What is 1860 United States presidential election?
{{Events leading to American Civil War}} {{multiple image | align = right | direction = horizontal | image1 = Abraham Lincoln O-77 matte collodion print.jpg | width1 = 200 | caption1 = {{center|Abraham Lincoln}} | image2 = BradyHandy-StephenADouglas restored.jpg | width2 = 169 | caption2 = {{center|Stephen A. Douglas}} }} The '''United States presidential election of 1860''' was held on Tuesday, November 6, 1860. The election of [[President of the United States|President]] [[Abraham Lincoln]] served as a trigger for the outbreak of the [[American Civil War]]. The United States had been divided during the 1850s on questions surrounding the expansion of [[Slavery in the United States|slavery]] and the rights of slave owners. In 1860, these issues broke the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] into three [[Political faction|factions]].<ref name=TERRA>{{cite web |url=http://www.civilwarinart.org/exhibits/show/causes/introduction/the-election-of-1860-and-seces |title=The Election of 1860 and Secession |publisher=Terra Foundation for American Art |access-date=27 April 2015}}</ref> Each [[group]] felt they could best defeat the Republican Party [[wikt:candidate|candidate]].<ref name=TERRA/> {{multiple image | align = right | direction = horizontal | image1 = John C Breckinridge-04775-restored.jpg | width1 = 187 | caption1 = {{center|John C. Breckinridge}} | image2 = John-bell-brady-handy-cropped.jpg | width2 = 212 | caption2 = {{center|John Bell}} }} == Democratic party split == In April 1860 [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] met in [[Charleston, South Carolina]] to select a candidate for the upcoming presidential election.<ref name=IHAP>{{cite web |url=http://www.ushistory.org/us/32d.asp |title=32d. The Election of 1860 |publisher=The Independence Hall Association in Philadelphia |access-date=27 April 2015}}</ref> The convention was in complete [[wikt:chaos|chaos]]. Northern Democrats wanted to nominate [[Stephen A. Douglas]].<ref name=