An 1860 campaign button features a bust portrait of Lincoln

摘要

The Election of 1860: Reconsidered provides a valuable look at Abraham Lincoln's pivotal first presidential election. Editor James Fuller has compiled nine essays by leading experts that address a number of questions and concerns surrounding the events that changed the nation during that election. How did Lincoln win? Why did Stephen Douglas lose? What caused the Democratic Party to split into Northern and Southern factions? Why did John C. Breckinridge run? What was the Constitutional Union Party? What was the abolitionist response? Does realignment theory fit the election of 1860? The essays debunk several myths, and go beyond the bare-bone descriptions typically found in history texts.