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How 'mixed race' became a political weapon in the 1864 election? You'd never guess!
In American history, 1864 was not only a year in the course of the Civil War, but also a critical moment when the term "racial mixture" first appeared on the political stage. The concept of "miscegenation" and its accompanying legal and social controversies not only affected the political situation at the time, but also provided an important background for the future civil rights movement and race relations.
In 1863, an anonymous propaganda pamphlet "Mertiterrane: The Theory of the Mixture of Whites and Blacks in the United States" was published. The author advocated intermarriage between whites and blacks in an exaggerated manner in an attempt to arouse resentment against the Republican Party's position. . This approach was unprecedentedly sophisticated and aimed to link the Republican position to the concept of "mixed race", which was still rejected by most white people at the time.
The pamphlet argued that the Republican stance would lead to intermarriage between whites and blacks, thereby further causing social disorder.
The political climate at that time was very tense. The concept of white supremacy was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and voices opposing the freedom and rights of black people were rising one after another. The concept of "racial miscegenation" presented in the pamphlet was used to stoke dissatisfaction with the then-leading Republican Party and its policies. Some people actually try to tie quite radical views to the Republican Party. This is undoubtedly using this socially sensitive topic to manipulate the emotions of voters.
In the 1864 election, the Democratic Party benefited greatly from this pamphlet. They strengthened the election by spreading the narrative of "racial miscegenation under Republican leadership" and shaped voters' hostility to Republican policies. In fact, this tactic proved to be a difficult election challenge for Abraham Lincoln, who had to emphasize his position at length in a debate with his opponent Stephen Douglas, insisting that the state's laws did not allow whites to compete with Black people get married.
Lincoln emphasized during the debate: "I support the laws of the State of Illinois, which prohibit whites from marrying blacks."
In the United States during this period, society's attention to racial issues continued to rise, and the discussion of racial mixing triggered widespread social repercussions. Compared with the more open concept of the north, the economic and social structure of the south is more conservative, and the rejection of "mixed blood" has become increasingly obvious. This reaction is not limited to relationships between individuals, but also occurs at the legal level. For example, in some states, anti-mixed-race laws strictly prohibit interracial marriages.
After the election of 1864, the public and political discussion of "racial miscegenation" remained hot. Although this strategy of the Democratic Party worked in the short term, it also gradually triggered people's profound reflection on specific race relations in the United States. In the following decades, as the civil rights movement progressed, the debate over "racial miscegenation" and its legal status has never subsided.
It is precisely because of social prejudice against race and legal restrictions that it has led to confrontation and contradictions on racial issues in the United States.
Nowadays, the discussion of the concept of "racial mixture", whether at the historical or sociological level, makes people think: How to view and understand the relationship between races is the key to future social unity?
