CommonLit
Common Lit: The Election of 1860
A learning module that begins with "The Election of 1860" by USHistory.org, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1844 1877: Election of 1860 and Secession
A quick comprehension check over the election of 1860 and secession.
Read Works
Read Works: Slavery, Civil War & Reconstruction Election of 1860 and Lincoln
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Election of 1860
The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 was a watershed moment for the union of the country. Read about the political conventions, several candidates, and the votes that were split among them. Find a map that shows how the electoral...
Harp Week
Harp Week: Elections: 1860 Lincoln v. Douglas v. Breckenridge v. Bell
From the state of the nation leading up to the 1860's, the conventions, campaigns, and results find information about the Presidential Election of 1860.
The History Cat
The History Cat: Us History: Election of 1860: Lincoln Elected
Looks at the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, and the divisions between North and South that resulted. Shortly after the election, a group of Southern states seceded and formed the Confederate States of America. The animosity between...
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Price of Freedom: 1860 Campaign Ribbon
View a photo a 1860 Campaign Ribbon and read a brief description of the contentious election of 1860. Displayed in the National Museum of American History.
US Department of State
Bureau of International Information Programs: History Outline: Sectionalism
Article reviews several conditions of American society that sowed the seeds of civil war, particularly slavery and sectional conflict.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Causes of the Civil War
Through a comprehensive powerpoint presentation, students will learn details of the five main causes of the Civil War in the United States.
American Battlefield Trust
American Battlefield Trust: Civil War: Trigger Events of the Civil War
A list with descriptions of the major events that led up to the outbreak of the Civil War.
270 To Win
270towin: 1860 Presidential Election
Provides detailed electoral facts for the presidential election of 1860 won by Abraham Lincoln, setting the stage for the American Civil War.
Digital History
Digital History: The Civil War Begins [Pdf]
The election of 1860 showed the deep divisions that split the country. With four candidates representing four very different approaches to the issue of slavery, the outcome resulted in the secession of South Carolina, followed eventually...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Lincoln Douglas Debates
The Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858 exemplified the rift in the nation concerning the issue of slavery and who should be able to determine whether states were free or slave. Read about this war of ideas that moved from the stage in...
Lone Star Junction
Lone Star Junction: Texas Ordinance of Secession (February 2, 1861)
This site gives the text of the Texas Ordinance of Secession after the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. It gives the reasons Texas secedes from the Union. See the parallels to the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
Harp Week
Harp Week: 1860 Lincoln v. Douglas v. Breckinridge v. Bell
An impressive collection of campaign banners from the 1860 Presidential election.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission
Explore Pa History: Pennsylvania Democrats
A good look at the views of the Democratic Party in Pennsylvania just prior to and during the Civil War. Read about Democratic president from Pennsylvania, James Buchanan, and his views about the importance of slavery in the national...
Harp Week
The End of Slavery: The Creation of the 13th Amendment
What a wonderful resource for researching the attempts to solve the issue of slavery prior to the Civil War, and the eventual ratification of the 13th Amendment. Find a timeline of legislation limiting the spread of slavery from 1787...
Other
Causes of the Civil War: A North Georgia Perspective
Read about the causes of the Civil War from a southern perspective.
University of Oregon
Mapping History: American History
Interactive and animated maps and timelines of historical events and time periods in American history from pre-European times until post-World War II.
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.
Smithsonian Institution
National Portrait Gallery: The Mask of Lincoln: Stephen A. Douglas
A captioned portrait of Stephen Douglas encapsulates his political career and reputation in a few short paragraphs.
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: Lincoln at Cooper Union
[Free Registration/Login Required] An essay about Lincoln's speech in 1860 at Cooper Union which brought him to the attention of the national Republican Party.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Moving Toward Equality Under Law
As new free and slave states were admitted to the Union prior to the Civil War, political divisions kept growing, despite attempts to balance the numbers of each. The South pushed for slavery to expand westward, while anti-slavery...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Stirrings of Reform
The democratic upheaval in politics exemplified by Jackson's election was merely one phase of the long American quest for greater rights and opportunities for all citizens. Another was the beginning of labor organization, primarily among...