (July 13–16, 1863) were the largest civil and racially-charged insurrection in American history, aside from the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] itself. Initially intended as a protest against the draft, it turned into a race riot. Workers feared free black people would compete for jobs. Black people throughout the city were attacked. 120 people were killed, public buildings, churches, homes of various abolitionists or sympathizers, and many black homes were ransacked or destroyed. The Colored Orphan Asylum was burnt to the ground.
The heart of Democrat Resistance in the North resided in New York. The New York City draft riots (July 13–16, 1863) were the largest civil and racially-charged insurrection in American history, aside from the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] itself. Initially intended as a protest against the draft, it turned into a race riot. Workers feared free black people would compete for jobs. Black people throughout the city were attacked. 120 people were killed, public buildings, churches, homes of various abolitionists or sympathizers, and many black homes were ransacked or destroyed. The Colored Orphan Asylum was burnt to the ground.