During the 1860 election, Abraham Lincoln won the presidency and divided the country, with the North supporting him and the South mainly supporting John Breckinridge.
The 1860 election map of the United States starkly depicted the pronounced division between the Northern and Southern states, a precursor to the impending rupture that led to the Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate, emerged victorious, securing the presidency in an election that epitomized the nation's sectional rifts.
Despite Lincoln claiming just under 40% of the popular vote, he achieved a resounding victory in the Electoral College, capturing a majority of the electoral votes.
This triumph highlighted the divide between the populous Northern states that largely supported Lincoln's anti-slavery stance and the Southern states that vehemently opposed his candidacy and feared his policies might threaten their institution of slavery.
John Breckinridge, representing the Democratic Party, posed a significant challenge to Lincoln, securing 72 electoral votes.
Notably, Breckinridge carried the majority of the Southern slave states, winning 11 out of the 15 states that permitted slavery. His support stemmed from the South's concerns regarding their rights to maintain and expand slavery, solidifying the stark regional divide in the election.
The polarization exhibited in this election laid bare the irreconcilable differences between the Northern and Southern states on the issue of slavery, setting the stage for the secession of Southern states and ultimately culminating in the eruption of the Civil War, a defining moment in American history shaped by these deep-rooted ideological and sectional conflicts.