Events that lead to the Civil War: 1860 & 1861 The Election of 1860: 4 Candidates for Pres. The Republicans picked Abe Lincoln as their candidate Democrats split over the issue of slavery in the West: Southerners wanted the party to support it while Northerners refused. Southern Democrats chose John Breckinridge Northern Democrats chose Stephen Douglas Some Americans tried to heal this split by creating a new political party The Constitutional Union Party, and they picked John Bell. Lincoln won the North and the Election Northerners outnumbered & outvoted southerners

With Lincoln’s election many southerners felt that they no longer had a voice in the national government. Believed that the entire govt. was set against their interests, and their only choice was to secede. 1 st state to secede was South Carolina: Dec more will join them and in Feb they form the Confederate States of America Lincoln opposed secession Warns that there will be no war unless the South starts it

Confederates began taking over federal property: forts, post offices, etc. Lincoln’s problem: should he let Confederates take over federal property? If he did he was admitting they had the right leave while sending troops might start a war. By April the Confederates had control of nearly all of the forts in the South. The Union held only 3 forts in Florida and Fort Sumter in South Carolina, which guarded Charleston harbor

On April 12 th the Confederates asked for Fort Sumter’s surrender. The Union commander refused and the Confederates opened fire on the fort On April 13 th having run out of ammunition the Union forces surrender the fort. No one was killed, but this event marked the beginning of the Civil War