The Election of 1860 is important to Georgia's history because it ultimately led to the secession of Georgia from the Union and the start of the Civil War. During the election, Georgia strongly supported the Southern Democratic candidate John C. Breckinridge, who was in favor of protecting and expanding slavery. However, when Abraham Lincoln, who opposed the expansion of slavery, won the election, it intensified the tensions between the North and the South. This result, combined with other factors such as the perception of a growing abolitionist movement and fears of losing political and economic control, led Georgia and other Southern states to secede from the Union and form the Confederate States of America in 1861. The Election of 1860 was a turning point in Georgia's history as it marked the beginning of the state's involvement in the Civil War and its subsequent impact on the state's social, political, and economic development.
