Learn about Lincoln’s Reelection

Abraham Lincoln is widely thought of as one of the nation’s best presidents. However, he nearly lost his reelection bid in 1864.

Todd Arrington, site manager at James A. Garfield National Historic Site, revisits 1864 when Lincoln hoped to win a second term. But Democratic candidate George B. McClellan didn’t make it easy, and voters were split between those who thought the Civil War needed to continue and those who wanted to make peace with the Confederacy.

This talk is part of a monthly series on the leaders and legacies of the Civil War that is hosted by the James A. Garfield National Historic Site and Mentor Public Library. Several talks in this series can be viewed online in their entirety including:

• Antietam: The Deadliest Day in US History
• Juneteenth: The Significance of June 19
• The Atlanta Campaign
• Gettysburg
• The Fourteenth Amendment
• The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
• Life & Legacy of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain