---
title: "US Election of 1860: Lincoln Elected"
year: 1860
country: "United States"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1860/lincoln-1860-election"
slug: "lincoln-1860-election"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1860-01-01"
---

# US Election of 1860: Lincoln Elected

> Abraham Lincoln's election triggered Southern secession and precipitated the Civil War, fundamentally reshaping American democracy and the nation.

Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 U.S. presidential election without carrying a single Southern state, fracturing the already-tense alliance between North and South. His Republican platform opposed slavery's expansion into new territories, a position that prompted eleven Southern states to secede within months, igniting the Civil War.

## Summary

The following elections occurred in the year 1860. Most notably, the 1860 United States presidential election was one of the events that precipitated the American Civil War.

## Key facts

- **Electoral votes won**: 180 of 303
- **Popular vote percentage**: 39.7%
- **States won by Lincoln**: 18 Northern states
- **Southern states won**: 0
- **States that seceded before inauguration**: 7
- **Election date**: November 6, 1860
- **Lincoln's main opponent**: Stephen Douglas (Northern Democrat)

## Timeline

- **1860-11-06** - Lincoln elected president
  Abraham Lincoln wins the presidency with 180 electoral votes and 39.7% of the popular vote, carrying 18 Northern states but no Southern ones.
- **1860-12-20** - South Carolina secedes
  South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the Union, citing Lincoln's election and Republican opposition to slavery expansion.
- **1861-01-09** - Mississippi secedes
  Mississippi formally secedes, followed within days by Florida and Alabama as the crisis deepens.
- **1861-01-26** - Louisiana secedes
  Louisiana votes to leave the Union; Georgia, Texas, and Arkansas follow within weeks.
- **1861-02-04** - Confederate States formed
  Seceded states meet in Montgomery, Alabama and establish the Confederate States of America with Jefferson Davis as president.
- **1861-03-04** - Lincoln inaugurated
  Lincoln takes office as the 16th president. In his inaugural address, he pledges not to interfere with slavery where it exists but rejects the right of states to secede.
- **1861-04-12** - Fort Sumter attacked
  Confederate forces open fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Lincoln calls for volunteers; four Upper South states respond by seceding, completing the 11-state Confederacy.

## Impact

Lincoln's election served as the immediate catalyst for Southern secession. Seven states left the Union before his inauguration in March 1861, and four more joined them after Fort Sumter, setting off a conflict that killed 620,000 Americans and reshaped the nation's political and moral foundation.

## Sources

- [Election of 1860](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_elections_in_1860) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1860/lincoln-1860-election