US Presidential Election of 1860: Candidates and their Stances

John Brown's Raid

• John Brown led a group of 18 men to Virginia to start a rebellion against slavery.

The Union

• The Union consisted of larger cities, with factories making up to 90% of the goods.
• Farms in the Union produced crops like corn, wheat, and oats.
• The Union's main objective in the Civil War was to invade, conquer, and occupy the South.
• The largest city in the Union was New York City, with a population of 800,000 people, of which only about 36,000 were black.
• The Union had a larger economy, with many agricultural and industrial resources.
• The Union had more railroads and the ability to move and create railroads.
• Although the Union had a smaller army, they used railroads and steamships to transport supplies and troops.
• The Union had a better navy that produced 32 times more firearms than the Confederates.

The Confederacy

• The Confederacy had smaller cities with fewer factories, and their farms produced crops like cotton, rice, and tobacco.
• The main objective of the Confederacy was to defend the South, and preserve their way of life, which included slavery.
• Their goal was to hold out long enough in the war to become independent and keep their slave laws.
• The largest city in the Confederacy was New Orleans, with a population of 170,000, of which about 66,000 were black.
• The Confederacy had a smaller, more agricultural-based economy, with much fewer railroads and mainly transported goods by water.
• They had a smaller army and often had trouble getting food and supplies to their army.
• They had a small navy and few shipyards, but had many more military colleges than the Union.

Election of 1860

• Stephen A. Douglas supported slavery in the South and wanted each state to decide on slavery.
• Abraham Lincoln supported slavery where it already existed, but not in new territories, and believed in westward expansion.
• John C. Breckinridge supported slavery and wanted it in all territories.
• John Bell believed in preserving the Union and Constitution.
• Abraham Lincoln won the Election of 1860.

Events Leading to the Civil War

• The Compromise of 1850 made California join the Union as a free state, abolishing slavery in California.
• Uncle Tom's Cabin, a book by Harriet Beecher Stowe, advocated for the abolition of slavery and brought awareness to the nation.
• The Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854-1861) overruled the Missouri Compromise, showing the determination of those who supported slavery.
• The Dred Scott court case argued over whether slaves were considered people.

Key Figures

• Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States in 1860, and after the South seceded, he concluded that the war was necessary.
• Jefferson Davis believed that each state had the right to secede from the Union if necessary and was elected as president of the Confederacy.
• Ulysses S. Grant helped recruit men to fight, worked his way up to Lieutenant General, and was known for his tough fighting style that often resulted in many casualties.