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 Lincoln and the Republicans

 


 “The Last Rail Split by ‘Honest Old Abe’”
  Cartoonist:  Unknown
  Source:  Wide-Awake Pictorial
  Date:   November 1, 1860, p. 6

Click to see a large version of this cartoon...

Click to see a large version of this cartoon

Complete HarpWeek Explanation:
In order to appeal to average voters, Republicans emphasized the poor, hardworking origin of their candidate through the myth of Abraham Lincoln as a rail-splitter. This cartoon in the Wide-Awake Pictorial plays on that image by joking that the last rail he split is the Democratic Party in 1860, which divided into Northern and Southern factions.

 

 

 

 
 

 

     
 

 

 
     
 

 

 
     
 

 

 

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