The election of 1860 was a key event that led to the Civil War because it highlighted the growing divide between the Northern and Southern states over the issue of slavery. The election saw the Republican party, which was opposed to the expansion of slavery into the new territories, nominate Abraham Lincoln as their candidate. The Southern states, feeling threatened by the prospect of an anti-slavery president, refused to accept the election results and eventually seceded from the Union. The election of Lincoln and the subsequent secession of the Southern states ultimately led to the outbreak of the Civil War as the North and South fought over the future of slavery in America.
