Lincoln Elected: Nation Divided Over Slavery
Abraham Lincoln won the presidency on November 6, 1860, without appearing on the ballot in ten Southern states. He received 39.8% of the popular vote in a four-way race against Stephen Douglas, John Breckinridge, and John Bell. Lincoln carried every free state and won 180 electoral votes, 28 more than needed. The reaction in the South was immediate: South Carolina called a secession convention before the month was out. By the time Lincoln was inaugurated on March 4, 1861, seven states had left the Union. Lincoln had campaigned against the expansion of slavery into new territories, not its abolition where it existed. But Southern leaders saw his election as an existential threat to the slave economy. The Civil War began 39 days after his inauguration, killing 750,000 Americans over four years.
November 6, 1860
166 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on November 6
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