The First “Critical” Election
The election of 1860 was a very important moment of the United States history. There were four candidates, Constitutional Union candidate John Bell, the Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, the Southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge, and Republican Abraham Lincoln. During this election, different views of slavery are what caused the Democrats to electorally split into North and South. This split is why the 1860 election is considered by most political observers to be the first “critical” election.This election caused sharp and enduring changes in our country’s views on slavery and politics.
Many important events before the election caused the country to have different views about slavery. The north believed that slavery
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His views on slavery moved more towards stopping slavery expansion. He joined the Republican party in 1856. In 1857, the Supreme Court announced its questionable decision Scott v. Stanford, declaring African Americans were not citizens and had no inherent rights. Although, Abraham Lincoln did believe that African Americans were not equal to whites,but he did believe that America’s founders intended for all men to be created with inalienable rights. Abraham Lincoln was ready to change the people’s views of African Americans.
Lincoln’s new found political passion helped him decide to challenge Stephen A. Douglas in a race to be senator. He criticized Douglas, President Buchanan for supporting slavery, and the Supreme Court in his nomination acceptance speech. Lincoln also, stated “a house divided cannot stand.” This is saying the union needed to work together to accomplish bringing it back together. Abraham Lincoln awoke the people’s interest in slavery and other important political
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It turned out to be a very interesting election. Lincoln was not even on the ballot in the South, but he won both the electoral and popular vote. The Democrats would have won the popular vote if they had not been divided. Lincoln and the Republican party had won the election.
Lincoln did many great things throughout his presidency, which is why this was a critical election. After Lincoln was elected, the South began to separate from the union. This produced the Civil War. Lincoln also is considered to be our best president. This is precisely because how he approached the war, the Gettysburg Address, and the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln did a magnificent job being a president.
This was a very interesting and fun topic to write about. I picked this topic because I am inspired by Abraham Lincoln and his job as a president. I felt very excited to do the research because I wanted to learn more about this election and Lincoln. I learned that Abraham Lincoln applied for senator before he became a president. I think the long term influence that my historical topic had on the United States was slavery was stopped and our country was united again. I loved to write and learn more about this
Abraham Lincoln won the election of 1860. As a president of the United States, Lincoln’s goal was to keep the Union together. The problem of slavery and the secession by the South are mainly the two issues that lead to the dissolve of the Union, in which Lincoln put all his efforts to deal with during his presidency. “He believes this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. He does not expect the Union to be dissolved; He does not expect the house to fall; but he does expect it will cease to be divided.” Lincoln claimed that it is
Abraham Lincoln is regarded by many Americans as the greatest president to ever hold office in the history of the United States, and his reputation is definitely well deserved. Lincoln wasn't scared to stand up and fight for what he knew was right. He was convinced that within the branches of government, the presidency alone was empowered not only to uphold the Constitution, but also to protect, and defend it. Lincoln was able to lead our country and preserve the Union, keeping the United States from splintering during the devastating times of the Civil War. As President, he built the Republican Party into a strong national organization, and he rallied most of the northern Democrats to the Union cause. On January 1, 1863, he issued the
America, an established nation, was not only growing in land mass, population, and innovations rapidly, but was establishing a reputation in the world. The Constitution was still in effect, holding the nation together and giving it boundaries to abide by. However, slavery was becoming a major issue that was starting to divide the nation. Much of the North was against slavery completely, whereas much of the South was a strong supporter of slavery. During the early 1800’s, there were many presidential elections with all the candidates looking to fill the roles of their predecessors, George Washington and John Adams. All of the candidates looked to leave a positive, lasting impact on the growth and development of the United States. There were multiple candidates for each election, all with varying views on government and different issues to address during each election. The elections of 1852, 1856, 1860, and 1864 were all significant elections in the molding of the United States.
In the late 1850’s, tension were rising between the northern states and the southern states. These tensions began long ago, but continued to rise before the election of 1860. The main topic of debate at this time was slavery. Southern states relied on slavery for economic production. Many in the north wanted to limit the spread of slavery, or outright ban it. Those opposed to slavery had numerous reasons from political to ethical and religious reasons. The election of 1860 had 4 large candidates: Abraham Lincoln, John C Breckinridge, John Bell, and Stephen A. Douglas. Abraham Lincoln won the popular vote and electoral vote and was elected president in 1860, taking over from James Buchanan. In the
Before the start of the Civil War, conflict had been brewing between the states of the North and South. The election of Abraham Lincoln did not enhance the situation at all. Lincoln
"By the time Lincoln took the oath of office on March 4, 1861, he addressed a divided nation" (Ch. 5 pg. 164). The United States was going through hard times of dealing with slavery in the 1800’s. Slavery was the hot topic in politics of that time period just as the debate over abortion or gay marriage is today. The issue over slavery really grew in the early 1860’s; around the time President Abraham Lincoln took office. Lincoln became president and kept his own personal beliefs about slavery to himself. As his career as president progressed, he embraced the beliefs of Henry Clay and made it clear to everyone how he felt about slavery. The authors purpose to
Abraham Lincoln’s election was another instance in history that influenced civil war. Lincoln was a lawyer who campaigned as a Republican in the election of 1860. When he won the election, the South thought of seceding because Lincoln supported the Free-Soil beliefs, and he was not even on several of the South’s ballots. Many southerners feared that Lincoln would stop the expansion of slavery and ruin their economy.
