The 1860 presidential election (or, as some modern-day history teachers refer to it,
The Great Stress-Inducer) was the 19th quadrennial presidential election held on Tuesday, November 6, 1860. It was also possibly the most
convoluted election in American history and the catalyst for secession and voting lasted into February of 1861. Had Lincoln done a little better, and Douglas and Breckinridge done a little worse, it is thoroughly conceivable Lincoln and the Republican Party might have won - Indiana, Illinois, California and Oregon were close enough to potentially swing to Lincoln's camp. Alas it was not to be. Instead, it ended like the 1824 election with a deadlocked Electoral College and no clear winner. Lincoln, however, came closest with 149 electoral votes with 152 needed to win. And thus, like 1824, the election was sent to the House of Representatives and the 36th United States Congress.
The Republicans controlled fifteen state delegations. Breckinridge Democrats controlled thirteen, Douglas Democrats the state of Illinois, while Bell supporters controlled Tennessee. Three states (Kentucky, Maryland, and North Carolina) were equally divided between Breckinridge Democrats and Bell supporters. As Bell had the least number of votes and could not run for the House election, he urged his states to vote for Breckinridge. However, as they were the belles of the ball and knew Breckinridge needed them to have a majority, they played hard to get. Douglas, despite declaring he would never accept election by the House if it indeed went there, ran and campaigned hard in the House to be the compromise candidate.
It lasted seventeen ballots. Seventeen excruciating, painful ballots. All eyes were on Washington DC. Tempers flared, fights were had between Congressmen, some of them even cried, and even the British and French ambassadors were concerned the United States might descend into anarchy should a president not be soon chosen as American tempers flared. They would regret becoming Cassandra in that moment because, even though a president was chosen, anarchy still reigned.
Eventually, on February 28th, 1861, the House finally chose a President. Controlling 17 State delegations, the bare necessity for a majority among the States, former Vice President
John C. Breckinridge became the 16th President of the United States. Outraged that they had been cheated of the election, the abolitionist Republican Party seethed and vowed to win again in 1864. Slave Power would
not win. However, the Supreme Court ruled later that year -
Lemmon v. New York - that slave-owners
could bring their slaves into free states for transit "or sojourn". However, Chief Justice Roger Taney went a step further like he did in Dred Scott and declared further that it was unconstitutional for state laws to abolish slavery.
The abolitionist cause reached a fever pitch. Slave Power had stolen from them
again.
No more.
And so the first Northern state left the Union...
Note: New Jersey's split electoral votes is not depicted. 4 EVs went to Lincoln, 3 EVs went to Douglas.
Abraham Lincoln (Republican): 149 EVs
John C. Breckinridge ('Southern' Democratic): 94 EVs
Stephen A. Douglas ('Northern' Democratic): 36 EVs
John Bell (Constitutional Union): 24 EVs
Presidents of the United States of America
14. 1853-1857:
Franklin Pierce (Democratic - New Hampshire)
15. 1857-1861:
James Buchanan (Democratic - Pennsylvania)
16. 1861-
0000:
John C. Breckinridge ('Southern' Democratic - Kentucky)
Start of the American Civil War