What was the primary reason for the split in the Democratic Party during the 1860 presidential campaign?
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Correct answer: Conflict between Northern and Southern Democrats over protecting slavery in the territories
Southern Democrats demanded a federal slave code to protect slavery in the territories, while Northern Democrats supported popular sovereignty. This division resulted in the nomination of two separate Democratic candidates, Stephen Douglas and John C. Breckinridge.
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More Election of 1860 and Secession questions
- The Constitutional Union Party, which nominated John Bell in 1860, primarily sought to:
- Which candidate in the 1860 election won the majority of the popular vote in the Southern states?
- What was a significant outcome of the Election of 1860 regarding the Electoral College?
- Which state was the first to secede from the Union following the election of Abraham Lincoln?
- The 'Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession of South Carolina' explicitly cited which grievance?
- What was the primary goal of the Crittenden Compromise proposed in December 1860?