Election of 1860 and South Reacts to 1860 Results (College Board AP® US History)
Study Guide
Summary
Timeline
November 1860: Abraham Lincoln elected president
December 1860: South Carolina became the first state to secede from the nation
January 9, 1861: Mississippi secedes from the union
January 10, 1861: Florida secedes from the union
January 11, 1861: Alabama secedes from the union
January 19, 1861: Georgia secedes from the union
January 26, 1861: Louisiana secedes from the union
February 1, 1861: Texas secedes from the union
February 1, 1861: The Confederate States of America is created
April 12-14, 1861: Fort Sumter, the first military battle of the Civil War
April 17, 1861: Virginia secedes from the union
May 6, 1861: Arkansas secedes from the union
May 20, 1861: North Carolina secedes from the union
June 8, 1861: Tennessee secedes from the union
As compromises over the issue of slavery continued to fail, the election of 1860 was a critical turning point in US history, leading to the secession of the Southern states. Abraham Lincoln’s win in the 1860 presidential election was the final act leading to the secession of the Southern states. Though Lincoln was resolved not to end slavery in the South, the Southern states realized they had lost all power to continue the fight for the expansion of slavery into other territories. They also feared that the acceptance of non-slavery legislation was a challenge to states' rights.
Lincoln Becomes President
Election of 1860
Four political parties put forward candidates for the presidency
This reflected the deep divisions over slavery and sectional interests
The candidates were:
Abraham Lincoln: Republican Party
Ran on a Free-Soil platform, allowing slavery to remain in current states but not expand into new territories
Stephen Douglas: Northern Democrats
Promoted popular sovereignty, allowing residents of territories to decide the issue of slavery for themselves
John Breckinridge: Southern Democrats
Advocated pro-slavery policies
Defended slavery as protected by the Federal slave code
John Bell: Constitutional Union Party:
Supported the continuation of the Union
appealed to border states caught between north and south
AWAITING IMAGE
Abraham Lincoln won the election
He won 40% of the popular vote and the majority of the Electoral College
No electoral votes came from the South because the Southern states had given their support to Breckinridge
Won northern states plus California and Oregon
John Breckinridge secured votes in the Deep South
This reflected regional support for slavery
John Bell took the border states such as:
Kentucky
Tennessee
Virginia
Stephen Douglass only won Missouri
His platform failed to unite Democrats
Southern States Secede from the Union
Impact of Lincoln’s election
Lincoln’s victory without Southern votes showed:
the North’s political dominance
the South’s reduced influence on national politics
Southern leaders viewed Lincoln as a direct threat to:
the institution of slavery
their economic and cultural system
The election directly led to secession, beginning with South Carolina in 1860
Southern States Seceded from the Union
First wave of secession
South Carolina was the first state to secede on December 20, 1860
Shortly after Lincoln’s election
Other states followed by February 1861:
Mississippi
Florida
Alabama
Georgia
Louisiana
Texas
Formation of the Confederacy
In February 1861, representatives from the seceded states met in Montgomery, Alabama and created The Confederate States of America
Key leaders were:
Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy
Alexander Stevens, Vice President of the Confederacy
To begin with, Montgomery Alabama served as the Confederate Capitol
Later, it was moved to Richmond, Virginia
The Confederacy was founded on the principles of:
preserving slavery
protecting states’ rights
Second wave of secession
After an attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861, which was the first military act of the Civil War, the following states joined the Confederacy:
Virginia
Arkansas
North Carolina
Tennessee
West Virginia broke away from Virginia and remained loyal to the Union
Secession marked the beginning of the Civil War
Lincoln and the Union considered secession to be unconstitutional and refused to recognize the Confederate States of America as a legitimate government
This led to military conflict
AWAITING IMAGE
Examiner Tips and Tricks
When asked about the election of 1800, be sure to recall a few specific points. First, the South did not hate Abraham Lincoln personally. Instead, he was just the person running for president as the Republican candidate. Second, the election proved one crucial point to the South. The division of their Democratic Party into three candidates in the election, coupled with the strong support of the Republican candidate (Lincoln), proved the South no longer had enough influence to keep slavery from being abolished by advancements of the abolitionists or by federal law. The fact that Lincoln did support ending slavery in new territories, he never stated he would end slavery in the South, a fact that is often overlooked. Southerners thus believed without the expansion of slavery their way of life was being threatened and would one day fail to exist. This loss of political power would lead to the ending of slavery, which would wreak their economy, their social structure, and the very foundation of their way of life.
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