The Election of 1860 and the Secession of the South

Political Climate
  - Second party system in the United States died out by 1854.
  - By the election of 1860, primary political competition was between Democrats and the Republican Party.
  - Parties were sectional:
    - Republican Party: Represented the interests of the North.
    - Democratic Party: Represented the interests of the South.
  - Analogy: Division akin to a child refusing to eat if food touches another part—no overlap between sectional interests.
  - Formation of the Republican Party:
    - Coalition of two main groups:
      - Anti-slavery Whigs
      - Free Soil advocates
  - Republican Stance on Slavery:
    - Opposed the expansion of slavery into new western territories.
    - Clarified had no intention to outlaw or diminish slavery in existing states.
  - Republican Candidate Selection:
    - Chose Abraham Lincoln, a Senator from Illinois.
    - Gained notoriety during 1854 congressional debates with Stephen Douglas regarding slavery and popular sovereignty.

The Fragmentation of the Democratic Party
  - Democrats divided into factions, leading to defeat in 1860 election.
  - Northern Democrats: Nominated Stephen Douglas advocating for popular sovereignty.
  - Southern Democrats: Nominated John Breckinridge, sitting Vice President.
  - Constitutional Union Party: Nominated John Bell, offered no concrete solutions to slavery.

Election Results and Consequences
  - Lincoln won the election, exacerbating sectional divisions.
  - Electoral College Statistics:
    - Lincoln: 180 electoral votes.
    - Other candidates: 123 electoral votes combined.
    - Lincoln received no electoral votes from Southern states.
  - Factors for Republican Victory:
    - Democratic vote split among three candidates.
    - Admissions of Minnesota (1858) and Oregon (1859) as free states.
    - Free states outnumbered slave states 18 to 15.
    - Northern free states had much larger populations than Southern slave states.

Southern Perspectives on Secession
  - Election results indicated to the South a lack of political home in the U.S.
  - Realization that they could no longer protect slavery within a political system.
  - Decision made to address slavery through secession.
  - Mistrust of Lincoln:
    - Believed Lincoln would interfere with slavery despite his claims otherwise.
    - John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry and popularity of Uncle Tom's Cabin heightened tensions.
  - Southern belief: Only through westward expansion could slavery survive; their political efficacy was shattered.

Secession Crisis and Formation of the Confederacy
  - December 1860: South Carolina seceded from the U.S.
  - Justifications for Secession:
    - Allegations of Republican Party hostility toward slavery.
    - Belief North planned to wage war against slavery.
    - Claim that secession was necessary to protect slavery as a constitutional right.
  - First Wave of Secessions:
    - Six states: Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas.
  - Second Wave of Secessions:
    - Four states: Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee by June 1861.
  - These states formed the Confederate States of America.
  - All seceding states' articles of secession cited slavery and state rights as justifications.

Confederate Constitution and Leadership
  - New constitution ratified to fix perceived U.S. Constitution errors:
    - Established the Confederacy as a Christian nation, invoking God's guidance.
    - Explicit legality and “perpetual protection” of slavery included.
  - Confederate Leadership:
    - Jefferson Davis as President.
    - Alexander Stephens as Vice President.

Cornerstone Speech
  - Alexander Stephens' speech defined the Confederate ideology.
  - Contrasted Confederate government with U.S. government—claims U.S. based on racial equality.
  - Verbatim quotes from Stephens:
    - Confederacy founded on the belief that the negro is not equal to the white man.
    - Slavery is the natural condition for the negro.
  - Lincoln viewed Southern acts as unconstitutional; preparations for Civil War began.