Election of 1856 thrown to the House

No. The house would stick with the Democrats. Fremont would break the Union and if he was chosen we’d see secession earlier in history, which everyone wanted to avoid. The Know Nothings didn’t have enough support so Buchanan would still win because he’d delay the inevitable Civil War.
 
No. The house would stick with the Democrats. Fremont would break the Union and if he was chosen we’d see secession earlier in history, which everyone wanted to avoid. The Know Nothings didn’t have enough support so Buchanan would still win because he’d delay the inevitable Civil War.

Either that or the House remains deadlocked through March 4, and Breckenridge becomes President.
 
If this scenario occured, is there any way Frémont could've pulled out a victory? Or even perhaps Fillmore?

Delegations

AL - D 5, Am 2
AR - D 2
CA - D 2
CT - Am 5
DE - Am 1
FL - D 1
GA - D 6, Am 2
IA - D 1, W 1
IL - D 6, Opp 3, R 1
IN - Opp 8, R 1
KY - D 4, Am 6
LA - D 3, Am 1
MA - Am 11
MD - D 2, Am 4
ME - D 1, Opp 3, R 1, W 1
MI - D 1, Opp 1, R 2
MO - D 1, Am 1, Opp 6
MS - D 4, Am 1
NC - D 4, Am 3, W 1
NH - Am 2, R 1
NJ - D 1, Am 4
NY - D 5, Am 3, Opp 23, W 2
OH - FS 1, Opp 19, R 1
PA - D 15, Am 1, R 1, W 1
RI - D 1, Am 1
SC - D 6
TN - D 5, Am 5
TX - D 1, Am 1
VA - D 13, Am 1
VT - Opp 3, R 1
WI - D 1, Opp 1, R 1

Am = "American", i.e. "know-nothing".
Opp = "Opposition", a label used by many former Whigs in this period
W = Whig
FS = Free Soil

Counts may be off; this was generated from a list of all those serving in the 35th Congress, including those who died or resigned and were replaced, and those who filled such vacancies; also, many party alignments changed over the period of the Congress.

Per these numbers:

Democrats control 11 delegations

"Americans" control 7 delegations

"Opposition" control 5 delegations

No one party controls the other 10 delegations.
 
I think Breckinridge becoming President is one of the under used, but most likely ways the South secedes successfully.
 
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