American President Elections In 1860 |
Posted: February 28, 2019 |
The Conventions American President Elections that took place in 1860 is one of the crucial events in the history of United States. The candidates of different parties provided the battle: a candidate who was from Republican Party, Abraham Lincoln, Democratic Party member, Senator Stephen Douglas, a nominee from Southern Democratic Party, John Breckinridge, and the member of Constitutional Union Party, John Bell. The central questions that were aroused were the rights of the states and slavery. According to the Dred Scott Decision, slavery in the United States was officially legalized, and the elections held in 1860 were supposed to distinguish the further position of this issue. Some people claim to abolish slavery, but the opposite side stated that the legalization of the slavery should be continued and protected. The Democratic Party provided the convention, but the controversy over the standard party approach to slavery persuaded lots of candidates to withdraw. Democrats were forced to state the second convention, but many of candidates from the South did not attend. They made lots of efforts to unite South and North candidates and have two candidates, Douglas and Breckinridge. The Republican Party was created only in 1850 and held its convention in Chicago. Most of its members express the opposition to the existing of slavery in the United States. However, they did not radically claim for the abolishing of slavery in those parts of America where it had already existed. From this Party, Abraham Lincoln was nominated as a candidate. Constitutional Union Party was formed in 1859 and was trying to overstep the sectional divide. It was created by the members of the Know-Nothing Party and the members of Whigs. The Constitutional Union Party nominated as a candidate senator John Bell. In order to avoid solving the problem of slavery, they paid more significant attention to the states’ borders and their rights. The Campaign After being nominated, Lincoln had put away his law career and started his campaign. He did not make claim speeches but entirely directed this campaign. He made lots of considerable efforts to stop any disagreements among the party members as he stated, being disunited was the most significant opportunity to lose all chances to win. Lincoln encouraged the members of his party not to say anything on the questions that would lead to disagreements. Breckinridge from the Democratic Party did a little campaign too, and he provided only one speech. Another member of this party, Douglas, showed himself as a very active campaigner, though. He claimed with his speech in the North and the South giving a passionate cover of the Union and strongly opposed separation. All the states in America where generally divided into two parts with their leaders: the North had previously stuck to Lincoln and Douglas, but the South dominantly supported such candidates as Bell and Breckinridge. When the elections day became, Abraham Lincoln had received the more significant part of the voices, capturing 40 percent of all votes and 180 votes in the Electoral College. The whole North supported him except New Jersey that supported Douglas. Douglas won about 30 percent of all votes and only 12 of Missouri’s electoral votes. Breckinridge received only 18 percent of votes and received 72 electoral ones being supported by the majority of the South States. Bell won 12.6 percent of the national elections and received 39 electoral ones from Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia. The situation became complicated as Lincoln had not received a vote from the South, except one percent from Virginia. Sven states from the South were separated and only after a month of Lincoln’s being a President, civil war in the country started. The elections in 1860 are considered to be one of the most significant and crucial occasions in the development of the United States as a country. They changed the state and loyalties in the Parties. The year 1860 was the beginning of two-party system making the Republican and Democratic Parties the major and leading ones. Until the 1890s, both of the parties took a balance across the country, except the South which became mostly democratic. Both parties administrated Congress for equal periods of time.
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