Election of 1860 May the Candidates Please Rise
The Election of 1860 During the election of 1860 four candies ran for office. Each candidate had different views. Slavery of course will be a major issue concerning this election.
Stephen A. Douglas Political Party: Democrat Platform: Popular Sovereignty Supported: Douglas felt that slavery should be decided by the residents of the state. Northern Democrats Agree that the resident should decide the issue of slavery Elect Douglas as their presidential candidate for the 1860 election. Southern Democrats Wanted slavery legal in every territory Douglas does not support this idea so they walk out angry and decide to back another candidate for the presidency.
Stephen A. Douglas Why is this important? This was the first time that the Democratic party had been divided on this issue of supporting a presidential candidate. The southern democrats do not support this candidate and this will split the democratic candidate.
John Breckinridge Political Party: Democrat Platform: Slavery should not be Contained Supported: Insisted that he was not anti-union but held that slavery could not be banned in a territory until it had become a state. Other Issues Supported slave states and felt that slavery could not be banned in territories that were not states. Supported the southern view of states rights.
John Breckinridge Why is this important? John Breckinridge became the Southern Democrat presidential candidate. The northern democrats did not support Breckinridge. This splits the democrat vote. The democrat are no longer united and this will cause the down fall of both democratic candidates.
John Bell Political Party: Constitutional Union Party Platform: Supporting the Union Supported: The United States should stay together at all cost. Sectionalism should end. Other Issues Rallied support for the Union and the Constitution without regard to sectional issues. Opposed efforts to expand slavery to the U.S. territories.
John Bell Why is this important? Supported by border states that did not want to get involved in the issue of slavery. Takes votes away from both Democrat and Republican candidates. Constitutional Union Party was short lived and died after this election.
Abraham Lincoln Political Party: Republican Platform: Containment of Slavery Supported: Did not agree with slavery but he not want to try to end it. Other Issues Slavery should be contained to states where it was already legal. Slavery should not spread into western territory. Western land should be free to settlers. Transcontinental Railroad would be constructed with one end beginning in the North.
The southern states did not want Abraham Lincoln to win the election of 1860. Lincoln was a Republican. And the Republican Party opposed slavery. Lincoln never said he wanted to end slavery in the South and he did not believe anyone had the right to tell southerners to end slavery. Yet he did not want to see slavery spread to other parts of the United States. Lincoln told southerners: "You think slavery is right and should be extended, while we think it is wrong and should be limited. That, I suppose, is the trouble. It surely is the only important difference between us."
Abraham Lincoln Why is this important? Nothing that Lincoln supported benefited the South. The South decided to secede from the Union.
Results Democrats had the power and number to vote their candidate into office. However, due to the fact that two democrats ran for office the Democratic vote was split. Abraham Lincoln will win the vote of all republicans. John Bell who ran on the libertarian card will earn votes as well. A Republican will win the Election for the first time in history.
Election of 1860 Lincoln won 40% of the popular vote and 180 electoral votes. The other candidates won 60% of the popular vote and 123 electoral votes. Lincoln received 0 popular votes from Georgia.
Southern States enact Southern states have always supported states rights over the acknowledgemen t of a strong federal government. Nullification Southern States fear Lincoln and his conservative views on the issue of slavery. Although Lincoln does not want to end slavery, the south does not support his presidency. States had the right to nullify decisions crated by the federal government. They state that if Lincoln is allowed to take office they will leave (succeed) from the union.
Succession On March 4, 1861 Lincoln takes his oath of office and becomes the 16 th president of the United States of America. Southern States succeed and leave the union. They create the Confederate States of America. Elect Jefferson Davis to be president of the Confederate States of America. Alexander Stephens will attempt to prevent the south from succeeding but his efforts will fail and later he will become the vice president of the Confederates States of America.
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