Election of 1860 pages 478-481 The election of 1860 was set to be big. Southerners wanted a party to support slavery but the North did not. So the Democratic party split into two parts, a North and South. Senator Douglas and VP Breckinridge ran respectively. Abraham Lincoln was chosen to run for the Republicans, a former Congressman

Some Americans wanted to heal the country from the division by forming a new party called the Constitutional Union Party. They chose Senator John Bell to run for President. In all there were four major parties with four well-known candidates. The nation would split it’s vote giving the North and Lincoln an advantage.

Party Beliefs Lincoln (Repub.)—Anti-slavery, pro-business tariffs and improvements, Northern Douglas (N. Dems)—Popular Sovereignty, pro-agriculture, Northern Bell (Cons. Union)—Keep the country together, solve slavery through compromise Breckinridge (S. Dems)—Pro-slavery, pro-agriculture, Southern

Lincoln took 40% of the popular vote, Douglas took 30% Lincoln took 40% of the popular vote, Douglas took 30%. However Lincoln managed 59% of the electoral vote and won the Presidency. This was an incredible task considering that 10 Southern states did not even put Lincoln on the ballot. The North outnumbered the South and they voted that way.

On December 20, 1860 South Carolina became the first state to secede. By February, 1861 Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas all seceded. This all occurred before Lincoln took office as President on March 4th, 1861. Lincoln was not President when they seceded.

The South argued that they had a right to abolish any government that denies their rights. They believed that Lincoln would do just that, but he didn’t. The South organized into the Confederate States of America. Although Jefferson Davis did not want secession he did accept the office of President for the Confederacy. Lincoln on the other side took office after the secession. He viewed it as unlawful but pledged that there would be no war unless the Confederacy started it.

Davis immediately started to seize federal forts and buildings. Lincoln did not want to send troops fearful of starting a war or encouraging the other eight slave states to secede. In the end the Union only held three forts on the Florida coast and Fort Sumter in SC.

Fort Sumter guarded the Charleston Harbor making vital for both sides. Lincoln refused to surrender the fort and on April 11, 1861 the Confederate troops bombarded the fort.

The Union troops surrendered on the 13th. Little did people know that this marked the beginning of a terrible Civil War that would last four long years