OpenStax
Open Stax: The Kansas Nebraska Act and the Republican Party
Students will learn about the political ramifications of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the founding of the Republican Party.
American Presidency Project
American Presidency Project: Election of 1856
Online resource that provides detailed electoral data for the presidential election of 1856 won by Democratic nominee, James Buchanan.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Irish and German Immigration
Read about the reasons thousands of Irish and Germans emigrated to the United States in the first half of the 19th century. Find out why there was a backlash to influx of so many immigrants, and learn about the Nativists who wanted to...
Digital History
Digital History: The Election of 1856
A brief account of the election of 1856, the first in which the new Republican Party put forth a presidential candidate. See how the election split down regional lines.
Northern Illinois University
Getting the Message Out!: Second Party System: The Know Nothing Party
Explains what the Know Nothing party represented. They emerged in reaction to massive immigration between 1845 and 1855, and to the growing political influence of Roman Catholics.
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: Examining Antebellum Elections
[Free Registration/Login Required] This high school lesson plan has students look at data from the elections between 1824-1861 and the effect the two party system had on the outcomes.
270 To Win
270towin: 1856 Presidential Election
Provides detailed electoral facts for the presidential election of 1856 won by James Buchanan in an unusually heated election campaign.