Anti slavery and the election of 1860

 The 1860 presidential election represented a critical turning point in America's struggle over slavery, ultimately setting the stage for civil war and the eventual abolition of the institution. This election demonstrated how deeply the slavery question had penetrated American politics and society, making compromise increasingly impossible. Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin were the republican candidates, and John C. Breckinridge and Joseph Lane were the democratic candidates. The 1860 election featured an unprecedented four-way race that reflected the nation's deep divisions over slavery. 

Abraham Lincoln the winner of the
1860 election         

The newly formed Republican Party emerged as the primary anti-slavery political force, nominating Abraham Lincoln of Illinois as their candidate. However, the Republican position wasn’t outright abolition of slavery. “Though many party members favored the total abolition of slavery, the party pragmatically did not call for abolition in those states that already had slavery.” The party's platform carefully distinguished between opposing slavery's expansion into new territories while acknowledging constitutional limitations

The election of 1860
results

on federal interference with slavery in existing states. 

This strategic approach aimed to attract moderate voters who opposed slavery's spread without alienating those who feared immediate abolition would be economically disruptive or constitutionally problematic. As a former Whig congressman, he had long opposed slavery's expansion westward, famously declaring that the institution should be placed "where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction." Lincoln also repeatedly stated that the federal government lacked constitutional authority to abolish slavery where it already existed. 

The Democratic Party fractured along sectional lines, with Northern Democrats nominating Stephen Douglas, who championed "popular sovereignty"  allowing territorial residents to decide slavery's fate for themselves. Southern Democrats, rejecting any compromise, nominated John Breckinridge on a platform demanding federal protection of slavery in all territories. This fragmentation ultimately worked in Lincoln's favor, allowing him to win the presidency with less than 40% of the popular vote. “The election of 1860 was sure to further expose sectional differences between those, especially (but not solely) in the North, who wanted to abolish slavery and those who sought to protect the institution.” The split between Northern democrats and Southern democrats ideas on slavery gave Lincoln the presidency. 

The election of 1860 was thus pivotal not because Lincoln promised immediate abolition, but because his party's opposition to slavery's expansion was seen by Southern states as an existential threat to their way of life, leading directly to secession and civil war. Lincoln promised not to abolish slavery in existing states, but once he was elected the Southern states were threatened by him and his anti-slavery ideals. 

The presidential election of 1860 marked a decisive moment when the growing anti-slavery movement collided with America's political system, ultimately fracturing the nation and leading to civil war. What began as a political campaign ended with the dissolution of the Union and four years of devastating civil war. The anti-slavery movement had achieved political power, but at the cost of national unity. Ultimately, this election demonstrated that slavery could not be resolved through normal political processes, requiring instead the transformative experience of civil war to finally end America's "peculiar institution."

AI disclosure: After taking notes on articles regarding Anti slavery and the election of 1860. I used Claude AI to smooth the text and format it in a readable way. I then edited the ai generated text. I added photos, and captions.