Peace Movement of 1864

views updated

PEACE MOVEMENT OF 1864

PEACE MOVEMENT OF 1864. In an effort to end the Civil War through a negotiated peace settlement, Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune and Confederate commissioners James P. Holcombe, Clement C. Clay, and Jacob Thompson met at Niagara Falls, Canada, in July 1864. The Confederate representatives insisted on complete southern independence, whereas Greeley presented President Abraham Lincoln's terms of reunion and emancipation. Efforts continued throughout the summer and fall without result.

Lincoln's message to Congress in December stipulated Confederate surrender as the only basis for peace. Visits to Davis by Francis P. Blair Sr. in January 1865, led to the abortive Hampton Roads Conference in February.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Neely, Mark E., Jr. The Fate of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.

Silbey, Joel H. A Respectable Minority: The Democratic Party in the Civil War Era, 1860–1868. New York: Norton, 1977.

Charles H.Coleman/a. g.

See alsoCivil War ; Confederate States of America ; Copperheads ; Democratic Party ; Hampton Roads Conference .

About this article

Peace Movement of 1864

Updated About encyclopedia.com content Print Article