Election of 1860

Election of 1860 The Democratic party split between their views on the expansion of slavery elected a north and south candidate In the South John C Breckinridge wanted to expand slavery into new territories In the North Stephen Douglas supported the idea of popular sovereignty, people vote to decide if slavery would be allowed int heir territory The Republican party elected Abraham Lincoln who wanted to stop the spread of slavery Lincoln won the Electoral votes with the required 180 but did not win a single state in the south

Secession of Lower Southern States Southerners were outraged that a President could be elected without winning a single state in the south Seccionist or those who wanted the south to secede (leave the U.S. to form their own nation) argued that the south could leave the union because they volunteered to join it Southerners thought that Lincoln and his republican party would destroy the South on purpose, possibly by ending slavery South Carolina was the first state to leave, followed by: Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas These states formed a new nation the Confederate States of America and elected a President Jefferson Davis

Fort Sumter A federal fort in South Carolina was sent supplies by the U.S. government but the ships carrying the supplies were attacked by Confederate troops Confederate army attacked the fort and forced the Union (United States) general to surrender the fort to the Confederacy. The rebellion at Fort Sumter caused the beginning of the American Civil War Four more Southern states left the Union to join the Confederate States of America: Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas