Rand Abdel-Fattah

Meanwhile, heated political debates were happening in town squares on the home front and among soldiers on the war front.

For many soldiers, abolition was the key issue in this election, whether they were for it or against it.

The last best hope of Earth.

That promise of freedom, of representation for all, which might chart a new path for the world.

But here's the thing.

Regardless of where soldiers fell politically, most of them shared one important thing in common.

They couldn't vote.

Why them?

So, as always, it fell to the states to decide if and how those soldiers would vote.

States began passing laws to give soldiers the vote.

Some instituted absentee voting, which is still around today.

Other states instituted something called proxy voting.

Thing is, even in states where soldiers could vote, questions hung over these new ways of voting and raised concerns about the legitimacy of the election.

The votes were counted.

Among the soldiers, Lincoln got three votes for every one McClellan got.

Before long, it was clear that Lincoln had won the election.

A few days later, Lincoln addressed the nation.

And Rand Abdel-Fattah.

Thank you for listening.

Hey, it's Rand.