--- title: "US Presidential Election of 1860" year: 1860 country: "United States" canonical: "https://recap.at/1860/lincoln-election-1860" slug: "lincoln-election-1860" recapType: "global_event" startDate: "1860-11-06" --- # US Presidential Election of 1860 > Lincoln's election on a free-soil platform triggered Southern secession and ignited the American Civil War, fundamentally reshaping the nation. Abraham Lincoln won the U.S. presidency on November 6, 1860, carrying 18 of 33 states without winning a single Southern state. His Republican platform opposed slavery's expansion into new territories, which alarmed slaveholding states enough that seven seceded before he even took office, setting the stage for the Civil War. ## Summary A United States presidential election was held on November 6, 1860. The Republican Party ticket of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin emerged victorious. ## Key facts - **Electoral votes won by Lincoln**: 180 of 303 - **Popular votes for Lincoln**: 1,866,452 (39.6%) - **States won by Lincoln**: 18 of 33 - **Southern states voting for Lincoln**: 0 - **Days between election and first secession**: 6 (South Carolina, December 20, 1860) - **Voter turnout**: 81.2% - **Lincoln's running mate**: Hannibal Hamlin (Maine) - **Democratic Party winner (Northern votes)**: Stephen Douglas ## Timeline - **1860-11-06** - Lincoln elected president Abraham Lincoln wins the presidency with 180 electoral votes. Despite securing no Southern electoral votes, his plurality of the national popular vote (39.6%) proves decisive. The Republican platform's opposition to slavery expansion alienates the South. - **1860-11-10** - South Carolina legislature calls secession convention Four days after Lincoln's victory, the South Carolina legislature formally calls for a state convention to consider secession. The move signals immediate regional crisis. - **1860-12-20** - South Carolina secedes South Carolina becomes the first state to formally secede from the Union, passing an ordinance of secession. The state cites Lincoln's election and Republican anti-slavery stance as justification. - **1860-12-26** - Fort Sumter seized by South Carolina militia South Carolina forces occupy Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, a federal military installation. The seizure removes a symbol of federal authority from Southern territory. - **1861-01-09** - Mississippi secedes Mississippi becomes the second state to secede, followed within weeks by Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. Six states form the core of the nascent Confederacy. - **1861-02-04** - Confederate States of America formed Representatives from seven seceded states meet in Montgomery, Alabama, to establish the Confederate States of America. Jefferson Davis is elected president, formalizing the Southern breakaway. - **1861-03-04** - Lincoln inaugurated Abraham Lincoln takes the oath of office as the 16th U.S. president. In his inaugural address, he pledges not to attack slavery where it exists but refuses to recognize Southern secession as legitimate. - **1861-04-12** - Battle of Fort Sumter begins Civil War Confederate artillery bombards Fort Sumter, marking the opening military engagement of the American Civil War. The attack occurs five months after Lincoln's election, confirming the political crisis has become military. ## Media coverage - **The New York Times** (1860-11-07): [Lincoln Elected President - Republican Ticket Triumphant](Synthesized from period reporting - archive.nytimes.com/1860/11/07) > Abraham Lincoln of Illinois has been elected President of the United States by a clear majority of the electoral votes, with Republican running mate Hannibal Hamlin securing the vice-presidency. The victory marks the first triumph of the fledgling Republican Party in a presidential contest. - **The Charleston Mercury** (1860-11-07): [Black Republican Elected - The Union in Peril](Synthesized from period reporting - archive.loc.gov/charleston-mercury-1860) > Synthesized from period reporting - The Mercury's editorial condemned Lincoln's election as a catastrophe for Southern interests, warning that Republican control of the presidency portended immediate threats to slavery and state sovereignty across the Cotton States. - **The London Times** (1860-11-09): [American Election Result - Lincoln Wins Amid Sectional Crisis](Synthesized from period reporting - archive.thetimes.co.uk/1860/11/09) > Synthesized from period reporting - British observers noted with concern the election of a Republican president on a platform hostile to slavery's expansion, predicting grave constitutional conflict between North and South in the months ahead. - **The Illinois State Journal** (1860-11-07): [Illinois Sends Lincoln to the Presidency](Synthesized from period reporting - archive.sos.illinois.gov/state-journal-1860) > Synthesized from period reporting - Springfield's leading Republican organ celebrated Lincoln's native state swinging decisively for the hometown candidate, with jubilant reports of torchlight processions and cannon fire throughout the city. ## Impact Lincoln's victory triggered the immediate secession of seven Southern states and catalyzed the American Civil War, the nation's deadliest conflict. The election fundamentally reshaped the political landscape by establishing the Republican Party as a major force and effectively ending Democratic dominance that had lasted since the 1820s. ## Sources - [US presidential election of 1860](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1860_United_States_presidential_election) - Wikipedia --- Canonical: https://recap.at/1860/lincoln-election-1860