Election nights pass in an atmosphere of exhaustion and relief as our presidential campaign cycles lengthen. Ask people how they feel on the eve of the election and you’ll probably hear, “I just want it to be over.” We don’t know if the winner will be announced on November 5 or later. But ultimately, there will be a winner, and no matter when it happens, either Donald J. Trump or Kamala Harris stands on the winner’s podium, their words will set the tone for the days and years to come.

What do the American people want to hear, no matter who is there? As a passionate student of the remarkable history of our great nation, I can say that they want to hear a message of unity, not division.

Our forty-first President, George Herbert Walker Bushwas not known for his graceful speech. However, on the night of November 8, 1988, after winning the presidency, he struck an eloquent tone as he moved from campaigning to governing. “A campaign,” he said, “is disagreement, and disagreements divide, but an election is a decision, and decisions pave the way for harmony and peace.”

Vice President George HW Bush greets a crowd of supporters on November 5, 1988. Bush and his running mate Dan Quayle defeated Michael Dukakis in the November 8, 1988 presidential election.

It seemed to me that the ability to distinguish between the confrontational nature of a campaign and the pragmatic unification demanded by governance was a perfect description of the democratic process first executed by the Founders. Bush said he knew people were bruised by the fight, but he hoped they could continue to work together for the good of the nation.

Calls for unity have been a common thread in election night speeches, regardless of the divisions in our campaigns.

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On November 5, 1952, Dwight Eisenhower learned that he had won the election and began heading towards the ballroom where his supporters were gathered. He had just responded to a gracious telegram of concession from his opponent, Adlai Stevenson. Upon arrival in the ballroom, Eisenhower read his response to his supporters. “I thank you for your courteous and generous message. Recognizing the intensity of the difficulties that await us, it is clearly necessary that men and women of good will from both parties forget the political conflicts through which we have gone and devote themselves to only goal of a better future. This is what I believe they will do. Eisenhower then warned the crowd that the only way to succeed in the presidency was to be a united people. better for America, for our children and our grandchildren.”

Three Days in January: Dwight Eisenhower’s Final Mission was released in 2017.

Not all presidents-elect, proud of their victory, turn to the other side, but most do. The most dramatic case is probably that Abraham Lincoln’s re-election in 1864, while the country was at war. The war showed no signs of slowing down and the future was uncertain. Unity seemed impossible.

Speaking to a crowd, Lincoln emphasized that the question had long been, now more urgent, whether the nation could be strong enough to maintain its existence in the worst emergency. He noted that the election “demonstrated that a popular government can maintain national elections in the midst of a great civil war.” Until now, the world has not known that this was a possibility. how strong we still are. » Lincoln asked his supporters to show good will toward their adversaries and expressed his hope that a unified nation could endure. The war ended the following year.

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), sixteenth president of the United States, served as president during the American Civil War of 1861-1865.

Unity did not come easily after the war, and the years following Lincoln’s assassination were tumultuous. In 1868, Republicans turned to war hero General Ulysses S. Grant, believing he was the one who could bring the nation together. Grant was a reluctant candidate, but he was clear about his mission. His written acceptance of his nomination contained the phrase that would become his rallying cry as president: “Let us have peace.”

To Save the Republic: Ulysses S. Grant, the Fragile Union, and the Crisis of 1876

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There have been other controversial times. When Richard Nixon stood before his supporters late on the night of November 6, 1968, to declare victory over Vice President Hubert Humphrey, the party war in Vietnam was at its peak and masses of anti-war demonstrators filled the streets. The elections were difficult and many believe that the foundations of democracy are threatened.

Once again, there was doubt that unity was possible. But that night, Nixon told a story about unity. On the trail, he said, he had seen many campaign signs. “Some of them were not friendly, and some of them were very friendly. But the one that touched me the most was the one I saw in Deshler, Ohio, at the end of a long day of denunciation, a small town I guess five times, the population was there at dusk, almost impossible to see, but a teenager held up a sign “Bring us together.” American people. It will be an open administration, open to new ideas, open to men and women of both parties, open to critics as well as to those who support us.

Conciliatory gestures from winners are important, as are offers of support from those who lost. In the event of defeat, many presidential candidates take the podium, crushed by defeat but raising their heads to defend the principles of democracy. Some can still inspire us.

“The Nation has spoken,” Alf Landon wrote to Franklin Roosevelt on November 4, 1936. “Every American will accept the verdict and work for the common cause of the good of our country. This is the spirit of democracy.”

In 1948, Thomas Dewey, who might have been shocked to lose since the media had declared him the winner at one point during the vote count, conceded to Harry Truman these generous words: “My sincerest congratulations on your election and all my best wishes for a successful administration. I urge all Americans to unite behind you in support of all efforts to keep our nation strong and free and to establish world peace.

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And Walter Mondale, after a humiliating defeat by a landslide Ronald Reagan in 1984, spoke truly inspiring words about who we are as a nation, articulating the essence of America: “Once again tonight, the American people, in town halls, in homes, in barracks firefighters, in libraries, chose the most powerful occupant of power. their choice was made peacefully, with dignity and majesty, and although I would have preferred to have won, tonight we rejoice in our democracy, we rejoice in the freedom of a wonderful people, and we accept their verdict. people of America for hearing my case.”

Reagan, in his 1984 election night remarks, spoke of the higher calling, shared by citizens and candidates alike. “Here in America, the people are in charge,” he said. “And that’s really why we’re here tonight. This election victory belongs to you and the principles to which you cling – principles founded on the brilliance and courage of patriots more than 200 years ago. They have blazed the trail to freedom and hope that makes our country special in the world.”

Presidents Reagan, Ford, Carter and Nixon. (Photo by: HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

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The reminder of who we are and who we will become takes on special significance on the eve of the 2024 elections. On July 4, 2026, roughly halfway through the next presidential term, we will celebrate America’s 250th birthday, date on which the founding document of the nation, the Declaration of Independencewas signed.

It was the beginning of the United States of America. Unity is in our name.

Bret Baier is the New York Times bestselling author of five presidential biographies. Click here to visit Bret Baier’s books.

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