The Election of 1860

Why does this election matter? The United States presidential election of 1860 set the stage for the American Civil War. The nation had been divided throughout most of the 1850s. What were these issues? In 1860 these issues finally came to a head, fracturing the formerly dominant Democratic Party into Southern and Northern factions and bringing Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party to power without the support of a single Southern state. The immediate result of Lincoln's victory was declarations of secession by South Carolina and other states, which were rejected as illegal by the then-current President, James Buchanan and President-elect Abraham Lincoln.

Meet the Candidates John Bell Constitutional Union Tennessee Abraham Lincoln Republican Illinois John C. Breckinridge Southern Democrat Kentucky Stephen Douglas Northern Democrat Tennessee

The Campaign The contest in the North was between Lincoln and Douglas, but only Douglas took to the stump and gave speeches and interviews. In the South, John C. Breckinridge and John Bell were the main rivals, but Douglas had an important presence in southern cities, especially among Irish Americans. Stephen A. Douglas was the first presidential candidate in history to undertake a nationwide speaking tour. He traveled to the South where he did not expect to win many electoral votes, but he spoke for the maintenance of the Union.

Lincoln’s Campaign There was little effort to convert non-Republicans, and there was virtually no campaigning in the South except for a few border cities such as St. Louis, Missouri, and Wheeling, Virginia; indeed, the party did not even run a slate in most of the South. In the North, there were thousands of Republican speakers, tons of campaign posters and leaflets, and thousands of newspaper editorials. These focused first on the party platform, and second on Lincoln's life story, making the most of his boyhood poverty, his pioneer background, his native genius, and his rise from obscurity. His nicknames, "Honest Abe" and "the Rail-Splitter," were exploited to the full. The goal was to emphasize the superior power of "free labor," whereby a common farm boy could work his way to the top by his own efforts How was this campaign tactic similar to the most recent election?

The Results The election was held on November 6. Lincoln won an electoral majority without an absolute majority of total popular votes. While Lincoln captured less than 40% of the popular vote, the divisions of the nation allowed him to capture 17 states plus four electoral votes in New Jersey, for a total of 180 electoral votes. The exaggerated sectionalism of the vote is evident, as Lincoln was not even on the ballot in nine Southern states - and won only two of 996 counties in the entire South. In the six states still permitting slavery where he was on the ballot, he came in fourth in every state except Delaware The voter turnout rate in 1860 was the second-highest on record (81.2%, second only to 1876, with 81.8%). When else in history has a president won an electoral majority without an absolute majority of popular votes?

Electoral Map

In your notesheet…. Who were the main candidates? Who won the election? What will Lincoln’s election as president do to the nation?

Lincoln is President- Elect Now what happens?

NOVEMBER 6, 1860 Lincoln elected president

December 20, 1860 South Carolina secedes

January 9, 1861 Mississippi secedes

January 10, 1861 Florida secedes

January 11, 1861 Alabama secedes

January 19, 1861 Georgia secedes

January 26, 1861 Louisiana secedes

February 1, 1861 Texas secedes

February 4, 1861 Southern states meet in Birmingham, Alabama

February 8, 1861 Confederate Constitution adopted

February 9, 1861 Jefferson Davis becomes President of the Confederacy

March 4, 1861 Lincoln inaugurated

April 12, 1861 Ft. Sumter fired upon

April 17, 1861 Virginia secedes

May 6, 1861 Arkansas secedes

May 6, 1861 Tennessee secedes

May 21, 1861 North Carolina secedes

June, 1861 Four slave states vote to stay in the union

June, 1861 West Virginia is formed

August 16, 1861 Lincoln prohibits trade with CSA