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==Abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts== ==gave a provoking speech that condemned pro-slavery men==
Two days after Butler was insulted, Butler’s nephew beat Sumner to unconsciousness with a cane
Sumner’s speech was applauded in the North, and angered people in the South
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Panic of 1857 was caused by overspeculation in the West and currency inflation due to the inrush of Californian gold
North was hit hard while South continued to thrive
Tariff of 1857 lowered import taxes to about 20% with the North blaming it for causing the panic
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Democrats choose Douglas as their candidate
Southern Democrats met in Baltimore and chose John C. Breckenridge as their presidential candidate
Democratic platform favored extension of slavery into the territories and the annexation of slave-populated Cuba
==Constitutional Union Party== ==was formed by former Whigs and Know-Nothings==
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Lincoln won the election of 1860, but didn’t win the popular vote
60% of the nation voted for another candidate
Even though the Republicans won the presidential election, they weren’t in control of the House of Representatives, the Senate, or the Supreme Court
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South Carolina’s legislature met in Charleston and voted unanimously to secede in December of 1860
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