As one of the most crucial events in United States history, the presidential election of 1860 almost completely dissolved the Union forever. The opposing sides could no longer find any common ground regarding slavery and what territories it lay within. The election will forever be remembered as a critical turning point in the country's struggle for unity and balance.
Parties were torn apart by their opinions of slavery, and the election of 1860 was an intense struggle for power on all sides with violence, walkouts, and protests. Through much debate and anger, Abraham Lincoln became the 16th president of the United States. He led the country bravely through its Civil War, but dissent kept brewing until the end. Read about how this president came to power in this explanation.
Election of 1860 Summary
One of the most significant events in America history, the Presidential Election of 1860 was a four-candidate contest between Republic Abraham Lincoln, Democrat Stephen Douglas, Constitutional Unionist John Bell, and Southern Democrat John Breckinridge. The election was heavily contested on issues of slavery, secession, and states' rights. Despite gaining under 40% of the vote, the election was won by Republican Abraham Lincoln.
Fig. 1 - Map of the US in 1860.1
Election of 1860 Facts
Here is a quick table briefly outlining the Election of 1860:
| Event: | The US Presidential Election of 1860 |
| Location: | The United States of America |
| Date: | 6 November 1860 |
| Candidates: | Republic Nominee Abraham LincolnDemocrat Nominee Senator Stephen DouglasSouthern Democratic Party Nominee John BreckinridgeConstitutional Union Party Nominee John Bell |
| Issues: | SlaverySecessionThe Rights' of States |
| Significance: | Pushed the US into Civil War |
The Issues of the 1860 Presidential Election
During the 1860s, the North and South were deeply divided by not only the issue of slavery but also the organization of new territories in the West. After the ending of the Mexican American War in 1848, the country now had new territory to expand into, and many were in favor of a transcontinental railroad. The First Transcontinental Railroad would run from the country's East coast to the West coast and enhance the opportunity for public travel and expand business and trade.
The railroad route had to be established, so the Western territory must be organized; what would define new state borders? Would the new states be slave states or free states? Much debate was put into these questions, sometimes leading to violent confrontations like Bleeding Kansas.
The Slave States were states run by pro-slavery supporters, while the Free States were run by those who saw no need for the institution of slavery (they also consisted of many Abolitionists).
An Abolitionist was a person who firmly believed in the abolishment of slavery.
The North also began pushing its Abolitionist sentiments into the South by electing anti-slavery government representatives for both Congressional seats and the presidency. The North had become filled with European immigrants searching for better work and a new life, so the need for slavery was almost completely erased whether one was an Abolitionist or not. The South did not have the same influx of workers, so they began to rely more heavily on their economy built on slavery and would do everything they could to protect it.
The Political Parties and Candidates in the Election of 1860
The main political parties during this era were suffering crucial transformations. This can be seen in the unorganized way they build up their tickets.
The Republican Party
The Republican Party was founded in 1854 to combat the Kansas-Nebraska Act created by Democrat Stephen A. Douglas. Many members of the Republican Party had initially been a part of the now-dissolved Whig Party. Douglas' Kansas-Nebraska Act had started extreme amounts of violence in the new state of Kansas, as well as the complete disregard of the Missouri Compromise of 1821. The Missouri Compromise had been set in place to ensure that slavery was strictly kept in the American South, below the 36º30' line; once territory in the West opened up, pro-slavery settlers wanted to bring the people they enslaved with them. Douglas decided in his Act that it would be up to Kansas to decide whether or not to permit slavery. This not only undermined the Missouri Compromise but also Congress, as they were the overall decision makers of free and slave states.
An Abolitionist Candidate
To keep up with Northern industrialization and modernization, the Republican Party wished to nominate a person who would provide that and preserve the Union as best as possible, despite the South's dissatisfaction with the ever-developing, free North. Originally, the front-runner for the Republican nomination was William H. Seward of New York, though, in the third ballot count, Abraham Lincoln overtook his position in the first place.
Fig. 2 - Photo of Abraham Lincoln.
The Republican Convention of 1860 was held at the Wigwam in Chicago, Illinois, and lasted from May 16th to the 18th. With a great effort from Lincoln supporters, they swayed enough delegates away from voting on other candidates such as Simon Cameron, Salmon P. Chase, and Edward Bates. In the first round, William Seward led in numbers significantly; in the second, he almost tied with Lincoln, and in the third, he was finally overtaken. Abraham Lincoln's performance while debating Stephen A. Douglas in Illinois for the Senate seat had given him a good enough reputation to now possibly win the presidency along with his running mate, Hannibal Hamlin.
Fig. 3 - Photo of William Seward.
