(133) The Election of 1860 and SECESSION [APUSH Review Unit 5 Topic 7] Period 5: 1844-1877

Introduction

  • Overview of Unit 5 AP U.S. History focusing on the growing tensions over slavery in the United States.

  • Previous discussions included the failure of compromise regarding slavery.

  • The election of 1860: a pivotal event leading to secession and the Civil War.

The Election of 1860

  • Key question: What were the effects of Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860?

  • Republicans performed well in midterm elections, causing anxiety among Southern Democrats.

  • Democratic Party divisions:

    • Northern Democrats: Nominated Stephen Douglas, supported popular sovereignty for slavery.

    • Southern Democrats: Nominated John Breckinridge who advocated for federal protections for slavery in new territories.

Republican Platform

  • Abraham Lincoln was the Republican candidate, promoting a Free Soil platform.

  • The Free Soil Movement aimed to stop the expansion of slavery, not abolish it where it existed.

  • Lincoln reassured Southerners that he would not interfere with slavery in existing states.

Results of the Election

  • Lincoln won 40% of the popular vote and secured the electoral vote, despite no support from Southern states.

  • This outcome signaled a shift in political power towards the North, alarming Southern states even further.

  • Lincoln's assurance regarding existing slavery was overshadowed by the fear of slavery's expansion being halted.

Immediate Consequences

  • December 1860: South Carolina seceded before Lincoln's inauguration, followed by six more states (Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana).

  • Additional states later joined (Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina) to form the Confederate States of America.

Confederate Constitution

  • The Confederacy's Constitution mirrored the U.S. Constitution but limited federal power and enshrined slavery.

  • This set the stage for the upcoming Civil War.

Reasons for Secession

  • Competing interpretations of why Southern states seceded:

    • One view posits it was to protect slavery.

    • The opposing view claims it was based on states’ rights.

  • Actual reasons can be understood by analyzing the states' own articles of secession.

Examples of Articles of Secession

  • Texas: Claimed that the election of Lincoln indicated control by a sectional party promoting racial equality, which they rejected.

  • South Carolina: Focused on violations of constitutional rights concerning Northern anti-slavery sentiments and the Republican agenda against slavery.

  • Mississippi: Asserted clearly that their position was directly tied to the institution of slavery.

Key Figures

  • Jefferson Davis, the first president of the Confederacy, did not mention slavery in his inauguration but laid foundational ideas for the Confederacy.

  • Alexander Stephens, vice president, explicitly stated in his Cornerstone Speech that the Confederacy was founded on the superiority of the white race and the institution of slavery.

Conclusion

  • The states’ own declarations indicate a clear motive for secession: the protection of slavery.

  • Importance of understanding the true motivations from primary sources rather than modern reinterpretations.