The United States presidential contest of 1860 represents a pivotal moment in American history, particularly as it is understood within the context of Advanced Placement United States History (APUSH) curricula. This event saw four main candidates vying for the nation’s highest office: Abraham Lincoln representing the Republican Party, Stephen Douglas of the Northern Democrats, John C. Breckinridge of the Southern Democrats, and John Bell of the Constitutional Union Party. Each candidate’s platform reflected the deeply sectionalized sentiments prevalent at the time, primarily concerning the issue of slavery’s expansion into western territories.
The significance of this particular presidential election stems from its direct connection to the outbreak of the Civil War. Lincoln’s victory, achieved without a single electoral vote from the Southern states, was perceived as an existential threat to the Southern way of life, which was inextricably linked to the institution of slavery. Southern states, fearing the restriction or eventual abolition of slavery under a Lincoln administration, began to secede from the Union even before his inauguration. This action initiated a chain of events that plunged the nation into armed conflict, fundamentally reshaping the American landscape.
