US HISTORY
Election of 1860
- Democrats split over slavery at their
convention – south nominates Breckinridge, north nominates
Douglas
- Moderate Southerners (American Party
& WHIGS = forming the Constitutional Union Party) meet
in Baltimore, choosing John Bell
- Republican Party nominates Lincoln
- In the South the race was between Bell
& Breckinridge (Lincoln was not even on the ballot)
- In the North the race was between Douglas
& Lincoln
- Lincoln received only 39% of the votes,
but got the necessary 180 electoral votes
- The South was outraged that a President
was elected w/o any southern electoral votes
- Secessionists argued that since they
voluntarily joined the Union, they could voluntarily leave
it
- South Carolina officially secedes the
Union – December 20, 1860
- Early February 1861 six other states
leave and form Confederate States of America
- Last minute compromise fails: restore
the 36 30 line – President elect Lincoln opposed it
and convinced the Senate to go along
- Northern businessmen opposed the secession,
fearing loss of profits
- After an attack on Fort Sumter, a federal
fort in S. Carolina – 4 more states sucede (Virginia,
N. Carolina, Tenn. & Arkansas)
**First Battle of BULL RUN in Virginia,
politicians, civilians, reporters followed the untrained soldiers
to the battle for a picnic – At first the Union appeared
to be winning, but the Confederates received reinforcements,
and turned back the Union – the untrained soldiers retreated
in disorder, dropping their guns and running, getting tangled
with the picnic people
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