The election of 1860 in the United States would be the last Presidential Election before the Civil War broke out. Let us rundown who was running:
Republicans: Abraham Lincoln, we all know he wins in the end in real life, but what would have happened if he lost the nomination beforehand? William Seward was winning the Republican Nomination, but he could not secure a majority, and was beaten to it by Lincoln. If William Seward had become the Republican Nominee, with the Republican Platform being against the expansion of Slavery, would the South had seceded, and if they did, would Seward have pulled off what Lincoln did?
Southern-Democrats: John C. Breckenridge, the "Pro-Slavery" Candidate, was a very popular choice in the South. When the democratic party split between Northern Democrats supporting Stephen Douglas, and Southern Democrats supporting Breckenridge, it showed that American politics was becoming more and more divided. Breckenridge was second place at the end of the real elections, but what if he squeezed in a few more states then Lincoln and won? Would the South have stayed with a pro-slavery man in power, and would Slavery last longer then it did?
Northern-Democrats: Stephen Douglas, "Popular Sovereignty" supporter. Douglas was not an abolitionist, yet he supported the idea of new States selecting if slavery would be legal or not in their borders. Proving his worth with the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Douglas sadly only pulled two states and came in last place. But what if he won? Would the Union still split due to Douglas being a Northerner? Would the slave-free states map be twisted in the west?
Constitutional Union: John Bell, "Union above all else". The CU was a party with its platform being the constitution. They did not care about slavery, but they wanted to maintain the union above all else. The CU was very popular in border states, like Virginia, Maryland, and Kentucky. Though Bell would come in third place, perhaps if he had won, the Civil War would not have been a conclusion to the election. A party that supports Union over everything would have kept the country together right?
Below please explain the candidate you want to do a "What if they won" post about.
Republicans: Abraham Lincoln, we all know he wins in the end in real life, but what would have happened if he lost the nomination beforehand? William Seward was winning the Republican Nomination, but he could not secure a majority, and was beaten to it by Lincoln. If William Seward had become the Republican Nominee, with the Republican Platform being against the expansion of Slavery, would the South had seceded, and if they did, would Seward have pulled off what Lincoln did?
Southern-Democrats: John C. Breckenridge, the "Pro-Slavery" Candidate, was a very popular choice in the South. When the democratic party split between Northern Democrats supporting Stephen Douglas, and Southern Democrats supporting Breckenridge, it showed that American politics was becoming more and more divided. Breckenridge was second place at the end of the real elections, but what if he squeezed in a few more states then Lincoln and won? Would the South have stayed with a pro-slavery man in power, and would Slavery last longer then it did?
Northern-Democrats: Stephen Douglas, "Popular Sovereignty" supporter. Douglas was not an abolitionist, yet he supported the idea of new States selecting if slavery would be legal or not in their borders. Proving his worth with the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Douglas sadly only pulled two states and came in last place. But what if he won? Would the Union still split due to Douglas being a Northerner? Would the slave-free states map be twisted in the west?
Constitutional Union: John Bell, "Union above all else". The CU was a party with its platform being the constitution. They did not care about slavery, but they wanted to maintain the union above all else. The CU was very popular in border states, like Virginia, Maryland, and Kentucky. Though Bell would come in third place, perhaps if he had won, the Civil War would not have been a conclusion to the election. A party that supports Union over everything would have kept the country together right?
Below please explain the candidate you want to do a "What if they won" post about.