What happened at the election of 1860
The election of 1860 was a significant event in American history due to its role in deepening the division between the North and the South, ultimately leading to the American Civil War.
The election took place on November 6, 1860, and it featured four main candidates representing the major political forces of the time. The candidates were:
1. Abraham Lincoln - Republican Party: Lincoln was a former Illinois congressman and lawyer who opposed the spread of slavery into the new territories. He gained national attention with his debates against Democratic candidate Stephen A. Douglas in the Illinois Senate race in 1858.
2. Stephen A. Douglas - Northern Democratic Party: Douglas, also an Illinois senator, believed in popular sovereignty, which meant letting the residents of territories decide whether to allow slavery. He took a moderate stance on slavery for the sake of preserving the Union.
3. John C. Breckinridge - Southern Democratic Party: Breckinridge, a former vice president from Kentucky, supported the extension of slavery and the rights of Southern states to secede if they felt their slaveholding rights were threatened.
4. John Bell - Constitutional Union Party: Bell, a former Tennessee senator, advocated for maintaining the Union but avoiding the issue of slavery altogether. The Constitutional Union Party sought to unite conservative forces from both the North and South.
The election was marked by high tensions and sectional strife. The Republicans did not even appear on the ballot in some Southern states. The South feared that Lincoln's election would lead to the abolition of slavery and threaten their way of life.
In the end, Lincoln won the election by securing 180 electoral votes, despite not winning a single Southern state. He received overwhelming support in the North. Douglas came second with 12 electoral votes, Breckinridge came third with 72 electoral votes, and Bell came last with 39 electoral votes. Lincoln's victory marked the first time a Republican candidate won the presidency.
Following Lincoln's election, several Southern states, starting with South Carolina, began seceding from the Union in protest of his anti-slavery stance. This ultimately led to the formation of the Confederate States of America and the onset of the American Civil War in 1861.