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United States presidential election of 1860
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United States presidential election of 1860 Article

What was the outcome of the U.S. presidential election of 1860?

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RepublicanAbraham Lincoln captured less than 40 percent of the vote but won a majority in the electoral college (180 electoral votes) by dominating in the North and the Pacific Coast to become president. Northern Democrat Stephen A. Douglas took nearly 30 percent of the vote but won only Missouri’s 12 electoral votes. Southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge garnered 18 percent of the vote and 72 electoral votes, winning most Southern states plus Delaware and Maryland. Constitutional Unionist John Bell won 12.6 percent of the vote and 39 electoral votes. By Lincoln’s inauguration in March, seven Southern states had seceded. In April the American Civil War began.

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