Final answer:
The election of 1860 featured deep divisions over slavery, with the Democratic Party splitting into factions. Abraham Lincoln's Republican Party won due to its firm stance against the expansion of slavery. The election precipitated the secession of Southern states and the onset of the Civil War.
Step-by-step explanation:
The presidential election of 1860 was one of the most pivotal in US history, characterized by deep divisions over the issue of slavery. The Democratic Party, unable to agree on this contentious topic, fractured into multiple factions. Northern Democrats supported Stephen Douglas, who was a pro-slavery moderate advocating for popular sovereignty. Conversely, Southern Democrats nominated John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky, who stood on a more pro-slavery platform after Southern delegates opposed a non-pro-slavery platform and walked out of the convention.
Another candidate, John Bell, represented the Constitutional Union Party, which tried to avoid the slavery issue by concentrating on preserving the Union. However, the Republican Party, emphasizing the non-expansion of slavery and led by Abraham Lincoln, capitalized on the Democratic split. The Republican Party's election strategy was advantageous, particularly given that the contest in effect became two separate races: Lincoln versus Douglas in the North and Breckinridge versus Bell in the South.
A resulting consequence of the election was that, after Lincoln's victory, seven Southern states seceded from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America, leading to the American Civil War. The 1860 election, therefore, not only determined a president but also set the path for one of the nation's most significant conflicts.