The election of 1860
The Election of 1860 was the run between 4 candidates for president. Lincoln won the election with 180 electoral votes, The election becomes the last straw for the South, with the secession of South Carolina in 1860 along with more states to follow.
Presidential candidates
Lincoln:Abraham Lincoln was a hard working, self-made man, and people saw him as the "American dream." He was the Republican presidential candidate, and his debates with Douglas for the Illinois senate made him widely popular in the North while the South despised him. Lincoln wins the 1860 election with 180 electoral votes (just 40% of all of the votes).
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Breckenridge:Due to the conflict that occurred when the Democratic party chose a candidate, the party split into two groups: the Northern Democrats and the Southern Democrats. The Southern Democrats nominated John Breckenridge for president, and he was the most popular candidate for the South as well. Breckenridge received 72 electoral votes.
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Douglas:Stephen Douglas was popular among the Northern Democrats since he supported slavery, but the Southern Democrats saw him as a traitor due to the fact that he supported popular sovereignty, in which people voted on whether or not slavery was allowed in a state. The Northern Democrats chose Douglas while the Southern Democrats chose Breckenridge. Douglas is the least popular candidate with only 9 electoral votes (Douglas thanks you, Missouri).
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Bell:For those who neither supported nor opposed slavery, their votes were for John Bell. These people simply wanted the country to stay together, in fear of secession (which unfortunately happened anyway). Bell receives 39 electoral votes.
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Every breath I breathe, chasing this American dream. We sweat for a nickel and a dime, turn it into an empire."
-Rihanna, American Oxygen