1850 American Gold Tycoon

Chapter 601 The Republican Winner

Following the Simon Cameron corruption scandal, William Seward made extreme statements that were inconsistent with his status.

The originally talented Republican Party is running out of candidates who can represent the Republican Party in the election for the sixteenth president. Only Governor Salmon Chase of Ohio and Abraham Lincoln of Illinois remained.

Salmon Chase and Abraham Lincoln had similar life experiences, and both were examples of America's counterattack from humble beginnings. In addition, the two men's status in the Republican Party is also about the same.

But outside the party, Lincoln's influence and appeal were much greater than Salmon Chase.

Northern people outside of Ohio may not have heard of Salmon Chase or who he was, but they must have heard of Abraham Lincoln.

Over the years, Lincoln's footprints were almost everywhere in cities in the northern states, leaving his voice in the squares and taverns of these cities. Lincoln's years of hard work and steady progress within the party, secretly consolidating his own strength, finally paid off today.

Therefore, Lincoln had an advantage in the competition with Salmon Chase, the last Republican rival.

Shortly after receiving the Republican Party's presidential nomination, in September 1860, Lincoln came to the Federal Building in Manhattan, New York, to deliver a speech.

The Federal Building in Manhattan was packed, and the New York audience was waiting with great anticipation for the Republican rookie to take the stage to speak.

But when Lincoln actually appeared on the podium, the New York audience who had never seen Lincoln were all disappointed.

Lincoln was very tall, a little ridiculously tall, like a giant in a circus.

He was wearing a large and rough suit. He looked a little weird and had a very vulgar appearance. He had a long, desolate head, and the hair on his face was not very cleanly shaved.

Lincoln's image is completely different from the image of the perfect politician in New Yorkers' minds. Rather than being like an outstanding Republican politician, Lincoln is more like a vulgar expander of the West.

But soon, Lincoln used his sharp and harsh voice to make the New York audience ignore his poor external image.

“When I first came to work in Washington, D.C. still allowed the slave trade. It was also the first time my young children saw black slaves.

My child pointed at the shackled black slaves with whip marks all over their bodies and asked me: Dad, who are they?

I was stunned, and then told him that these people were black slaves from the South.

My child felt incredible and asked me: Are they Americans?

I answered yes, and my child felt even more confused. He asked me, America is a free country. Why do slaves exist in a free country?

Faced with this question, I was speechless and have yet to give my child an answer.

Children are often innocent and kind-hearted. I don’t know if you are here, if your children ask you such questions in the future, how will you answer them? "

Yes, the United States is a free country. Why do slaves exist in a free country?

The answer is obvious, that is, at the beginning of the establishment of the Constitution, the definition of human beings by the founding fathers of the United States did not include black people.

The trend of the world is overwhelming. If you follow it, you will prosper; if you go against it, you will perish.

Lincoln clenched his fists on the podium. In the 19th century, when human society was gradually becoming more civilized, the abolition of the slave trade and slavery was the general trend.

"Britain abolished the slave trade in 1807.

The Netherlands abolished the slave trade by decree in 1814

France abolished the slave trade by decree in 1815.

Spain abolished the slave trade by decree in 1820.

Portugal abolished the slave trade in 1836.

Even Brazil, which is in the same America as us, announced the abolition of the slave trade ten years ago, in 1850!

We pride ourselves on being the world's first democratic republic and are proud of our superior institutions, but what have we done to abolish slavery?

Since the African Slave Trade Suppression Act came into effect on January 1, 1808, we have done nothing except legally prohibiting the import of slaves from Africa."

With the momentum of a mature statesman, Lincoln discussed with the audience the practical future path for the crumbling country of the United States.

Although the above-mentioned countries have abolished the slave trade, private slave trade still exists among the people and has been banned repeatedly, but the United States is the only country that allows slavery to exist in half of its country.

Lincoln believed that if the cancer of slavery continued to exist, it would exterminate the civilized world and shake the foundation of the United States.

The foundation of the United States is the Declaration of Independence. The principles of natural rights in the Declaration of Independence include the rights of all people to be born equal and enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

The existence of the evil slavery today has shaken the Declaration of Independence and the values ​​that many Americans believe in.

Liberty and equality are the cornerstones of the founding of the United States. Lincoln knew very well that the young country of the United States has been able to exist for 84 years, and people of different ethnic groups can unite under the Stars and Stripes, precisely because the residents of these New World believe that everyone All are created equal, have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and believe in the American Dream.

Once the citizens of the United States no longer believe in these ideals, wake up from their dreams, and find that they have been deprived of the opportunity to dream, the problem that America will face will not only be as simple as division, but the entire country will cease to exist. .

Lincoln believed that the current situation of the United States was more dangerous than during the Revolutionary War, because this time they had to face not any powerful enemy from abroad, but themselves.

If America does not reshape its values ​​and embark on the right path, the country of the United States will disappear from the map in less than ten years.

There are only two roads left for the United States. One is to reverse history and become a complete slave country. The other is to abolish slavery and become a truly free country. There is no possibility for two contradictory systems to continue to exist in the same country.

"Mr. Lincoln, the Southerners suspected that the Republicans instigated John Brown's Gileadite Confederate armed forces to attack Harbors Ferry and launch a rebellion. As far as I know, after this incident, the South was divided between the Senate and the House of Representatives. All Republican congressmen conducted an investigation to try to prove the connection between the Republican Party and this rebellion. What do you think of this matter?"

A reporter from the "New York Evening Post" sitting in the front row asked Lincoln. He wanted to know Lincoln's attitude towards John Brown. He also wanted to know whether John Brown's rebellion was really an armed attack commanded by the Republican Party, as the South claimed. Rebellion.

All the audience's eyes were focused on Lincoln on the podium, and the audience was full of expectations for Lincoln's next answer.

Lincoln calmly faced thousands of pairs of eyes staring at him, straightened the collar of his suit, and spoke righteously.

"First, I need to correct your question. Our hero John Brown's raid into Virginia was not a rebellion, but an uprising instigated by the white man among the local slaves. It was an act of justice, Rather than a rebellion.

As for who is supporting John Brown behind the scenes, whether the people supporting John Brown are Republicans or non-Republicans, I just want to say one thing to this person: Well done! "

Lincoln's short and powerful reply earned him a standing ovation.

John Brown was born into a poor Puritan family. His followers were either the working people at the bottom who were from the same poor background as him or the black slaves who were liberated by him. They were all a group of extremely poor people.

The Gileadite Alliance suddenly obtained enough weapons and ammunition, as well as gold to hire other militants to go deep into Virginia to launch an uprising. Lincoln would naturally not believe that no one secretly gave John Brown support.

After the John Brown incident, the Republican Party also conducted an internal investigation. The results of the investigation showed that the funders supporting John Brown were indeed not Republicans.

Since it is not the Republicans who support the Alliance of Gilead, an extreme abolitionist force, to go to the south to cause trouble and launch an uprising, then who is the financial backer behind the Alliance of Gilead?

Although Lincoln had no evidence, he already had the answer in his mind.

The biggest beneficiary of John Brown's uprising was not the Republican Party, let alone the South, nor their mortal enemy the Democratic Party.

It was his old friend in the western region. After this incident, the federal government had to shift its attention to the eastern region and had no choice but to do anything about the unauthorized military expansion in the west.