The Democratic Party
The Democratic Party was fractured into four factions, each presenting a candidate. Here is an overview of each of them:
A Pro-state Sovereignty Candidate
The long-standing Democratic Party held its first Convention of 1860 from April 23rd to May 3rd in Charleston, South Carolina, with Stephen A. Doulas as their front-runner. As the Party tried to decide what its official platform would be, the tensions amongst delegates intensified. Despite being the front-runner, Douglas refused to have the Democratic Party be exclusively pro-slavery. Douglas strongly believed in the states' right to choose and that the people of other states and Congress did not have control over that decision. Many walkouts ensued, with some believing that slavery should spread West without question, while some thought it should not leave the South at all and that the states did not have the right to that sort of decision. Because of this, there were not enough delegates to nominate Douglas, and the convention was forced to close and meet later.
Stephen A. Douglas Nomination
The Democratic Party reconvened at Front Street Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland, on June 18th; again, the tensions led to fierce debates and walkouts. Upon placing ballot votes 59 times, it was finally decided that Stephen A. Douglas would be the Democratic nominee. There were not enough delegates for Douglas to reach the necessary 202 votes, but because they had lost so many other delegates, they unanimously voted to rescind the rule and let him win with 194.5.
The "Real Democratic Party"
Two branches of the Democratic Party were formed from the walkouts; one was a group that undyingly supported slavery's expansion and states' rights; they nominated John C. Breckinridge as their candidate for the presidency. They believed that they were the "real" Democratic Party and campaigned as such.
Fig. 4 - Photo of Stephen Douglas.
Fig. 5 - Photo of John Breckinridge The Constitutional Union Party
The second branch of the broken Democratic Party was named the "Constitutional Union Party" they were made up of angered Democrats, former Whig members, and members who claimed to be creating a "Party of Law." The Constitutional Union Party took no official stance on slavery and its possible extension but promised to fiercely defend the Constitution and the Union, whatever that may mean. On May 9th, 1860, they nominated Tennessee slaveholder John Bell and former Harvard University President Edward Everett as his running mate. Bell wished to make a compromise between the North and South by extending the Missouri Compromise across the continent. This way, slavery was not an issue upon spreading into Westward territory, as it was not technically leaving the borders of the South.
Fig. 6 - Photo of John Bell.
The 1860 Presidential Election Results
The results of the Presidential Election of 1860 were controversial and contested. The election took place on November 6th, 1860. Abraham Lincoln was not printed on ten Southern state ballots; for the South, it was not an option to have a Republican president. Regardless of this, the North was more densely populated, so their electoral votes had a much more significant impact than those of the South. Abraham Lincoln barely pulled 40% of the popular vote but won the presidency with 180 electoral votes.
Did you know?
Lincoln dominated the North but did not pull a single Southern state.
On the other hand, Douglas gained some support from his opposing side in the North, but not nearly enough to compete with Lincoln. Many of the Southern votes were between Breckinridge and Bell (at 72 and 39 electoral votes), though the split in the Democratic Party kept both candidates from standing a chance against Lincoln.
Fig. 7 - Map of the 1860 Presidential Election results by Electoral College votes
The Election of 1860 Significance
Upon Lincoln's win, Southern states began to promptly remove themselves from the Union during what became known as "Secession Winter." In his inauguration speech, Lincoln promised to preserve the Union and attempted to appeal to the South, offering them an amendment to the Constitution that would allow them to keep enslaved people in all of the territories it was already legal. This offer was not good enough to sway the South, and they continued in their secession. The Civil War soon broke out in April 1861 with the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter.
Secession Winter
Just one month after the election of Abraham Lincoln, in December of 1860, South Carolina held their "Secession Convention," in which they expressed their right to remove themselves from the Union. Following South Carolina's lead in January of 1861, the states of Florida, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, and Texas were in February. Representatives from these states gathered in Montgomery, Alabama, and formed the new government: "The Confederate States of America." This was the Secession Winter.
The election of 1860 remains to be one of the most influential turning points in US history. Not only did it begin a crucial war, but it also set in place the two most important political parties that remain today.
Did you know?
After Lincoln's election, the Republican Party would hold the presidency until the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933.
Presidential Election 1860 - Key takeaways
- There were many issues between the North and South surrounding the election of 1860; some examples are slavery, the expansion of slavery, the organizing of new territories, and the differences in culture and economy.
- The Republican Party candidate was Abraham Lincoln, and the 3 Democratic Candidates were John Breckinridge, John Bell, and Stephen Douglas.
- Although Abraham Lincoln's name did not appear on 10 Southern state ballots, he still won the presidency with 180 electoral votes.
- The secession of the South after the election of 1860 led to the beginning of the Civil War in 1861.
References
- Fig. 1 Map of the US in 1860 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:United_States_Central_map_1860-02-08_to_1860-12-20.png) by Golbez (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Golbez) Licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en).
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