The Election of Abraham Lincoln

What happened

Abraham Lincoln, the candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party, was elected president without carrying a single Southern state. His platform of halting the spread of slavery into the western territories alarmed the slaveholding South.

Why it matters

Lincoln's victory triggered the secession crisis; within weeks Southern states began leaving the Union rather than accept his presidency.

Sources

• Lincoln Home National Historic Site, National Park Service. The 1860 Presidential Election · Reputable source