"I am not a Know-Nothing. That is certain. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of negroes, be in favor of degrading classes of white people? When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read 'all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and catholics.' When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty—to Russia, for instance..."
— Abraham Lincoln, letter to Joshua Speed, 1855
The political tensions described in the excerpt most directly contributed to which of the following developments by the election of 1860?
- The collapse of the Whig Party and the subsequent consolidation of the Republican Party as a sectional, Northern coalitionAnswer
- BThe widespread acceptance of popular sovereignty as a stable federal policy to resolve the extension of slavery in the territories
- CA political realignment centered on resolving tariff disputes between Southern plantation owners and Northern nativist groups
- DThe formation of a military alliance with European nations under the Monroe Doctrine to restrict further immigration
Answer
The collapse of the Whig Party and the subsequent consolidation of the Republican Party as a sectional, Northern coalition
The collapse of the Whig Party and the rising sectional tension over slavery created a political vacuum. Northern Whigs, Free-Soilers, and anti-slavery Democrats consolidated into the Republican Party, which became a purely sectional Northern party. This realignment was demonstrated in the election of 1860 when Abraham Lincoln won the presidency without winning a single Southern electoral vote.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Political Realignment and the Election of 1860
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