The Election of 1860

A Campaign Fraught with Consequences

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Government, Elections, History, Americas, United States, Civil War Period (1850-1877), 19th Century
Cover of the book The Election of 1860 by Michael F. Holt, University Press of Kansas
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Michael F. Holt ISBN: 9780700624881
Publisher: University Press of Kansas Publication: October 20, 2017
Imprint: University Press of Kansas Language: English
Author: Michael F. Holt
ISBN: 9780700624881
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Publication: October 20, 2017
Imprint: University Press of Kansas
Language: English

Because of its extraordinary consequences and because of Abraham Lincoln’s place in the American pantheon, the presidential election of 1860 is probably the most studied in our history. But perhaps for the same reasons, historians have focused on the contest of Lincoln versus Stephen Douglas in the northern free states and John Bell versus John C. Breckinridge in the slaveholding South. In The Election of 1860 a preeminent scholar of American history disrupts this familiar narrative with a clearer and more comprehensive account of how the election unfolded and what it was actually about. Most critically, the book counters the common interpretation of the election as a referendum on slavery and the Republican Party’s purported threat to it. However significantly slavery figured in the election, The Election of 1860 reveals the key importance of widespread opposition to the Republican Party because of its overtly anti-southern rhetoric and seemingly unstoppable rise to power in the North after its emergence in 1854. Also of critical importance was the corruption of the incumbent administration of Democrat James Buchanan—and a nationwide revulsion against party.

Grounding his history in a nuanced retelling of the pre-1860 story, Michael F. Holt explores the sectional politics that permeated the election and foreshadowed the coming Civil War. He brings to light how the campaigns of the Republican Party and the National (Northern) Democrats and the Constitutional (Southern) Democrats and the newly formed Constitutional Union Party were not exclusively regional. His attention to the little-studied role of the Buchanan Administration, and of perceived threats to the preservation of the Union, clarifies the true dynamic of the 1860 presidential election, particularly in its early stages.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Because of its extraordinary consequences and because of Abraham Lincoln’s place in the American pantheon, the presidential election of 1860 is probably the most studied in our history. But perhaps for the same reasons, historians have focused on the contest of Lincoln versus Stephen Douglas in the northern free states and John Bell versus John C. Breckinridge in the slaveholding South. In The Election of 1860 a preeminent scholar of American history disrupts this familiar narrative with a clearer and more comprehensive account of how the election unfolded and what it was actually about. Most critically, the book counters the common interpretation of the election as a referendum on slavery and the Republican Party’s purported threat to it. However significantly slavery figured in the election, The Election of 1860 reveals the key importance of widespread opposition to the Republican Party because of its overtly anti-southern rhetoric and seemingly unstoppable rise to power in the North after its emergence in 1854. Also of critical importance was the corruption of the incumbent administration of Democrat James Buchanan—and a nationwide revulsion against party.

Grounding his history in a nuanced retelling of the pre-1860 story, Michael F. Holt explores the sectional politics that permeated the election and foreshadowed the coming Civil War. He brings to light how the campaigns of the Republican Party and the National (Northern) Democrats and the Constitutional (Southern) Democrats and the newly formed Constitutional Union Party were not exclusively regional. His attention to the little-studied role of the Buchanan Administration, and of perceived threats to the preservation of the Union, clarifies the true dynamic of the 1860 presidential election, particularly in its early stages.

More books from University Press of Kansas

Cover of the book Lives of Hitler's Jewish Soldiers by Michael F. Holt
Cover of the book Losing Binh Dinh by Michael F. Holt
Cover of the book Stopped at Stalingrad by Michael F. Holt
Cover of the book The Search for Domestic Bliss by Michael F. Holt
Cover of the book Leadership in American Politics by Michael F. Holt
Cover of the book The Diaries of Reuben Smith, Kansas Settler and Civil War Soldier by Michael F. Holt
Cover of the book The Japanese American Cases by Michael F. Holt
Cover of the book A Third Term for FDR by Michael F. Holt
Cover of the book The New Kansas Cookbook by Michael F. Holt
Cover of the book The Crusade for Equality in the Workplace by Michael F. Holt
Cover of the book The Jury in America by Michael F. Holt
Cover of the book The Supreme Court by Michael F. Holt
Cover of the book Hoover's Secret War against Axis Spies by Michael F. Holt
Cover of the book I Like Ike by Michael F. Holt
Cover of the book MacArthur's Coalition by Michael F. Holt
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy