5.7 Election of 1860 and Secession

AP US History Unit 5 Review: 5.7 Election of 1860 and Secession

Overview

• The Election of 1860 highlighted the deep national divide over slavery in the United States, ultimately triggering Southern secession and the onset of the Civil War.

Key Concepts

• Sectionalism: The United States was deeply divided along regional lines, primarily between the industrial North and the agrarian South, especially concerning the issue of slavery. This division greatly influenced political decisions and public sentiment.

• Popular Sovereignty: The idea that the people within a territory should decide for themselves whether to allow slavery, a concept that was central to debates but failed to resolve the national conflict.

• Political Fragmentation: The inability of major political parties to maintain unity on the slavery issue led to multiple candidates in the 1860 election, fracturing the vote and making Lincoln's victory possible without broad national support.

• Compromise Failure: Despite several attempts, political compromises on slavery, such as the Crittenden Compromise, failed due to rigid stances from both Northern and Southern politicians, pushing the nation closer to conflict.

• Secession as a Response: Southern states viewed Lincoln's election as a direct threat to their way of life and the institution of slavery, leading them to withdraw from the Union rather than accept a Republican presidency.

Overview

• The Election of 1860 highlighted the deep national divide over slavery in the United States, ultimately triggering Southern secession and the onset of the Civil War.

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates

• Timeline and Context:

  • Occurred in 1858 during the Illinois Senate race, two years prior to the presidential election.

• Candidates:

  • Republican Abraham Lincoln vs. Democratic Senator Stephen Douglas.

• Popularity:

  • Debates attracted large crowds of up to 12,000 attendees and received extensive national newspaper coverage.

• Main Topics Discussed:

  • Slavery, popular sovereignty, and territorial expansion.

• Lincoln’s Position:

  • While not an abolitionist, he publicly opposed the expansion of slavery into the territories.

  • The famous “House Divided” speech emphasized that a nation cannot remain divided between slave and free states.

• Douglas’ Response:

  • Introduced the “Freeport Doctrine,” stating that territories could effectively exclude slavery by not enacting laws that protected it.

• Outcome of Debates:

  • Douglas won the Senate seat, but Lincoln emerged as a significant national figure.

  • Debates underscored the fundamental disagreements pre-existing in American society concerning slavery.

The Fractured Election of 1860

• Candidates and Their Positions on Slavery:

  • Abraham Lincoln (Republican):

  • Stance: Opposed the expansion of slavery into new territories.

  • Electoral Votes: 180

  • Stephen Douglas (Northern Democrat):

  • Stance: Advocated for popular sovereignty; allowed territories to decide for themselves.

  • Electoral Votes: 12

  • John C. Breckinridge (Southern Democrat):

  • Stance: Supported the expansion of slavery.

  • Electoral Votes: 72

  • John Bell (Constitutional Union):

  • Stance: Avoided the slavery issue; focused on preserving the Union.

  • Electoral Votes: 39

• Lincoln's Victory:

  • He won the presidency with only about 40% of the popular vote and did not appear on ballots in most Southern states.

  • Remarkably, Lincoln won without any electoral votes from the South.

  • Notable Quote:

  • "A house divided against itself cannot stand… it will become all one thing, or all the other." - Abraham Lincoln

Final Attempts at Compromise

• Following Lincoln's election, there were several unsuccessful attempts to compromise and maintain the Union.

• Crittenden Compromise:

  • Proposed extending the Missouri Compromise line (36°30' parallel) to California and implementing a constitutional amendment to protect existing slavery.

  • Included stronger enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act.

  • It would keep slavery illegal in territories north of the line and permitted south of it.

  • Reasons for Failure:

  • Northern politicians opposed the proposal to guarantee slavery's protection south of the line.

  • Southern politicians rejected any restrictions imposed north of the line.

  • Republicans, including Lincoln, refused to endorse any expansion of slavery.

  • Distrust developed among Southerners towards Northern promises.

Secession Begins

• Lincoln's election without Southern electoral support convinced many Southerners that their influence had diminished, leading them to consider secession vital for maintaining their way of life.

• Timeline of Secession:

  • South Carolina was the first state to secede in December 1860.

  • Six additional states followed in February 1861: Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas.

• These seven states formed the Confederate States of America, with Jefferson Davis as the first president of the Confederacy.

• The Confederate Constitution protected slavery explicitly, and declarations for secession cited the protection of slavery as a primary reason, often intertwining it with white supremacy ideologies.

The Start of the Civil War

• Conflict escalated when Confederate forces attacked a Federal installation in South Carolina, marking the start of the Civil War.

• Fort Sumter Incident:

  • On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces initiated a bombardment of Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor.

  • The Federal garrison surrendered after enduring 34 hours of bombardment.

  • In response, Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the rebellion.

• This call for troops led to the secession of four more Upper South states: Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina, as they opposed military action against the Deep South.

• Fort Sumter is historically recognized as the site of the first shots fired in the Civil War.

• Overall Implications:

  • Lincoln's election underscored the sectional divisions rampant in the political system, and the inability to resolve these differences through compromise foreshadowed the impending conflict.

  • The Confederate states, fearing for their way of life, resolved to leave the Union rather than accept a Republican presidency.

Important Terms, People, and Events

• Abraham Lincoln: Republican candidate in the 1860 election; opposed the expansion of slavery and became president, which triggered Southern secession.

• Stephen Douglas: Northern Democrat who debated Lincoln during the 1858 Illinois Senate race and advocated for popular sovereignty in territories.

• John C. Breckinridge: Southern Democrat candidate in 1860 who explicitly supported the expansion of slavery.

• John Bell: Constitutional Union candidate in 1860, who focused on preserving the Union by avoiding the slavery issue.

• Jefferson Davis: The first and only president of the Confederate States of America.

• Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858): A series of seven debates that took place during the Illinois Senate race, highlighting national tensions over slavery and making Lincoln a prominent national figure.

• Election of 1860: A four-way presidential election that saw Abraham Lincoln win without any Southern electoral votes, leading directly to the secession of Southern states.

• “House Divided” Speech: Abraham Lincoln's famous 1858 speech arguing that the U.S. could not permanently exist half slave and half free, emphasizing the deep division.

• Freeport Doctrine: Stephen Douglas's argument that territories could essentially exclude slavery by not passing laws to protect it, despite the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision.

• Crittenden Compromise (1860): A failed last-attempt proposal to prevent secession by protecting slavery where it existed and extending the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific.

• Fort Sumter Incident (1861): The Confederate attack on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, which officially started the American Civil War.

• Confederate States of America: The government formed by the eleven Southern states that seceded from the Union between 1860 and 1861.

• Emancipation Proclamation (1863): An executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln that declared the freedom of all enslaved people in Confederate-held territory and paved the way for the eventual abolition of slavery in the United States.

• Reconstruction Era (1865-1877): A period after the Civil War focused on reuniting the nation and integrating formerly enslaved individuals into society, marked by significant political, social, and economic changes.

• Battle of Gettysburg (1863): A turning point in the Civil War where the Union army achieved a significant victory that halted the Confederate invasion of the North.

• Freedmen's Bureau: Established in 1865 to aid freed slaves during the transition from slavery to freedom by providing food, housing, education, and legal support.

• 13th Amendment (1865): Ratified at the end of the Civil War, this amendment abolished slavery throughout the United States and ensured that "neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, shall exist within the United States."

• 14th Amendment (1868): Granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, including formerly enslaved individuals, and provided equal protection under the laws.

• 15th Amendment (1870): Prohibited the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude," thus furthering the rights of African American men.

• Civil Rights Act of 1866: This act granted citizenship and equal rights to all persons born in the United States, aimed at protecting the rights of African Americans and ensuring their legal equality.

Vocabulary

• Civil War:

  • The armed conflict (1861-1865) between the Union and Confederate states resulted from Southern secession.

• Free-soil platform:

  • The Republican Party's stance against the expansion of slavery into new territories and states.

• Secession:

  • The act of withdrawing from the Union, exemplified by the Southern states after Lincoln's election in 1860.