The Election of 1860

       Our "Final Straw" in our Road to the Civil War Unit is the Election of 1860 a major turning point in American History.  The Democratic Party had become fractured over the issue of slavery and could not put a single candidate to go against Abraham Lincoln and the Republicans.
    After years of political service in the House of Representatives and in the U.S. Senate, Stephen Douglas was ready to set his sights on the White House.  He had the political experience and the background to be the front runner for the Democratic Party's nomination for President but it was not meant to be.  The issue of slavery had divided the once dominate Democratic Party and during the Democratic National Convention Douglas struggled to get enough votes to secure the nomination.  When Douglas finally one the nomination, several Southern delegates stormed out in protest and held their own convention where they nominated Vice President John C. Breckinridge as their presidential candidate.
     Upset over the growing problems with the country a group led by John Bell of Tennessee organized the Constitutional Union Party on the belief that the nation needs to be held together no matter what.  Bell was chosen to be the candidate for President and ran a campaign hoping that neither candidate would win enough electoral votes and that the decision for President would be decided by the House of Representatives.
 
  Here is a link to today's notes.