Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyPolitical Realignment and the Election of 1860

The table below shows the results of the presidential election of 1860:

CandidatePartyPopular Vote %Electoral VotesPrimary Region of Support
Abraham LincolnRepublican39.8%180Free (Northern) States
John C. BreckinridgeSouthern Democratic18.1%72Slave (Southern) States
John BellConstitutional Union12.6%39Border States
Stephen A. DouglasNorthern Democratic29.5%12Northern and Border States

Which of the following was the most direct political consequence of the election outcome shown in the table?

  1. A
    The immediate passage of a compromise tariff that resolved the sectional dispute.
  2. The decision of several Southern states to secede from the Union.Answer
  3. C
    The implementation of popular sovereignty to decide the status of slavery in Northern states.
  4. D
    The immediate ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment to establish citizenship for former slaves.

Answer

The decision of several Southern states to secede from the Union.
The electoral success of the Republican Party under Abraham Lincoln, which was achieved entirely through Northern electoral votes as shown in the table, served as the immediate trigger for the secession of the Southern states. Southern leaders viewed the election of a president from a sectional, anti-slavery expansion party as an existential threat to the institution of slavery, leading South Carolina and other Deep South states to secede and form the Confederacy.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the table containing the election results of 1860.
The table illustrates a deeply divided nation, with Abraham Lincoln winning the presidency with 180 electoral votes by sweeping the free Northern states, despite not winning a single Southern state.
This geographic distribution of votes shows that the political realignment had separated the nation along strictly sectional lines.
2
Determine the reaction of Southern political leaders to the Republican victory.
Southern leaders believed that a government run by a sectional Republican party would ultimately restrict and destroy the institution of slavery, leading them to declare secession.
Connecting the election of Lincoln to the secession of South Carolina and other Deep South states establishes the direct political consequence of the election.

Key Concept

The Election of 1860 and the Outbreak of Secession
Rate this question

Topics

Political Realignment and the Election of 1860

More questions from this topic