The election of 1860 was the only election in our history that did not result in a peaceful transfer of power. As political developments changed the way the Constitution’s compromises on slavery were understood and applied, Americans from both North and South expressed fears about conspiracies to either impose or prohibit slavery throughout the nation. Fearing a loss of power within the Union, many Southerners revisited arguments about the nature of the Constitution. Some argued that the Constitution was a compact among the states, and that interpretation seemed to allow for states to secede, or withdraw from that compact. After the Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln, was elected President in 1860—without even appearing on the ballot in ten Southern states—Southern states rapidly took action to secede from the Union, and President Lincoln took action to keep the Union together.

Objectives:

Students will:

• Understand important developments leading up to the election of 1860 that challenged the Constitution’s original compromises on slavery.
• Analyze why the election of 1860 did not result in a peaceful transfer of power.
• Assess the validity of South Carolina’s justification of secession.

• Handout A: The Election of 1860
• Handout B: Mock Ballots
• Handout C: Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address
• Handout D: The Right to Leave?
• Handout E: Two Declarations

To create a context for this lesson, have students complete Constitutional Connection: Presidents and the Transfer of Power.