Question

Why were southerners outraged about the outcome of the election of 1860?

Answer 1

They knew Abraham Lincoln would go to whatever length to abolish slavery, and Lincoln had won the election without receiving a single vote from the southern states. Southerners wanted to preserve slavery.

Answer 2

Step-by-step explanation:

The Republican Party, which fielded its first candidate in 1856, was opposed to the expansion of slavery. Abraham Lincoln, the party's nominee in 1860, was seen as a moderate on slavery, but Southerners feared that his election would lead to its demise, and vowed to leave the Union if he was elected.