5.7 Election of 1860 and Secession

As the Election of 1860 approached, the United States was deeply divided over slavery in the territories. Lincoln's victory without carrying a Southern state convinced many Southern leaders that their political power was collapsing, leading to secession and then civil war.

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What to Know About Election of 1860 and Secession

• In the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Lincoln opposed slavery's expansion while Douglas argued territories could exclude it by withholding protective laws; Douglas won the Senate seat, but Lincoln gained national attention.
• Four presidential candidates offered different answers to the slavery question, and Lincoln won with 40% of the popular vote and no Southern electoral votes.
• The Crittenden Compromise proposed extending the Missouri Compromise line to California, but it failed as Republicans, including Lincoln, refused to allow slavery's expansion.
• South Carolina seceded first, and six other Deep South states formed the Confederacy; seceding states cited protecting slavery as a primary reason.
• Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter in April 1861, and Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers triggered secession by four more Upper South states.

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Though occurring two years before the presidential election, the famous debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas set the stage for the political conflicts that would dominate the 1860 campaign.

• Occurred during 1858 Illinois Senate race
• Republican Abraham Lincoln challenged Democratic Senator Stephen Douglas
• Huge crowds (up to 12,000 people) attended the debates
• Main topics: slavery, popular sovereignty, and territorial expansion
• Debates received national newspaper coverage
• Lincoln was not an abolitionist but opposed slavery expansion
• Lincoln's "House Divided" speech warned the nation couldn't remain half-slave and half-free
• Douglas responded with the "Freeport Doctrine"
  • Claimed territories could effectively exclude slavery by not passing laws to protect it
• Douglas won the Senate seat, but Lincoln emerged as a national figure
• Debates highlighted the fundamental disagreements dividing the nation

The Fractured Election of 1860

The presidential election of 1860 reflected the deep divisions in American society, with four candidates representing different solutions to the slavery question.

Presidential Candidates of 1860

• Lincoln was known for:

  • Serving as congressman from Illinois in 1840s
  • Opposing Mexican-American War
  • 1858 debates with Stephen Douglas
  • Personal opposition to slavery while holding views on race that were common at the time
  • Political opposition to slavery's westward expansion

• Lincoln won with only 40% of popular vote

• Did not appear on ballots in most Southern states

• Won without a single electoral vote from the South

Final Attempts at Compromise

As the threat of Southern secession grew following Lincoln's election, desperate efforts were made to find a compromise that would preserve the Union.

• Crittenden Compromise proposed:

  • Extending Missouri Compromise line (36°30' parallel) to California
  • Constitutional amendment to protect slavery where it existed
  • Stronger enforcement of Fugitive Slave Act
  • Slavery would be illegal in territories north of the line, permitted south of it

• Compromise failed because:

  • Northern politicians opposed guaranteeing slavery south of the line
  • Southern politicians rejected restrictions north of the line
  • Republicans, including Lincoln, refused to allow slavery's expansion
  • Many Southerners no longer trusted Northern promises

Secession Begins

Lincoln's victory, without any Southern electoral support, convinced many Southerners that their influence in the Union had ended and that secession was their only option.

• Secession was contested in a series of debates across the South, in newspapers, public meetings, and state legislatures and conventions. Some argued Lincoln's win left the South no safe choice, while others urged waiting or compromise.
• After these debates, most slave states voted to leave the Union. South Carolina was first to secede (December 1860)
• Six more states followed by February 1861 (before Lincoln's inauguration):
  • Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas
• These seven "Deep South" states formed the Confederate States of America
• Jefferson Davis selected as President of the Confederacy
• Confederate constitution explicitly protected slavery
• Seceding states issued declarations citing protection of slavery as primary reason
• Many declarations explicitly mentioned white supremacy as a foundation of their new government

The Start of the Civil War

After months of tension, the conflict finally erupted when Confederate forces attacked a Federal installation in South Carolina.

• Lincoln waited for the South to make the first move
• On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor
• Federal garrison surrendered after 34 hours of bombardment
• Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to put down the rebellion
• This call for troops triggered secession of four more "Upper South" states:
  • Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina
• These states opposed using military force against the Deep South
• Fort Sumter became known as the site of first shots of the Civil War

Lincoln's election without Southern support revealed how sectional the American political system had become. Despite last-minute compromise attempts, the fundamental disagreements over slavery and states' rights proved too great to resolve through normal political channels. The Confederate states, convinced that their way of life was threatened, chose to leave the Union rather than accept a Republican president, setting in motion the bloodiest conflict in American history.