Election of 1860

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Why was the presidential election of 1860 important?


Nothing less than the fate of the Union was at stake in the U.S. presidential election of 1860. The issue of slavery divided the country. Many northerners believed that compromise had been exhausted as a solution to the problem of slavery. Most southerners saw the possible election of an antislavery candidate as a threat to their way of life and the harbinger of secession. The election results caused the split to become a gulf too wide to repair and the stage was set for the American Civil War.



What was the outcome of the US presidential election of 1860?


On November 6th, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected to be the 16th President of the United States. As the Republican nominee, Lincoln defeated John C. Breckinridge, Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, and Constitutional Union candidate John Bell. Abraham Lincoln captured less than 40 percent of the vote but won a majority in the Electoral College. This new president was elected without caring even one southern state. Following Lincoln’s election, seven Southern states, led by South Carolina on December 20, 1860, seceded. The Civil War followed in April of 1860.




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