who was involved in the election of 1860?
The election of 1860 involved multiple candidates from different political parties. The key individuals involved were:
1. Abraham Lincoln: Lincoln was the candidate of the Republican Party. He was a former lawyer and politician from Illinois who opposed the expansion of slavery and wanted to keep slavery limited to the existing states where it already existed.
2. Stephen A. Douglas: Douglas was the candidate of the Northern Democrats. He was a senator from Illinois who supported "popular sovereignty," which allowed settlers in the territories to decide whether to allow slavery.
3. John C. Breckinridge: Breckinridge was the candidate of the Southern Democrats. He was the vice president of the United States at the time and represented the interests of the southern states that wanted to protect slavery and expand it into new territories.
4. John Bell: Bell was the candidate of the Constitutional Union Party, a moderate party focusing on preserving the Union and avoiding the issue of slavery. He had previously served as a senator and secretary of war.
These four candidates represented different positions on the issue of slavery, and the election ultimately led to heightened tensions between the North and the South, which eventually turned into the American Civil War.