1. Chapter 14: The Nation Divided
Section 4: The Coming of the Civil War

2. Election of 1860 Abraham Lincoln John Breckenridge Stephen Douglas
Long, bitter debate left the country feeling divided
∙∙∙∙ Southerner and Northern Democrats split into different parties due to conflict regarding slavery
Presidential candidates
• Abraham Lincoln (Republican) : popular for his debates against Douglas
• Stephen Douglas (Northern Democrats) : against slavery
• Vice President John Breckinridge of Kentucky (Southern Democrats) : pro-slavery
• John Bell of Tennessee ( Constitutional Union) : promised to protect slavery and keep nation together
John Breckenridge
Δ Constitutional Union: formed by some southerners who hoped to heal split between the North and South
Stephen Douglas
John Bell

3. Election of 1860
Stephen Douglas was sure Lincoln would win the election but still believed the Democrats must try
Campaigned in the South in hopes of keeping the Union together
Resulted in hostile southerners pelting him with eggs and rotten fruit
Lincoln won every free state
Breckenridge won every slave state Although Lincoln received 40% of the popular vote, he won the electoral vote…
John Breckenridge
Abraham Lincoln
Stephen Douglas

4. Southern States Secede
◦ Lincoln’s election shocked the South
● Many believed they no longer had a voice in government
▪ They believed the President and Congress were now set against their interest
◊ Dec : South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union after its legislature called for a special convention

5. The Confederate States of America
6 more states followed S.C     
Not all southerners favored secession:
Andrew Johnson (Tenn.)
Sam Houston (Tx)
Feb. 1861: leaders from the 7 seceding states met in Montgomery, Alabama to create a new nation called the Confederate States of America
They selected former Senator of Mississippi, Jefferson Davis, as President
Jefferson Davis

6. The Civil War Begins
March 4, 1861: Lincoln becomes president facing the greatest crisis of US History
In his inaugural address, he tried to reassure & offer friendship to the South
The South rejected all attempts at reconciliation & took over federal post offices and forts in the South

7. Fort Sumter Lincoln’s most pressing problem coming into office…
Located on an island in the harbor of Charleston, SC
The fort’s commander, Major Robert Anderson, would not back down and surrender it
S.C. authorities decided to starve the fort’s 100 troops into surrender and cut off their supplies in late December

8. Fort Sumter
To prevent further secession of other stated, Lincoln only sends food supplies to the island instead of troops/guns
→ Confederate leaders decided to capture the fort
◊ The fort caught on fire and portions of the fort crumbled
▪ The fire got out of control and threatened to ignite the fort’s magazine, where many barrels of gunpower were stored.

9. Fort Sumter ► THIS MARKED THE BEGINNING OF THE CIVIL WAR!
April 12, 1861: Confederate artillery opened fire and the fort fell after 34 hours
Major Robert Anderson surrendered after facing shortage of food and ammunition
► THIS MARKED THE BEGINNING OF THE CIVIL WAR!

10. Was War Avoidable? The Civil War lasted 4 years!!
Civil War: a war between opposing groups of citizens of the same country
Many Americans look back and wonder if war was avoidable
In 1850, if the South had been left alone, the war might have been avoided
By 1861, most people in the North & South accepted the idea that war could not be avoided

11. Questions
Why did the election of Abraham Lincoln spark the secession of southern states?
How did divisions among the Democrats help lead to the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860?
Why did the southern states secede from the Union?
Why was Lincoln reluctant to give up Fort Sumter?
What event marked the start of the Civil War between the North and the South?