Lincoln's Election

A Nation Divided: Lincoln's Election and the Start of the Civil War

Imagine a country so divided that it felt like two separate nations. That’s what the United States was like in 1860. The main reason for this deep split was the issue of slavery.

In the North, many people believed slavery was wrong and wanted to stop it from spreading to new territories in the west.

In the South, however, the economy was heavily dependent on enslaved people who worked on large plantations, and southern leaders were determined to protect the institution of slavery.

The Election of 1860

This growing tension set the stage for one of the most important presidential elections in American history. The newly formed Republican Party chose Abraham Lincoln as their candidate. 

The Republicans’ main goal was to prevent slavery from expanding into the new western territories. They weren't calling for the end of slavery in the states where it already existed, but for many in the South, this was enough of a threat.

The Democratic Party, on the other hand, was split. Northern Democrats and Southern Democrats couldn't agree on a single candidate, which divided their votes. 

This split made it possible for Abraham Lincoln to win the presidency in November 1860, even though he didn't win a single southern state. In fact, his name wasn’t even on the ballot in most of them.

The South Reacts

For the leaders of the southern states, Lincoln's election was a sign that they had lost their voice and power in the federal government. 

They feared that it was only a matter of time before Lincoln and the Republicans would move to abolish slavery altogether. Rather than wait for that to happen, they decided to take a drastic step.

On December 20, 1860, South Carolina officially seceded, meaning it formally left the United States. Soon after, six other states—Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas—followed. In February 1861, these states formed a new country, which they called the Confederate States of America. 

They elected their own president, Jefferson Davis, and were prepared to defend their new nation and their way of life.

The Spark that Ignited the War

When Lincoln took office in March 1861, the country was on the brink of war. He declared in his inaugural address that he had no intention of interfering with slavery where it existed, but he also stated that no state had the right to leave the Union. 

He pleaded for the nation to remain whole, saying, "We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies."

The breaking point came a month later. The Union still controlled a few forts in the seceded states, including Fort Sumter in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina. 

The fort was running low on supplies, and Lincoln announced that he would send provisions, but not troops or weapons.

The new Confederate government saw this as an act of aggression. They demanded that the Union soldiers surrender the fort. The Union commander refused. 

On April 12, 1861, at 4:30 in the morning, Confederate cannons opened fire on Fort Sumter. After 34 hours of bombardment, the Union forces surrendered.

The attack on Fort Sumter was the first official act of war. Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to put down the rebellion, and four more southern states—Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina—responded by seceding and joining the Confederacy. 

The lines had been drawn, and the Civil War, a conflict that would test the very idea of the United States, had begun.