Election of 1860 What happened? Summarize the event
The election of 1860 was a critical event in American history that ultimately led to the outbreak of the Civil War. It was a highly contentious election primarily between four main candidates representing different factions of the country.
The Democratic Party, which was the dominant political party at the time, split into two factions: the Northern Democrats and Southern Democrats. The Northern Democrats nominated Stephen Douglas, who advocated for popular sovereignty on the issue of slavery. The Southern Democrats nominated John C. Breckinridge, who supported the expansion of slavery into the territories.
The newly formed Republican Party nominated Abraham Lincoln. Although Lincoln opposed the expansion of slavery, he did not advocate for its immediate abolition in the existing slave states.
The fourth candidate was John Bell, representing the Constitutional Union Party, which aimed to preserve the Union by avoiding the divisive issue of slavery altogether.
The election campaign was intense and divisive, with regional tensions and disagreements over the issue of slavery at the forefront. Lincoln won a majority of Electoral College votes, primarily due to his overwhelming support in the North and the split among the Democrats.
However, as a result of Lincoln's election, seven Southern states seceded from the Union even before his inauguration, forming the Confederacy. The election of 1860 highlighted the deep divisions within the nation over the issue of slavery and ultimately led to the Civil War, which would begin a year later in 1861.