Section #1 - The Congressmen Who Built Then Broke The Union
Chapter 107: The Democrat Party initially fails to nominate a presidential candidate.
On April 23, 1860, a confident Stephen Douglas arrives at the Democrat’s presidential nominating convention in Charleston. He is met there by southern delegates angry that he opposed the Lecompton Constitution, that his PopSov plan blew up in Kansas, and that he failed to pass Jefferson Davis’ call for a formal amendment to sanction slavery.
On Day 5 Douglas is shocked when a platform vote on slavery ends with nine southern states walk out. Nevertheless he pushes through a series of 57 nominating ballots before it becomes clear that he cannot get the 2/3rd majority set by the convention rules.
He gives up on May 1 while calling for a follow-up gathering in Baltimore on June 18.