When Abraham Lincoln was elected as the first republican president, he only received 40% of the popular votes; he also beat three other candidates on top of that. Lincoln was responsible for a lot of changes and is also known as an icon in American History. Lincoln was a Kentucky-born lawyer and a former Whig Representative to the Congress. Lincoln was going up against Stephen Douglas in the Senate race; Douglas argued that the states should have a right to be a slave state or a free state, while Lincoln argued against slavery and the spread of it. Unsurprisingly, Lincoln had lost the Senate race, but his campaign against slavery brought national attention to the Republican Party, in 1860, Lincoln had won the Republican party’s nomination
In the presidential campaign of 1860, Lincoln in fact did return, and won without a single vote in 10 southern states. Following his election, 7 states seceded from the Union, starting with South Carolina. These seven states made up what was known as the “Cotton Kingdom,” an area where slavery made up the biggest percentage of the population. South Carolina was actually the state with the highest percentage of
Enter the presidential election of 1860, which brought these problems to a collision with dramatic consequences. The Democratic Party split into three groups along their regional lines, with each one vying for control of the party and each holding different ideas about how to deal with slavery in the West. They camps consisted of John C. Breckinride, John Bell, and Stephen A. Douglas; their efforts would be worthless however, as Abraham Lincoln would win for the Republican Party. Lincoln stood on the grounds that the West should be absolutely free of slavery entirely; which apparently was enough as he won the election with less than forty percent of the popular vote. On a side note about the election, fifty-nine percent of the Electoral College did vote for Lincoln;
In November of 1860, the presidential election was one of the most momentous in the history of the United States. The land was split between North and the South and was smoldering for almost a decade. The candidates for the presidential election of 1860 were Abraham Lincoln, Republican, John Breckinridge, Southern Democrat, John Bell, Constitutional Union, and Stephen Douglas, Northern Democratic. Abraham Lincoln was against the increase of slavery into the new territories. Lincoln did not receive one vote from the south, but he did win over 50% of the Electoral College votes so Lincoln won the presidency to become the 16th President of the United States. Abraham Lincoln was known as one of America’s greatest heroes because of his inconceivable impact on our nation and his unique appeal. Lincoln was a captain in the military and a lawyer all before becoming the 16th President of the United States. Lincoln was one of two U.S. presidents who was assassinated while in office. Lincoln was also the president during the roughest part of American history, the Civil War. Lincoln was heavily in favor of abolishing slavery and so most of the citizens in the northern states of the U.S... On the other hand, the south had large plantations and favored slavery because the slaves worked for free and made plantation owners and other farmers a staggering amount of profit. The slaves were not treated as human beings; therefore, the slaves were mistreated. Slave owners often beat their slaves
Abraham Lincoln was considered by many American’s as one of the greatest Presidents of the United States. Having come from humble beginnings it could be said that Abraham Lincoln rose up to meet all the challenges that would greet him, and it could be argued that at the time the only person who could successfully guide the United States through the Civil War was Abraham Lincoln. At the time of his presidency, the United States was falling apart, with the South trying to secede from the North, creating much chaos that Lincoln had to deal with. He worked slowly and throughly, which sometimes got people agitated but he was a very careful working man and knew that it was better if he took his time. Abraham Lincoln was not
150). Clearly, Lincoln was an undecided politician who was merely looking for votes. He never had any intention of ending slavery, but was rather looking for his own personal gains, and by appealing to both ideologies; he gained the necessary support to elect his president. From the beginning of his presidency, at Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address, it is clear to see he was not the “Great Emancipator,” but a man trying to maintain the unity of the nation.
While this uncertainty was taking place, a social force greater than party loyalty was beginning to reshape American politics. The slavery issue, with the passions it aroused in the North and the South, gradually compelled a realignment of parties. The Whigs party began to split in 1852. This was a result of the deep split in opinion over slavery. During the next few years most Southern Whigs joined the Democrats. Northern Whigs joined northern antislavery Democrats. In 1854 groups of northern men against slavery urged the creation of a new political party opposed to the continuation of slavery. This party has become today’s Republicans. During 1854 to1860, the slavery issue became such a hot topic that even Democrats were becoming divided among themselves. In 1860 four candidates ran for the presidency. Brekenridge was the Southern Democrats candidate, Douglas was the Northern Democrats candidate,
Abraham Lincoln is one of the most well known presidents in the history of the United States of America. He as thought to be the man who led this great country through the toughest times it had to encounter. His determination to get the United States through the Civil War is one of the best things that have ever happened for this country. Lincoln’s argument about the relationship between slavery, the Constitution, and the Union changed throughout the Civil War. Lincoln’s view of the purpose of the war was to save the Union because of the southern states seceding from the Union. However, the argument changed to the war being about slavery because of Fredrick Douglass’s speeches and the Confederates surrendering at