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Difficulty: MediumPolitical Realignment and the Election of 1860

Consider the following data from the United States presidential election of 1860:

CandidatePartyPopular VotePopular %Electoral VoteElectoral %
Abraham LincolnRepublican1,865,90839.8%18059.4%
Stephen A. DouglasNorthern Democratic1,380,20229.5%124.0%
John C. BreckinridgeSouthern Democratic848,01918.1%7223.8%
John BellConstitutional Union590,90112.6%3912.9%

The data in the table best supports which of the following conclusions about the political landscape on the eve of the Civil War?

  1. The election results demonstrated the complete sectionalization of national politics, as a candidate won the presidency without carrying any Southern states.Answer
  2. B
    The popular vote for Stephen A. Douglas indicates that a majority of the electorate supported the federal government directly deciding the slave status of new territories.
  3. C
    The electoral success of John C. Breckinridge demonstrates that Southern voters were primarily motivated by federal tariff disputes rather than the preservation of slavery.
  4. D
    The division between Stephen A. Douglas and John C. Breckinridge reflects the long-standing policy disputes between Alexander Hamilton's Federalists and Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republicans.

Answer

The election results demonstrated the complete sectionalization of national politics, as a candidate won the presidency without carrying any Southern states.
The correct answer is correct because the election of 1860 saw the nation's political map split entirely along geographic lines. Abraham Lincoln won a substantial majority of the electoral college (59.4%) despite earning only 39.8% of the popular vote, which came entirely from Northern and Western free states. This outcome, combined with the split of the Democratic Party into Northern and Southern factions and the emergence of the Constitutional Union Party, illustrates the complete breakdown of national party coalitions and the total sectionalization of American politics along geographic lines.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the popular and electoral vote distribution in the table.
Abraham Lincoln won 59.4% of the electoral vote but only 39.8% of the popular vote, while the Democratic vote was split between Douglas (Northern) and Breckinridge (Southern).
To understand the level of national vs. regional support for each candidate.
2
Evaluate the geographic alignment of the candidates and the parties in 1860.
Lincoln's support was concentrated entirely in Northern and Western free states, while the Southern Democratic and Constitutional Union votes were concentrated in the South and border states.
To determine whether the voting patterns show national unity or sectional division.
3
Select the option that best describes the breakdown of national party coalitions.
The election represented a complete sectionalization of national politics, where a candidate could win the presidency strictly by capturing Northern electoral votes.
To identify the historical significance of the realignment in the election of 1860.

Key Concept

The complete sectionalization of national politics during the Election of 1860, which led to the fracturing of the Democratic Party and the rise of the Republican Party.
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Political Realignment and the Election of 1860

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