1864 Election Political Cards

This collection consists of two political cards expressing anti-Democrat sentiment leading up to the presidential election of 1864.

Copperheads, also known as Peace Democrats, were Democrats in the Union who opposed the Civil War in favor of a peace agreement with the Confederates. In the presidential election of 1864, the Democratic Party adopted a platform aligned with Copperheads, advocating for an immediate end to the war. George B. McClellan, a former General in the Union Army, was chosen as the Democratic Party's nominee for president and was ultimately defeated by the incumbent, Abraham Lincoln.

The collection is composed of two printed political cards of anti-Democrat sentiment. The cards are satirical, poking fun at the Copperheads and presidential candidate George B. McClellan in advance of the 1864 election. They include illustrations of a donkey, as well as innuendos and wordplays reflecting recent political and military events.

The Library purchased this collection in 2019 with support from the Dr. Harlan Horner Estate.