It’s 1860

Large cities. New York, Boston, and other major cities tripled or even quadrupled in size from 1820 to 1860 as people left their farms to find work in the cities. Semipro organized baseball clubs had sprung up all over New York. First officially organized baseball game played in California was in 1860 Women gaining voice in public life The North – New York City 1860

1860 Economy based on agriculture and supported by slave labor Higher education became possible for women, but they were still expected to marry and stay at home with their children. John Brown had just been hanged in December of ‘59 for his raid on Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The South - Charleston, SC 1860

Abraham Lincoln is selected as the U.S. presidential candidate for the new Republican Party.

The election of 1860 had four candidates.

Yay!

The vote for Abraham Lincoln was mostly a vote for moderation toward the issue of slavery and a vote for the Union. However, the South felt it no longer had a voice in the national government and did not see how it could remain in the Union.

At a state convention held six weeks after Election Day, South Carolina legislators voted to secede. It was a unanimous vote. secede (v.): to make a formal withdrawal of membership from an organization or alliance unanimous (adj): everyone in agreement

Outgoing President Buchanan publicly condemned South Carolina’s action. However, he did not use force to prevent it. Within weeks, six other Southern states followed South Carolina.