1892 United States Presidential Election (Brothers No More)

The United States Presidential Election of 1892, the 27th U.S. presidential election, took place on November 8, 1892. National American William McKinley defeated incumbent Democratic President John G. Carlisle and Populist candidate James B. Weaver.

Background
President John G. Carlisle had led an eventful four years. His first two years focused on passing civil service reform, a feat he accomplished in 1890. He was also very anti-Confederate in that time, in an attempt to overcome skepticism that came with his Southerness. His anti-Confederate rhetoric picked up in 1891 and 1892, as he even convinced Congress to levy harsh tariffs on the Union's southern neighbor. The election of John Tyler Morgan in the South began a feud between the two men that nearly started a second war between the U.S. and C.S. In that turbulent and uncertain environment, the National Americans sought to present themselves as the party of safety and stability.

Democratic Nomination
The Democratic National Convention was held from June 21-23, 1892, in Chicago. President Carlisle was nominated unanimously on the first ballot, with his vice president Daniel W. Vorhees once again joining the ticket as his running mate.

National American Nomination
The National American National Convention was held from June 15-20, 1892, in Baltimore. The main front runners were Benjamin Harrison and William McKinley. James G. Blaine also received some support, despite denying all interest in the nomination. Harrison nearly won on the 1st and 3rd ballots (as he was expected to from the start), but McKinley began to win more and more support as the voting went on. He was nominated on the 7th ballot. Morgan Bulkeley, Governor of Connecticut, was nominated for vice president.

Populist Nomination
The new Populist Party was formed with the goal of catering to Western farmers who felt they had been neglected by the government. They nominated James B. Weaver of Iowa for president and James G. Field for vice president.

The Campaign
The 1892 presidential campaign was largely overshadowed by the growing tension between the U.S. and the Confederacy. It seemed that the two nations were heading on a straight path to war. As Carlisle repeatedly lambasted the C.S. and its president, McKinley tried to stay out of the fray and instead presented himself as the anti-war alternative. It is thought that the prospect of war dominated this campaign unlike any other issues- if you were an anti-war Democrat, for example, you probably voted for McKinley. Weaver also claimed to be anti-war, providing the best alternative for those sick of the petty politics taking place between North and South.

On the day before the election, the Confederate Congress came three votes short of declaring war on the United States. This caused a panic within the U.S. Everyone was forced to truly consider whether they wanted war or not- for most, the answer was no.

Results and Aftermath
It is thought that the panic over the Confederate war vote gave McKinley an even larger victory than he would've had. On the domestic level, Carlisle had done a good enough job for reelection. He had fixed the corruption issue (running a corruption-free administration in his own right) and brought a good economy. His main worry was that he might be seen as some sort of Confederate sympathizer due to his Southern roots. In order to prove that he was loyal to the Union, he went above and beyond in his opposition to the Confederacy, almost bringing the two nations to war. Ironically, that war mongering is probably what lost him the election.

President McKinley had barely moved into the White House when an economic crisis hit the country. This crisis, probably caused in large part by Carlisle's tariffs, dominated McKinley's time as president. Even though it was clearly not his fault, the new president got most of the blame for the bad economy and was unable to win his own reelection in 1896.