Chapter 4 Part 1- The election and secession Flashcards
Why was there a climate of fear surrounding the 1860 election?
Southerners believed that the North abandoned the true principles of the Union and the prospect of a Republican triumph in 1860 filled them with outrage and dread. Moreover, they felt that the North was treating the South as inferior to them. If a Republican became a president, many southerners were considering secession from the union.
Who was the most likely Democratic candidate in 1860?
Douglas as he was the only Democrat that was likely to carry some free states- essential if the Democrats were to win the election.
What had alienated him from Southerners?
His stand against the Lecompton constitution.
Where was the Democratic convention held? Why was this an issue?
In Charleston. This was the most fire-eating of all the southern states.
What was strange about the representation inside the convention?
The townspeople made it clear that they were opposed to Douglas. Nevertheless, delegates were appointed according to the size of the state’s population, ensuring that northern democrats outnumbered southerners.
What happened at the convention?
Northerners blocked a proposal which would have pledged the party to protect the rights of slaveholders in the territories and some 50 delegates from the lower south walked out of the convention. The Democrats found it impossible to nominate a candidate.
What happened at the Baltimore convention?
There was yet another mass southern walk out and with so many southern delegates gone, Douglas won the Democratic nomination. The southern democrats set up their own convention and nominated the current Vice President John Breckinridge of Kentucky on a platform which called for the federal government to protect slavery in the territories.
Why was the Democratic split not as significant as it first seems?
Even without the split, the Republican party was odds-on favorite to win. Douglas also could campaign in the North without having to worry about maintaining a united Democrat Party.
What was agreed at the Republican convention?
- Higher protective tariffs
- Free 160-acre homesteads for western settlers
- A northern transcontinental railway
Who was favourite to win the Republican nomination? Why was he a tainted figure?
William Seward, governor of New York for four years and senator for 12. However, the fact that he had been a major figure in public life for so long meant that he had many enemies. He was seen as holding militant abolitionist views on slavery and had a long record of hostility to nativism. His nomination, therefore, might make the ex Know- Nothings think twice about voting Republican.
What advantages did Lincoln have?
- He came from Illinois, a battleground state whose voters might decide the outcome of the 1860 election.
- His debates with Douglas in 1858 had enhanced his reputation.
- In 1859-60 he made dozens of speeches across the North, gaining friends and making himself known.
- Given that it was difficult to attach an ideological label to him, he was able to appear to be all things to men.
- His lack of administrative experience helped his reputation for honesty.
- The fact that the convention was held in Chicago (Illinois) allowed his campaign managers to pack the Wigwam with his supporters.
Explain the steps that led to Lincoln securing the nomination
With the race now clearly between Steward and Lincoln, the votes of other candidates drifted to Lincoln. Lincoln’s campaign managers also almost certainly made secret deals with the delegates from Pennsylvania and Indiana, probably to the effect that Lincoln would appoint Simon Cameron and Caleb Smith to his cabinet.
Which new party emerged in 1860?
The Constitutional Unionist Party. Composed mainly of ex-Whigs. Its presidential candidate was John Bell.
Where was it’s support focused?
The upper South.
What was the platform of the Constitutional Unionist Party?
The party wanted to remove the slavery question from the political arena, thus relieving sectional strife.
How was the campaign characterised in terms of geographical battles?
In the North, the main fight was between Lincoln and Douglas. Bell and Breckinridge fought out in the South.
Which candidate was most active? What did Lincoln do during the campaign?
Douglas. Lincoln remained home in Springfield, conferring with Republican chiefs but saying nothing. He did not try appeasing to the South.
What methods did Democrats and Republicans deploy during the campaign?
Republicans flooded the North with campaign literature, held torch lit processions and carried wooden rails, embodying the notion that Lincoln was a self made man who had once split wood for rails. Concentrated on the Slave Power conspiracy. Southern Democrats stereotyped all northern as ‘Black Republicans’ set on abolishing slavery.
What was the result of the election? What facts and figures stand out to you?
In November, 81 percent of the electorate voted. Douglas obtained 1,383, 000 but won only two states. Liconol won 1,866,000 votes. Although he got no votes at all in ten southern states, he won 54 percent of the free-state vote, winning every states except New Jersey. Lincoln became president. Breckenridge, the most popular southern candidate, won less than half the vote in the slave states as a whole. If Douglas had won three other states, Lincoln would have not won the election.
Why did northerners vote for Lincoln?
A vote for Lincoln was a vote against Slave Power. Anti catholic northerners had little option but to vote Republican, if only because the Democratic Party remained the home of Irish and German Catholics. Many northerners also approved the Republican economic proposals and Lincoln had a reputation for integrity.
What reasons are given for indicating that secession was not a rational option?
- Lincoln had promised that he would not interfere with slavery in those states where it existed.
- Even if Lincoln harboured secret ambitions to abolish slavery, there was little he could do; his party did not control Congress or the Supreme Court.
- Secession would mean abandoning an enforceable Fugitive Slave Act; slaves would be able to flee to the North.
- Secession might lead to civil war, which would threaten slavery.
What was the perception in the South?
Most were angry that a northern anti-slavery party had captured the presidency. Lincoln was depicted as a rabid abolitionist. He would certainly stop slavery expansion. Southerners feared that they would thus be enclosed by more free states and that ultimately, slavery would be voted out of existence.
What problems did secessionists have?
- There was still much Unionist sympathy in the South
- There wasn’t a great southern organisation that might organize a secessionist movement
- Southerners were loyal to their state rather than the South
- The South was not united; there was not even unity on the best political strategy to adopt
- How to force the issue was another problem
Which state was first to secede?
South Carolina
