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The Fort Sumter Crisis of 1860: Prelude to Civil War

Learn about the pivotal election of 1860 with key candidates and events. Lincoln's presidency triggers secession, leading to the Fort Sumter crisis and the start of the Civil War.

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The Fort Sumter Crisis of 1860: Prelude to Civil War

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  1. The Fort Sumter Crisis

  2. Election of 1860 • James Buchanan too unpopular to run for 2nd term • Several different parties emerge by 1860, and nominate candidates to run for presidency: • Republican – Abraham Lincoln • Democrat – Stephen Douglas • Southern Democrat – John C. Breckenridge • Constitutional Union Party – John Bell

  3. Southern Democrats staged a walkout at the official 1860 Democratic Convention. They reconvened, nominated Breckenridge (the sitting VP), & adopted an extremely pro-slavery platform. Republicans nominate Lincoln because he is 1) a westerner and 2) a moderate. Many radicals & abolitionists are disappointed. The CUP nominated John Bell; the official CUP platform was very simple: preserve the Union. CUPs were mostly former Whigs, & the party did not take a strong stand on slavery either way. Northern Democrats nominated Stephen Douglas, and supported “popular sovereignty” and a repeal of the Dred Scott Decision.

  4. Campaigning • Very different than today; most candidates simply sat home & let others campaign for them • Stephen Douglas became the first presidential candidate in history to actively campaign for himself (he toured the country & gave speeches) • Lincoln would make small speeches from his house to visitors; became his “front porch campaign” • Divisions within Democratic party helped Repubs

  5. Results

  6. Immediate Crisis • As many Southern states had claimed, once Lincoln was elected, they began organizing secession councils • South Carolina secedes from the Union on Dec 20, 1860; six more follow and form Confederate government by Feb 4, 1861 • Lincoln officially assumes office on March 4, 1861, and is confronted with what to do about the unraveling of the Union

  7. Fort Sumter • The seceding Southern states seized federal property & military installations, usually without force or bloodshed • Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor was the exception • The governor of SC, & later the President of the CSA Jefferson Davis, demanded federal troops evacuate Ft. Sumter • Maj. Anderson (commander of the fort) & Pres Buchanan refuse to surrender fort; by April ‘61 the CSA is prepared to use force

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