Abraham Lincoln Elected President (1860)

• What was the central issue in the 1860 presidential election?


  Slavery and its expansion into western territories.
• What was Abraham Lincoln's stance on slavery in the 1860 election?


  He opposed the expansion of slavery into western territories.
• What effect did the debate over slavery have on the political climate in the U.S. in 1860?


  It created a divided and heated atmosphere, which split the Democratic Party.
• Who were the four presidential candidates in the 1860 election?

  Abraham Lincoln (Republican), John Breckenridge (Southern Democrat), John Bell (Constitutional Union Party), and Stephen Douglas (Northern Democrat).
• What platform did John Breckenridge run on in the 1860 election?


  A pro-slavery platform.
• How did the Southern voters split in the 1860 election?

   Breckenridge won the Southern vote, and moderate Southerners voted for John Bell.
• Who did Northern Democrats support in the 1860 election?

   Stephen Douglas.
• How did the division in the Democratic Party affect the outcome of the 1860 election?


  It split the vote, allowing Lincoln to win the presidency with less than 40% of the national vote.