Election of 1860 and Secession

Introduction: The Point of No Return

Imagine a high school where two groups of friends are arguing so loudly that they decide to split the cafeteria in half and stop talking to each other forever. That is essentially what happened to the United States in 1860. In this chapter, we will explore the Election of 1860, which acted as the "final straw" for the country. We will look at how Abraham Lincoln’s victory led several Southern states to leave the Union and form their own government, known as the Confederacy. This is the moment where political arguments turned into a national breakup.

1. The Rise of the Republican Party

Before we dive into the election, we need to understand the Republican Party. By 1860, the old political parties (like the Whigs) had fallen apart because they couldn't agree on slavery. The Republicans emerged as a party primarily based in the North. Their main platform was "free soil"—they didn't necessarily want to end slavery where it already existed, but they were strictly against letting it spread into new Western territories.

2. The Election of 1860: A Divided Nation

The Election of 1860 was one of the most unusual in American history because the country was so split that there weren't really "national" candidates. Instead, there were regional ones.

• Abraham Lincoln (Republican): He represented the North. He wanted to stop the expansion of slavery and supported economic growth (like a transcontinental railroad).
• The Democratic Split: The Democratic Party actually broke in two! Northern Democrats and Southern Democrats couldn't agree on slavery, so they each ran their own candidate. This split the "Democratic vote," making it much easier for Lincoln to win.
• The Constitutional Union Party: A fourth party tried to take a "middle ground," arguing that everyone should just follow the Constitution and keep the Union together, but they didn't have much influence.

The Results: Abraham Lincoln won the election. However, he won without carrying a single Southern state. In many Southern states, his name wasn't even on the ballot!

Analogy: Imagine a President winning an election today without receiving a single vote from California, Texas, or Florida. The people in those states would feel like the government no longer represented them. That is exactly how the South felt about Lincoln.

Key Takeaway: Lincoln’s victory proved that the North now had enough population and political power to elect a President without any help from the South. This terrified Southern leaders.

3. Secession: The Great Breakup

When the news of Lincoln’s victory hit the South, many leaders felt that their way of life (which was built on the institution of enslavement) was under immediate threat. They believed they no longer had a voice in the federal government.

What is Secession?

Secession is the formal act of a state leaving the Union. South Carolina was the first to act, leaving in December 1860. Soon after, six other states in the "Deep South" followed suit.

The Formation of the Confederacy

These seceding states met to form a new carries-government called the Confederate States of America (or the Confederacy). They drafted a new constitution that looked a lot like the U.S. Constitution, but with one major difference: it explicitly protected the right to own enslaved people.

Don't worry if this seems confusing: Students often ask, "Was the war about states' rights or slavery?" According to the documents written by the seceding states themselves, they were leaving because they believed the North was trying to destroy the institution of slavery. To them, the "right" they were defending was the right to maintain their social and economic system based on enslavement.

4. The Failure of Compromise

While the South was leaving, many politicians in Washington D.C. tried to come up with last-minute deals to keep the country together. However, these attempts failed because neither side was willing to budge on the issue of slavery in the territories. By the time Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated in March 1861, the "United" States was already physically divided.

Quick Review: Why did the Union break?

To help you remember the cause and effect of this chapter, think of it as a mathematical equation:

\(\text{Sectionalism} + \text{Lincoln's Election} = \text{Secession}\)

• Sectionalism: The North and South had become two different cultures with different economic goals.
• Lincoln's Election: The "trigger" event that showed the South they had lost political power.
• Secession: The Southern response to protect their interests (specifically slavery).

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Mistake: Thinking Lincoln ran on a platform to immediately abolish all slavery.
  Correction: In 1860, Lincoln and the Republican Party focused on stopping the expansion of slavery into the West. Total abolition became a war goal later.
• Mistake: Thinking the whole South seceded at once.
  Correction: Initially, only the states in the Deep South seceded. Other Southern states (like Virginia and Tennessee) didn't leave until after the fighting actually started.

Summary Table

Quick Tip for the Exam: If you see a map on the AP Exam showing an election where the North is all one color and the South is another, it is almost certainly the Election of 1860. This map is a perfect visual of Sectionalism.