The Election of 1860 and Formation of the Confederate States of America

Dear Diary,

Jeanette and I have been trying to get over this new election. I still cannot believe that President Lincoln won without any votes from the south. If I could have voted, I surely would have voted for Lincoln. I like how he thought slavery should not be allowed in the territories. I am very glad that John Breckinridge did not win the election. He was the Southern Democrat nominee who believed the federal government should protect slavery. I believe that is just craziness. The only thing I like about the Constitutional Unionist nominee, John Bell, is that he thought the union should be defended. I believe that Stephen Douglass' idea of having popular sovereignty decide whether or not a territory should have slavery would eventually lead to madness similar to what happened in Kansas.   President Lincoln won 40% of the popular vote and almost 60% of the electoral vote. This was the first presidential election were the candidates had to figure out what to do with the issue of slavery. 

I am saddened by the fact that states started to leave the Union because of who was elected president. South Carolina was the first to secede. By February 1861, the seven states who secede created the Confederate States of America. Their constitution is very similar to the United States constitution.  They selected Jefferson Davis to be their president. While Jefferson had supported the Compromise of 1850, he was a strong believe that the south should take care of itself.  The Confederate States of America were made up of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.

Here is a map of the electoral votes in the 1860 Election:

That's all for now Diary,

Rebecca

The Election of 1860. N.d. Bardhi History Class. Web. 3 Feb. 2016. 
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