In the 1860’s, the Supreme Court was a ‘partisan creature’ and President Lincoln and the Republican Party remade it so that it reflected the party’s priorities.
Soldiers and African American workers standing near caskets and dead bodies covered with cloths during Grant’s Overland Campaign.
Matthew Brady/Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Lincoln’s chances of reelection in 1864 were dim. He was presiding over a bloody civil war, and the public was losing confidence in him. But he steadfastly rejected pleas to postpone the election.
A meeting of President Abraham Lincoln and his Cabinet.
Internet Book Archive/Flickr
When fighting a lethal foe on home soil, Lincoln expertly managed leading politicians; related well with the people; and dealt clearly with the military.
Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase presided over the Senate during President Andrew Johnson’s impeachment trial.
Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper/Wikimedia Commons