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 Stephen Douglas and the Democrats

 


 “Our Portrait Gallery—No. 16”
  Cartoonist:  Unknown
  Source:  The Rail Splitter (Chicago)
  Date:   October 6, 1860, p. 1

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

Click to see a large version of this cartoon

Complete HarpWeek Explanation:
The image of a circus acrobat straddling two horses was used against Republican John C. Fremont in 1856 and Democrat George B. McClellan in 1864. In this 1860 cartoon from The Rail Splitter (Chicago), Northern Democrat Stephen Douglas has one foot on the horse “Dred Scott” and the other on the horse “Popular Sovereignty.” The image criticizes him for attempting to appease both Northerners and Southerners on the issue of the expansion of slavery into the Western territories. Douglas is having difficulty staying on the horses and unsuccessfully tries to convince Constitutional Union presidential nominee John Bell (the clown) to take his place.

 

 

 

 
 

 

     
 

 

 
     
 

 

 
     
 

 

 

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