The campaign was marred by anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic rhetoric that touched off the "Bloody Monday" riots in Louisville.

Morehead was a delegate to the Peace Conference of 1861 and the Border States Convention that attempted to stave off the Civil War.

Although he favored Kentucky's neutrality, Morehead sympathized with the South and was an open critic of the Lincoln administration.

[1][5] Following his second term in the legislature, he moved to Frankfort, Kentucky, believing it provided better opportunities for his legal practice.

They made their intentions known on December 11, and by the end of the day, Morehead reported that he had received commitments of support from twenty southern Democrats.

[13] Accordingly, when the Know Nothing candidate for governor, Judge William Loving, withdrew from the race due to failing health, the influx of ex-Whigs nominated Morehead to replace him for the gubernatorial election of 1855.

[13] Though Kentucky had only a small population of immigrants and Catholics, much of Morehead's campaign oratory was directed against these groups.

[6] Most of the state's immigrant and Catholic population resided in Louisville, and tensions there reached a climax with an anti-foreign riot known as "Bloody Monday" on August 6, 1855.

[5] In his inaugural address, Morehead denounced the nullification of the Fugitive Slave Act and despite his campaign rhetoric, proclaimed "perfect equality" for naturalized citizens.

He approved the appropriation of funding for the first Kentucky State Fair, which was seen as a vehicle for encouraging improvements in agriculture.

Money raised through school taxes, previously regarded as revenue by the legislature, was diverted to support of Transylvania.

Although the teacher education program enrolled seventy-five students, opposition to the plan developed soon after its passage.

Governor Morehead defended the plan, but when the legislature convened two years later, it revoked the university's funding.

Though state law required solitary confinement at night, the statute was impossible to administer due to the space constraints.

[5] In May 1861, he was chosen as a delegate to the Border State Convention, an ultimately futile attempt to avert the Civil War.

[2] Morehead refused to sign the final document produced by the convention because he did not agree with all the statements it contained.

[2] He was an advocate of Kentucky's position of neutrality, but was personally sympathetic to the South and was an outspoken critic of the Lincoln administration.

[2] On September 19, 1861, Morehead, Louisville Courier editor Reuben T. Durrett, and a man named Martin W. Barr were arrested for disloyalty.

[16] The three were taken to Indianapolis, Indiana, and the next day, Louisville circuit court judge John Catron issued a writ of habeas corpus for Morehead.

[2] Morehead returned to his home in Louisville, but feared his refusal to take an oath of allegiance to the Constitution would lead to another arrest.