How the Union Pulled Off a Presidential Election During the Civil War

[thucythucy]

2. It seems odd to say, but the south seceding

was a great boost to progressive politics.

With southern senators and congressmen gone legislation such as the Homestead Act was finally passed.

And a number of Supreme Court and other federal judges resigned to join the Confederacy, allowing Lincoln and progressive Republicans to reshape the courts entirely.

One of history's many ironies, that.