What best describes the political divide between North and South during the Election of 1860?

The political divide between the North and the South in the election of 1860 can best be described by looking at the issue of slavery. In the election of 1860, the Democratic Party split over the issue of slavery. The Northern Democrats nominated Stephen Douglas. Because of the stance Douglas took regarding slavery in the Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858, the Southern Democrats couldn’t support his nomination. The Southern Democrats believed Douglas wanted to end slavery...

The political divide between the North and the South in the election of 1860 can best be described by looking at the issue of slavery. In the election of 1860, the Democratic Party split over the issue of slavery. The Northern Democrats nominated Stephen Douglas. Because of the stance Douglas took regarding slavery in the Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858, the Southern Democrats couldn’t support his nomination. The Southern Democrats believed Douglas wanted to end slavery based on his comments in those debates. Therefore, the Southern Democrats nominated John C. Breckinridge as their candidate.

The Republicans nominated Abraham Lincoln as their candidate. While Lincoln was against slavery, he wasn’t prepared to end it where it already existed. In the election of 1860, Lincoln won. However, he didn’t win any southern states. Slavery clearly exemplified the political divide that existed between the North and the South in the election of 1860.